# Starter kits NOT to buy.



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

Now i wont name and shame the company but i refuse to use the company for this reason and that their reptile expert is USELESS for giving correct advice.

But this still being sold despite complaints and inaccurate descriptions shows the company for what it is. Money grabbers that dont care about the reptiles that they are providing equipment for.
See if you can spot whats wrong with these.



> The Komodo Leopard Gecko Starter Kit perfectly replicates the natural environment of the leopard gecko, allowing you to create a happy habitat for your pet.
> 
> The Leopard Gecko Starter Kit includes a ready-assembled glass Komodo Terrarium which is front and top opening. The terrarium provides great viewing of your reptile.
> 
> ...


And



> The Komodo Leopard Gecko Advanced Starter Kit includes a 60cm x 30cm x 45cm glass terrarium and all the kit you need to create a spacious and realistic habitat for your leopard gecko.
> 
> The Leopard Gecko Starter Kit includes a ready-assembled glass Komodo Terrarium which is front and top opening. The terrarium provides great viewing of your reptile.
> 
> ...


You dont even want to know how bad the bearded dragon starter kits are and i cant post them because its their brand name stuff so no excusesthat "We just sell others starter kits"


----------



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

Just in contrast from another company and again no naming, but THIS is what a starter kit SHOULD be.



> -Viv Exotic Reptistax small Vivarium
> -Habistat 11x11inch heatmat
> -Microclimate MiniStat100 Thermostat
> -Exo Terra Small Water Bowl
> ...


----------



## kane90 (Feb 25, 2013)

i have to admit i totaly agree .... the 'starter kit' is hurrendous and people that dont do research in to leos before they buy them can fall for pranks like this .... and i no wer this info is from and tbh i am shocked to hear such good things about this company from other people and then to come across this kind of ruins the reputation for me .... especially when missing crucial items such as thermostat, moist hide and they only supply 1 den .... think that description of substrate is abit out aswel using bark and calci sand if anyone does read this i would advise against this haha


----------



## Luke (May 19, 2005)

> _Therefore the kit does not only include a desert substrate but also comes with terrarium moss so you can create a bit of a woody feel to the habitat._


Any profeesional description that uses the term "Woody feel" for creating a woodland style habitat, is not going to get my attention.


----------



## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

I personally feel most "starter setups" are inadequate


----------



## kane90 (Feb 25, 2013)

i like the bit 'The kit also includes a den so your gecko can chill out and feel safe, especially during the daytime' haha wtf


----------



## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

i got a starter kit for mine from a local rep shop, it included a bug tub for moist hid and 2 small exos. a small 2ft viv, a heat mat and thermostat. and thermometers. so wasnt that bad, but yes the ones u have stated are pretty bad.


----------



## Mr Rofls (Mar 10, 2013)

i know what company you're on about, that kit is from the clearance they have other starter kits which are much better, all the other products they sell are reasonably cheap, a lot of items are cheaper than surrey pets! now that's saying something


----------



## Mr Rofls (Mar 10, 2013)

Also, they're the komodo starter kits not the company who sells them, this is the company and their starter kit, which is much better! for around the same price.

What's in the Platinum Starter Kit?

VivExotic Compact Vivarium: 86cm x 37.5 x 42 (34" x 15" x 16.5")
Calcium sand 4kg
Heat mat 8.5w
Bendable cane to make fantastic landscapes 30cm
Deluxe digital thermo hygrometer
Large reptile cave
Fluorescent light strip with 2% (daylight) UVB
T8 ballast to power your strip
Thermostat
Real natural driftwood to create a realistic envorinment
Giant reptile branch
Feeding dish
Four trailing plants to add a touch of colour to your vivarium
Calcium dust for your livefood. 25og


----------



## ConnorTrussell (Apr 5, 2012)

I don't actually mind the starter kits- I do not use them for the animal it is stated for though, I like to just have the equipment and terranium as its normally a discounted price if bought as the "starter" so not all that bad


----------



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

Mr Rofls said:


> Also, they're the komodo starter kits not the company who sells them, this is the company and their starter kit, which is much better! for around the same price.
> 
> What's in the Platinum Starter Kit?
> 
> ...


And the basic starter kit?



> What's in the Leopard Gecko Kit?
> 
> Large Flat Faunarium
> Heat mat
> ...


You still cant justify a basic set up with a heatmat and no thermostat.


----------



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

And seeing as we are on the subject i wasnt going to but before someone tries to justify it. Bearded dragon top level kit.



> The kit includes:
> 
> Top of the range VivExotic Bearded Dragon Vivarium:115cm x 49cm x 43.4cm (45" x 19" x 17")
> Super Sun basking lamp to fit on the top basking panel
> ...


Heatmat for a bearded dragon? No thermostat? No thermometers of any type? No Vitamin supplements?

Its no wonder we get continued posts of people with the wrong setups or missing equipments.


----------



## raymaral (Feb 1, 2013)

dramen said:


> Now i wont name and shame the company but i refuse to use the company for this reason and that their reptile expert is USELESS for giving correct advice.
> 
> But this still being sold despite complaints and inaccurate descriptions shows the company for what it is. Money grabbers that dont care about the reptiles that they are providing equipment for.
> See if you can spot whats wrong with these.
> ...


I think I know who your on about and could you not put the description for beardies and 'censor' the name, could be a fun read.. Or is it on they're website I may have a hunt through and see if I can find it lol


----------



## MiniBlueDragon (Apr 11, 2013)

These reviews are swell! :2thumb:


----------



## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

dramen said:


> And seeing as we are on the subject i wasnt going to but before someone tries to justify it. Bearded dragon top level kit.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thermostats arent a must


----------



## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

tremerz97 said:


> thermostats arent a must


Come again?


----------



## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

tremerz97 said:


> thermostats arent a must



When we're talking about heat mats and newbies sticking 150w heat bulbs in a 4x2x2ft (and often smaller!), yes thermostats are an essential piece of kit.

Even though I have the correct wattage bulbs in my tanks and the right temperatures, I still use thermostats. It's a safe-guard against over heating, pretty important in a climate such as ours I feel.

More experienced members can get away with bulbs not on thermostats, but never heat mats.


----------



## Kimora (Mar 7, 2012)

tremerz97 said:


> thermostats *are* a must


I fixed that for you.


----------



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

tremerz97 said:


> thermostats arent a must


Not if your able to adjust the height of the lamp which in this set up your clearly not able to. Also how to adjust the basking spot temperature without having a thermometer to adjust it by?
This set up relies on their base settings which will differ in each home and each location the vivarium is placed. A living room during the daytime will be naturally hotter than a bedroom due to the ambient temperature increase with people moving inside it.

It also includes a heatmat with no thermostat which i beg to differ DOES require a thermostat regardless of how it will be used.


----------



## Kimora (Mar 7, 2012)

I'm a pro mat user (i'm usually in the snake section)...but..


have you SEEN the damage that can happen from not just CHEAP mat's but unstat'ed mat's??? To enclosure (at the very least) and reptile (as a worst case).

11 years ago, i started keeping corns and kings as my first rep's without stat's and i thank my lucky stars, knowing what i know now, that nothing happened to them. Those pic's and stories do not make good bed time reading. 

That's a ridiculous statement to make.


----------



## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

That's Tremerz for you :2thumb:


----------



## dramen (May 29, 2012)

We do need to cut Tremerz some slack here i think he was purely refering to the heat lamps and not the heatmats and overlooked that part in the equipment list.
However its a starter kit and therefore a "newbie" owner would be the one buying it and should have a hi ranged dimmer stat included. The vivarium does not have a method of adjusting the lamp height to obtain the correct basking temperature to adjust for ambient variances. This is why i use a hi ranged dimmer stat and as Boris is kept in the bedroom where the temperatures at night are naturally higher than in the living room a heatmat is not required to keep night time temperatures up. (Although with central heating it probably would not require it in the living room either only if i had it say in the kitchen maybe)


----------



## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

dramen said:


> We do need to cut Tremerz some slack here i think he was purely refering to the heat lamps and not the heatmats and overlooked that part in the equipment list.


Tried that until I saw that his finished cwd viv was a cupboard with no doors on it :whistling2:


----------



## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

dramen said:


> We do need to cut Tremerz some slack here i think he was purely refering to the heat lamps and not the heatmats and overlooked that part in the equipment list.
> However its a starter kit and therefore a "newbie" owner would be the one buying it and should have a hi ranged dimmer stat included. The vivarium does not have a method of adjusting the lamp height to obtain the correct basking temperature to adjust for ambient variances. This is why i use a hi ranged dimmer stat and as Boris is kept in the bedroom where the temperatures at night are naturally higher than in the living room a heatmat is not required to keep night time temperatures up. (Although with central heating it probably would not require it in the living room either only if i had it say in the kitchen maybe)


Perhaps that is what he meant, on a forum like this you have to be quite clear with what you mean. Someone researching starter kits could come on here, see that comment and just accept that thermostats aren't needed at all, and I'm pretty sure Mike knows that isn't true.

Unfortunately, people confessing undying love for these animals and make them part of the family, suddenly don't seem so interested in their welfare when it is suggested they cough up another £40 for a stat. So instead companies offer 'pretty substrate' and decor that equate to a similar price of the stat to bulk out the kit and make it look like the customer got a great deal. We know better :whistling2:


----------



## c_1993 (Jun 10, 2011)

Remember that store who had an advert in PRK 'buy their starter kit and Beardie and get another Beardie free' or something along those lines. 
And they have the cheek to say "Guarantee No. 1 Deliver a remarkable service from a knowledgeable team" :censor:

If they were that knowledgeable why on earth would they encourage people to keep bearded dragons together, its disgusting. 
But at the end of the day they are a business and its all about making money, it is a pity that they don't put the animals welfare first though.


I think most starter kits are pretty poor and usually pretty pricey too for the crap you get, considering you don't even get half the stuff you need with it. 
In an ideal world every newbie would do their own research off their own backs and take the pet shops advice with a pinch of salt but sadly some people don't know any better and take the pet shops word for gospel. 
:whistling2:


----------



## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

It's like stepping back into the dark ages looking at that set-up. 

I also thought it was pretty well established now that UV provision is good for crepuscular species such as leopard geckos.


----------



## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

yeah i do need to be more specific, i was purely saying that for the bulbs, ive never used one for a beardie and have always got the temps correct, but yes stats for mats is a must.


----------



## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

mrkeda said:


> Tried that until I saw that his finished cwd viv was a cupboard with no doors on it :whistling2:


if u looked closely there was! and have u seen the thread with his different setup now?


----------



## Jeffers3 (May 18, 2010)

c_1993 said:


> Remember that store who had an advert in PRK 'buy their starter kit and Beardie and get another Beardie free' or something along those lines.
> And they have the cheek to say "Guarantee No. 1 Deliver a remarkable service from a knowledgeable team" :censor:
> 
> If they were that knowledgeable why on earth would they encourage people to keep bearded dragons together, its disgusting.
> But at the end of the day they are a business and its all about making money, it is a pity that they don't put the animals welfare first though.


This winds me up more than most things. It's amazing how many shops will advocate this - even well-established stores with otherwise excellent reputations. 

The problem is that beardies have been massively overbred for too long and, despite their popularity (which they totally deserve!), the size and cost of their set-ups means that people can't always keep more than one or two. It's not like Royal Python high-rise rack systems!

As a result, we have shops full of beardies, which are often kept in groups of 15-20, in which half of them have toes, feet, or even tails missing. The shop staff then have the gall to tell new owners that beardies like to have company and that they will often be seen "cuddling" each other :bash:


----------



## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

tremerz97 said:


> if u looked closely there was! and have u seen the thread with his different setup now?


And how long did it take you to sort that out? You can go back and read the threads bud, you annoyed quite a few people who tried to help. You can't expect everyone to take anything you say serious given your track record.


----------



## tremerz97 (Nov 30, 2012)

mrkeda said:


> And how long did it take you to sort that out? You can go back and read the threads bud, you annoyed quite a few people who tried to help. You can't expect everyone to take anything you say serious given your track record.


yeah it took too long but its sorted. i had only bought the new viv that same day i posted the other thread. (different thread than ur on about) but ive learnt from my mistake now so can we leave the past please?


----------



## c_1993 (Jun 10, 2011)

Jeffers3 said:


> This winds me up more than most things. It's amazing how many shops will advocate this - even well-established stores with otherwise excellent reputations.
> 
> The problem is that beardies have been massively overbred for too long and, despite their popularity (which they totally deserve!), the size and cost of their set-ups means that people can't always keep more than one or two. It's not like Royal Python high-rise rack systems!
> 
> As a result, we have shops full of beardies, which are often kept in groups of 15-20, in which half of them have toes, feet, or even tails missing. The shop staff then have the gall to tell new owners that beardies like to have company and that they will often be seen "cuddling" each other :bash:


It saddens me when people come on here and post pics of their beardies piled up on top of each other and call it 'cuddling' :whip:


----------

