# Gecko burrows to glass bottom



## wilso31 (Apr 6, 2009)

Hi a bit of a noob here I bought a Gecko on sunday and its my first Lizard I have never had a reptile before.

I noticed yesterday that she had scuttled away the beech wood and was lying on the glass bottom in her hide. I moved her hide and covered up the glass to find she did it again in front of my eyes. 

My heat mat is on the outside of the mat and my thermometer tels me the glass is about 90 degrees. the beechwood surface is 85 degrees ,however I have been advised it takes a few days to get up to the temperature.

Is this normal?

I am thinking of getting some slate tiles at the weekend to try this but due to work commitments unable to til then.

also how long does it take them to settle in? she doesnt come out of her hide very often?

I did put my hand in the viv yesterday tho and she came to sniff my finger.

Am I ok having her in the living room where the tv is and will she get used to the noise? she was also living with two other geckos before I bought her.

Mick


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

Hi, is it a leopard gecko you have?

I have mine on an astro-turf-like bedding as wood chip COULD be eaten if its small when they go to grab crickets. plus, as you have noticed, they can dig away at it and sit on the glass which can get too hot!
the floor temperature should be between 84-88 degrees Fahrenheit so the glass may be a little warm for it and could burn their toes and tummy. 

you also might find the thermometer you are using isnt exactly accurate. i have some little strips on the sides of the glass for ambient temps and check with a digital thermometer every few days, which is much more accurate. 

however, geckos do like to burrow so it is normal, just make sure the glass isnt too hot... personally, i say avoid sand and calci sand like the plague, but if you search for "substrate" onm here, there is lots of debate about it! i think the risk of impaction is not worth it but it is persoanl choice. 

also - make sure you ahve a wet box - i have a tub with spagnum moss in it which they love! 

it will take a couple of weeks to get him settled so leave him for a bit until he has had time to adjust, then you can start to handle him for a few minutes at a time and build it up. 

mine are in my living room and seem fine! 

best of luck x


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## wilso31 (Apr 6, 2009)

yes I have noticed theres alot of debate on substrate. I discuss with my wife and she dont seem happy with slate type tiles or kitchen towel as it isnt their natural habitat? but neither is beachwood. I use beachwood as this was what they used in the store. I would like to make it as comfortable as possible for her and not sure if the tiles would be too hard . all these options

what do i need to do also as goes personal hygiene ie salmonela ? 

thanks
Mick and his new addition Padme the leopard gecko:lol2:


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

it wouldnt be too hard for it to use slate. i use it for my beardies as a heat spot cos it retains heat well. 

i have those sticky vinyl tiles from B&Q on the floor for my beardies cos they are really messy and its dead easy to keep clean. they slide about a bit for a few days until their nails have scratched the surface and give it more grip!! but beardies have REALLY messy poohs whereas leos is reasonably dry. 

i have 4 sheets of the astroturf / fake grass stuff. its quite shallow so easy to clean and as leopard geckos are pretty much toilet trained and only defecate in one area i find it the best and easiest to maintain, personally! i change it each week and give it a good scrub. its only about £4 for a massive square which is plenty!

tiles is fine - although be careful they dont break the glass if you have a glass tank - i did that with mine, d'oh! naturally they live in deserts (more rocky than sand) so i also have a big rocky outcrop/cave thing and a large rock with big holes in they can rub against. i'll take a pic in a bit...


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

i use sand for my quad but the other 4 are on kitchen towel housed seperately as they are in quarantine

i've had no problems what so ever with sand but they have a decent food dish (one with the lid) and they are really good at catching the locust

this is a pic of my current set up



























plenty of digging space  x


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

reckon that one at the top is trying to escape!! better keep an eye on that one!


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

she climbs to the top and lays between the lid and the top of the climbing wall :lol: she's a bugger for it... the amount of times i've thought i've lost her


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

my baby cresties do it ALL THE TIME! you can barely see them they get so far back!


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

this is my set up at the moment... it's looking a bit bare cos i've put it on top of my beardie stack now and they have no background! my OH is getting a huge blue and green painting to go at the abck on the wall which will really set it up...

also - the wet hide is temporary as all three of them started having diffulty getting into my last one!










and Zippy looking all dirty in her pre-shed skin!!


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

awww... which uv is it? x


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

not a UV. just standard repti strip light.
only got it cos now they aren't in front of the window it gets a bit dark and they think its night time all the time!


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

ahhh  x


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## wilso31 (Apr 6, 2009)

here is my set up its very basic as I only got my Gecko on Sunday she is in the hide and stays there most the time . Im a bit worried as she doesnt move much and only eats when theres no one about. I am trying her with two crickets tnight.


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## wilso31 (Apr 6, 2009)

I was hoping to show you images of my setup but dont think I know how :-( they are under padme in the comunity section .

I worry as she lays in her den all day and from what my kids say late at night too I have had her since sunday and shes very little.

she wont eat in the day at all and at night she has just started eating .

I have left her 2 crickets tnight hoping that she will eat. temps in the viv are about right she has fresh water every day and has calcium also.

we have two cats and a dog that are all curious I know it takes a while to settle so im just sitting and hoping.

is this normal

Mick


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

i had an albino male that took weeks to settle in... he wasn't eating when we were around but now he hand feeds 

got a mack snow that is only eating when i'm not around haha... she's definitely active tho... may just be settling in hun x


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

dont worry!
if you ahve only had her since Sunday it can take a couple of weeks to settle. dont take her out for a while, then once settled and looks likle eating properly, start to take her out gradually. 
dont worry about her not eating in the day. leos are nocturnal, so they should be asleep anyway!

different leos do have different personalities. my male george looks like he is sunbathing all day with his legs stretched out behind him... snoozing! he is really docile and loves to come out. 
but one of my females Zippy practially only comes out to eat and move between hides! she is very skittish and not the easiest to handle. they are totally different!

i wouldnt worry about the other pets you ahve being curious, as long as they cant get at the tank inside and arent constantly knocking it. 

how small is she? do you ahve any pics? you need a photobucket account.... there;s a sticky in Newbies about how to post. does she have a nice fat tail?

i wouldnt panic too much as it seems she is eating something at the moment...

i cant seem to find your setup....


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## kentish (Oct 8, 2007)

OK - just found your pics!!

have PM'd you


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