UTH Recommendations for Geckos

[Asheka]

Alright, placement questions lol

I know they need belly heat for digestion but I was reading the instructions (as I've never used this brand) and it says if you're using a thin sub (like newspaper or paper towels) to mount the UTH on the side in a lower corner.
Is the repticarpet thick enough to mount on the bottom?

Also, side question, should I put some velcro on the bottom of the repticarpet to keep it flat, and him from digging underneath it?

[wodesorel]

It says to mount it on the side because it runs so hot they could burn themselves if used without anything to control the temp. They don't just need a warm side, they have to be able to lay on a warm patch of ground or they won't process food correctly. If mounting it on the side will get a big section of ground to be 90 (and not over 95) then yes by all means, but I doubt it'll be able to do that. Without a rheostat the pads will heat the glass to 120-130 degrees which can cause burns, and papertowel or repticarpet is not going buffer that heat any.

Ideally we all should be using a rheostat with temperature probe to prevent burns in case the pad or dimmer fails. While they regulate their own temp, they can't feel themselves getting life threatening burns. Just needed to say that for safety. (Any reptile with any heat source should have a fail safe temp probe in place, just in case.)

A heat gun is perfect for this whole thing btw. I can click around my tanks and get actual surface temps rather than ambient air temps. Just a fun toy to consider!

I have papertowels on the cool side until we break the tile cutter out, and mine have never tried to get underneath. Velcro should work if you have a digger. Any worms or crickets will hide under there if they can get an opening. I find random beetles all the time from the worms hiding and maturing in the tank, and I sit and watch to make sure they aren't getting away at feeding time. :roll:

Calla, they're only about 2/3 of the way there. Blaze suddenly stopped eating when he got to size. And I seriously mean he went from 8 superworms a day to refusing food overnight. Since then he'll only eat crickets and I've been limiting him to what he should be getting and he never begs. The other two will beg if I skip a day! As long as they're doing that and not overweight I'll keep tossing in food. The rescue said these guys are rarely overeaters and that they should refuse food when they are a proper weight and when they feel full. I'm hoping that will be the case here as well.

[Asheka]

Thanks so much for the info Wode! It's been about as long as it had been since I had hermies that I've had a gecko so I know I have some catching up to do.

[CallaLily]

A heat gun is perfect for this whole thing btw. I can click around my tanks and get actual surface temps rather than ambient air temps. Just a fun toy to consider!

I agree, a must have and super fun too.

Calla, they're only about 2/3 of the way there. Blaze suddenly stopped eating when he got to size. And I seriously mean he went from 8 superworms a day to refusing food overnight. Since then he'll only eat crickets and I've been limiting him to what he should be getting and he never begs. The other two will beg if I skip a day! As long as they're doing that and not overweight I'll keep tossing in food. The rescue said these guys are rarely overeaters and that they should refuse food when they are a proper weight and when they feel full. I'm hoping that will be the case here as well.

Lizard didn't get the memo. He seriously would just keep eating and like I said, for a while was overweight. He's still a beefy guy but looking much better. I guess we were at opposite sides of the problem.



It's good to hear your boy is back on track. I know your girl had a rougher time of it and I know you'll have her right in no time.

[wodesorel]

I finally looked into how to breed superworms - not hard, but takes a while and requires space. Mealworm colonies are a cinch. It's really not hard at all to have a somewhat steady food supply on hand. (I hate crickets...) Just something to think about. Even with a lone mouth to feed, it's a relief to have backup in case a trip to the store gets delayed. Plus, the hermits love any extras! Mine got a bowl of around 200 mealworm pupae because I got overloaded.

[Asheka]

I've thought about breeding them, though found a girl in town who does. She sells them cheaper than the stores and will "swap" any pupaes and beetles for worms lol