My new Leo, Aya

[Erie_herps]

You need to use a thermostat, I use inkbird and they only cost $10-20. Otherwise the pad could malfunction and become much hotter (>200*F). You don't need to add lighting or UV lighting, it helps but if you're dusting and offering a dish of calcium it isn't necessary.

[Hugsplox]

You need to use a thermostat, I use inkbird and they only cost $10-20. Otherwise the pad could malfunction and become much hotter (>200*F). You don't need to add lighting or UV lighting, it helps but if you're dusting and offering a dish of calcium it isn't necessary.

Congrats on your new girl, she's beautiful and I'm excited to see more LG keepers on here!

Erie is spot on here. Without a thermostat you're risking serious injuries to your new LG. I would say turn that thing off entirely until you get a thermostat to control it. You can pick one up at most pet stores, including the big box stores, but you can get an Inkbird or a Jumpstart, which I use, pretty cheap on Amazon. That hot spot is WAY too hot for a LG. I keep mine right at 88 degrees and he does wonderfully.

As far as tong feeding, I've always done it this way and haven't had any issues. As you've probably noticed already, they're pretty aggressive feeders and will smack their little noses on the thongs, so if you haven't already I'd pick up some rubber tipped tongs to keep them from hurting themselves. The ones linked below are similar to what I use, but you can get a cheaper pair.

https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-angled...EaAiR2EALw_wcB

My guy use to eat mealworms, but overtime he lost interest in them. I think the movement of crickets and dubias just sparks his feeding response better, so don't get too worried if she won't take mealworms. Also mix it up a bit, don't feed the same feeders week after week, variety is the spice of life even for a little gecko.

As far as lighting, if your room gets a good bit of natural light, you don't NEED any supplemental light in the enclosure. I've kept LGs with light and without and both methods have worked. Now recently I upgrade my guy's tank and because of where I put it in my reptile room, I felt he could use some extra, so I'm using a small lamp, but for most of his life he's done fine with the window light.

[Courage]

Congrats on your new girl, she's beautiful and I'm excited to see more LG keepers on here!

Erie is spot on here. Without a thermostat you're risking serious injuries to your new LG. I would say turn that thing off entirely until you get a thermostat to control it. You can pick one up at most pet stores, including the big box stores, but you can get an Inkbird or a Jumpstart, which I use, pretty cheap on Amazon. That hot spot is WAY too hot for a LG. I keep mine right at 88 degrees and he does wonderfully.

As far as tong feeding, I've always done it this way and haven't had any issues. As you've probably noticed already, they're pretty aggressive feeders and will smack their little noses on the thongs, so if you haven't already I'd pick up some rubber tipped tongs to keep them from hurting themselves. The ones linked below are similar to what I use, but you can get a cheaper pair.

https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-angled...EaAiR2EALw_wcB

My guy use to eat mealworms, but overtime he lost interest in them. I think the movement of crickets and dubias just sparks his feeding response better, so don't get too worried if she won't take mealworms. Also mix it up a bit, don't feed the same feeders week after week, variety is the spice of life even for a little gecko.

As far as lighting, if your room gets a good bit of natural light, you don't NEED any supplemental light in the enclosure. I've kept LGs with light and without and both methods have worked. Now recently I upgrade my guy's tank and because of where I put it in my reptile room, I felt he could use some extra, so I'm using a small lamp, but for most of his life he's done fine with the window light.

Thanks for the link and everything! I am looking for an inexpensive, yet still keep-my-leo-happy route. So I will probably just leave the window shades open (no direct sunlight and they are a good 10 feet away from the tank so I don't think it will get overheated. I am worried about turning the UTH off completely, would it be ok if I left it on and added a tile layer until I can get one? I have a thermostat, but not one I can plug in and adjust the temp. (I am checking the temp though at LEAST 5-7 times a day) This is only Aya's second day and I stuck my hand in there and she came right out of her hide and took a look (she didn't touch me but she came out) as far as tong feeding I usually just drop it a few inches in front of her, and THEN she will go for it.

[Hugsplox]

Thanks for the link and everything! I am looking for an inexpensive, yet still keep-my-leo-happy route. So I will probably just leave the window shades open (no direct sunlight and they are a good 10 feet away from the tank so I don't think it will get overheated. I am worried about turning the UTH off completely, would it be ok if I left it on and added a tile layer until I can get one? I have a thermostat, but not one I can plug in and adjust the temp. (I am checking the temp though at LEAST 5-7 times a day) This is only Aya's second day and I stuck my hand in there and she came right out of her hide and took a look (she didn't touch me but she came out) as far as tong feeding I usually just drop it a few inches in front of her, and THEN she will go for it.

Just to be clear, if you're going to do this as a temporary solution you need to be really careful, pay really close attention to what's going on, and if for any reason it's not working, switch the UTH off, and make the thermostat happen right away. As long as you can make sure whatever you're putting over the UTH is heavy enough that she can't move it, and you're sure that the temperature is safe, and I mean without a shadow of a doubt safe, that may work as a VERY temporary fix. That's not a substitute for a thermostat, but if you can't get one for a few days, and you're checking the temp as much as you say you are, you might be okay.

I know I keep saying this over and over but I just want to make sure that the point isn't being lost. A thermostat is priority number 1 right now, so just because you find something that works, it's temporary and you still need to pick one up.

With all reptiles, LGs included, you really want to set that tank up and let it run for a week or so before you put an animal in it, so you can make all these corrections without disturbing their settle in period. LGs are less prone than say a ball python would be to stressing out when you're moving stuff around, but regardless you still want to avoid disturbing them as much as possible for the first couple of weeks, and allow her to settle into her new home.

I don't mean to sound like I'm fussing at you, but a thermostat is something you should have picked up when you were buying the rest of your set up. The silver lining is, now you'll know this stuff for your next reptile!

[Courage]

Ok, sounds good. I will look on amazon today. I still want to keep the UTH on for RIGHT NOW so I am going to add a layer of tile under some paper towels. I am hoping this will take the temp down at LEAST to 90 or so. (Just so you know, I am checking her thermo AT LEAST that much if not much more because it is my room) I am just worried about getting Aya out of her hide.