confused

I think the best and most up-to-date book to read now is "The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos" available at http://leopardgecko.com/book.html . This book is basically the new version of the book that houdini recommended and is a great read. As she said, loose substrates aren't good for hatchlings or for new keepers trying to keep leos for the first time, so the switch to paper is a good idea. Also, instead of getting something to regulate your uth, you can simply put cardboard down on the bottom of the cage, then you paper towels. Just be sure to have an accurate thermometer (I personally like temp guns) and then just layer however much cardboard you need to get the surface at the right temps., it usually only takes one or two pieces of cardboard.

Originally Posted by geckoeye

I think the best and most up-to-date book to read now is "The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos" available at http://leopardgecko.com/book.html . This book is basically the new version of the book that houdini recommended and is a great read. As she said, loose substrates aren't good for hatchlings or for new keepers trying to keep leos for the first time, so the switch to paper is a good idea. Also, instead of getting something to regulate your uth, you can simply put cardboard down on the bottom of the cage, then you paper towels. Just be sure to have an accurate thermometer (I personally like temp guns) and then just layer however much cardboard you need to get the surface at the right temps., it usually only takes one or two pieces of cardboard.

That Cardboard is a great i dea!! I have talked to a lot of people on other forums who dont have the money to buy a thermostat or rheostat and didn't realize they needed one. I will have to tell them about that.
Kristy

wow....all of you are great thanks i did switch to paper towels, used the bottle caps to lower the uth and added some greenier...french fry likes it a lot better i think. now to get the right themometers....we got hit with killer storms last night and 10" of water....hopefully we'll dry out to get to the store.
again, thanks to each of you.

jen

I use one of these. http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx

and something like this http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2261630

I guess cardboard is a better price. I just feel a bit safer by having control of how hot the uth pad can get.

The thermostat is MUCH safer. The real risk with any heating device is that it freaks out/shorts out/ etc. and runs hotter than normal. I would think it would be possible to scorch the cardboard, which could lead to a potentially deadly fire.

I used an UTH with Sand-like substrate for my breaded dragons. One day I checked on them and smelled something burning. Turns out that the UTH freaked out and had literally burned a hole in the dresser the tank was on, and it got so hot that it actually cracked the glass on the bottom of the tank. Luckily they were dragons and the sand was thick so a couple of hours at 115-120 didn't kill them, but it could have been a lot worse if I wouldn't have been home. I've used thermostats on my UTH and similiar heating elements since.

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Reptiles

The thermostat is MUCH safer. The real risk with any heating device is that it freaks out/shorts out/ etc. and runs hotter than normal. I would think it would be possible to scorch the cardboard, which could lead to a potentially deadly fire.

I used an UTH with Sand-like substrate for my breaded dragons. One day I checked on them and smelled something burning. Turns out that the UTH freaked out and had literally burned a hole in the dresser the tank was on, and it got so hot that it actually cracked the glass on the bottom of the tank. Luckily they were dragons and the sand was thick so a couple of hours at 115-120 didn't kill them, but it could have been a lot worse if I wouldn't have been home. I've used thermostats on my UTH and similiar heating elements since.

Oh my thats scary, Maybe I wont tell people to use carboard. Or just as a quick fix untill they can get a thermostat. But tell them the dangers.

thermostats also are not error proof I did have one take a crap on me a while back it stayed on and melted a few of my bins on a rack system. the really bad part was that the melted plastic burned through the heat tape and caused a short. at least there was no fire and no Leos were lost.

True, which is why you see some people out there with Double-Helixes wired together. Depends on the level of safety required. Also note that the cheap $19 ones are a lot more error prone when compared to something like a $125 helix.

The thermostat is there to provide some protection, but it's far from error-proof, just like everything else.