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Need Help Getting My First Terrarium Setup

S

Seattle_Gecko

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Hi-- What's that smell? Well, that my friends is brand-spanking-new Newbie smell! That's me. This is my first post too.

I bought a beautiful terrarium for Crested Geckos. The terrarium is creatively arranged with live plants, mossy/bark, wood hide-outs, etc. I just received it and was very excited to start my little gecko colony. I bought the Exo-Terra deep dome lamp and fittled it with a 13W compact flourescent bulb and a 60W red night light (heat light?!).

The terrarium maker told me to just lay the light domes right on top of the glass. OK. I did. I don't think she realized the red light gave off heat and thought it was just a red bulb. Now the glass is cracked from heat. :NoNo:

T3jLB.jpg


I'd like to keep this terrarium but there doesn't seem to be any way to heat it. I tried the Zoo Med undertank heater, but with the thickness of the substrate, the heat didn't permeate and it just created a lot of visible condensation at the bottom of the tank. I could move it to the side of the tank, but visually that's no going to work for me. :shrug01:

SO-- that's the saga. I live in an old house and in the winter, the temp can fall to 40 degrees (not good for geckos). I'd rather heat the cage, not the room (there's no central heat/AC).

Ideas? Suggestions? How do you control the temp in your gecko/reptile tank? I'd like to setup a wonderful, very tall (+30 gallon or more) tank.

If you've made it THIS far, thanks for reading!! :rofl:

M...
 
Technically, it's not the heat that will crack it, but the extreme change in temperatures that will crack it.

You're best bet would be to replace it with some screen. I'd avoid window screen if you can (that may melt/burn with the heat lamp) and go with 1/4" or 1/8" (if you can find it) hardware cloth. Cut it to fit the top and poof, you've got a new top. It won't be pretty, but it'll work.

Depending on the dimensions, you could also get a 10 gallon terrarium top and cut it. I had a 40gallon tall that I had the same issue with (glass aquarium top) and I took two 10 gallon tops, cut one and put a hinge on it and made my own top. Again, not pretty, but it worked.

If you're really crafty, you could just make a completely custom top. This is the top I eventually made for that 40 gallon:
Inside:
picture.php


Top:
picture.php


Opening:
picture.php


I mounted 3 light sockets, 2UVB and a heat lamp. The metal 'cages' are gutter downspout protectors. I installed some soffit vents to aid in air circulation and heat dissipation.
 
Those are great ideas! THANK YOU for taking the time to think about my problem.

Some other good news-- I spoke with the cage designer and she'll be replacing the entire terrarium!! Now THAT'S how to keep the client happy! ;)

Thanks,
M...
 
I was about to say something similar to Defcon. Just get creative and build what would work for you the most. You can also pain/stain the wood if you go with a wood top. Just make sure you check and make sure it's safe for the animal, and let it dry for a few days. If his custom top was painted black it might even make the enclosure look better than it was.
The enclosure looks great though, nice setup.
 
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