Can a Leopard Gecko be kept in a pvc enclosure ? [Archive]

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:18 PM

I would appreciate some help here ,i purchased this Enclosure late last night as it appeared on Kijiji Calgary ( super cheap and brand new ) i couldn't let it pass for the price ,so i'm just curious is it possible to keep a leapord gecko in it ? if yes what would i need to make this happen ,dimensions are 24" L x 11" H x 11"W ,any advice would be greatly appreciated .

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 08:25 PM

I think it would be alright. Depends what the top and bottom are like. Is there any way to heat it? I mean, can a UTH or light be used? I'm not sure how these things are put together.

~Maggot

Wildside

12-01-12, 08:25 PM

You could keep a colony of leos in there

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:28 PM

I think it would be alright. Depends what the top and bottom are like. Is there any way to heat it? I mean, can a UTH or light be used? I'm not sure how these things are put together.

~Maggot

solid top and bottom ,yes uth can be used aswell as a rhp ,as for lights i can add led's no problem....as for the enclosure itself they are awsome ,i have a 4x2x2 for my bci ,their great for humidty and heat keeping :) thankyou for your reply .

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:29 PM

You could keep a colony of leos in there

Yay ,wildside ,talk to me my friend ........please ;)

Wildside

12-01-12, 08:36 PM

Yay ,wildside ,talk to me my friend ........please ;)

Brb I'm gonna get a tape measure

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:38 PM

Brb I'm gonna get a tape measure

uhmmmmmm sounds interesting :wacky:

Wildside

12-01-12, 08:39 PM

Ok with enough hides I think you could keep a male and 2 females.

Wildside

12-01-12, 08:40 PM

uhmmmmmm sounds interesting :wacky:

I had to measure mine lol

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:42 PM

Ok with enough hides I think you could keep a male and 2 females.

okay thankyou ,what would you suggest for lighting ,is there a special need for these gecko's as i've know very little about them at this moment in time ,do they require a basking spot ? or would a uth on a thermostat be suffcient ?

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:43 PM

I had to measure mine lol

Lol....oh.....any pic's please of your's ? do you have a similar enclosure too ? sorry to bombard you here ;)

Wildside

12-01-12, 08:50 PM

okay thankyou ,what would you suggest for lighting ,is there a special need for these gecko's as i've know very little about them at this moment in time ,do they require a basking spot ? or would a uth on a thermostat be suffcient ?

They're nocturnal so no light source is needed but I'm sure you'd prefer to see them from time to time. I use a regular old incandescent bulb in my enclosure. Of course I know that pvc cage isn't exactly designed for that so my suggestion is to put some rope lighting in it.

IMO all herps need a basking spot so you should definitely offer one. Something else that helps tremendously is a humid hide. If you don't know how to make one you can search it on this site as I think it's been posted quite a few times. I mist mine daily and feed them superworms.

They're really easy to breed and care for, and fun to watch.

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 08:59 PM

They're nocturnal so no light source is needed but I'm sure you'd prefer to see them from time to time. I use a regular old incandescent bulb in my enclosure. Of course I know that pvc cage isn't exactly designed for that so my suggestion is to put some rope lighting in it.

IMO all herps need a basking spot so you should definitely offer one. Something else that helps tremendously is a humid hide. If you don't know how to make one you can search it on this site as I think it's been posted quite a few times. I mist mine daily and feed them superworms.

They're really easy to breed and care for, and fun to watch.

That was my concern the most was that these type of enclosure's aren't really designed for these ,lighting wouldn't be a problem ,that i can sort ,humid hide i can look up thankyou :) basking spot any ideas on how to approach this 1 ? any need for a uth ?
i seen some of these at a friends yesterday and they were great to watch feeding ,and then suddenly this enclosure fell my way late l/night hence my questions here ,have you any pics of your's dear i could see please and thankyou :)

Wildside

12-01-12, 09:18 PM

That was my concern the most was that these type of enclosure's aren't really designed for these ,lighting wouldn't be a problem ,that i can sort ,humid hide i can look up thankyou :) basking spot any ideas on how to approach this 1 ? any need for a uth ?
i seen some of these at a friends yesterday and they were great to watch feeding ,and then suddenly this enclosure fell my way late l/night hence my questions here ,have you any pics of your's dear i could see please and thankyou :)

UTH will work just fine. I keep my temp gradient around 80 - 90, maybe a smidge cooler. I will get ya one in a few when I get the new little leo out for pics. Right now I only have "photoshoot" pics of my leos.

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 09:24 PM

UTH will work just fine. I keep my temp gradient around 80 - 90, maybe a smidge cooler. I will get ya one in a few when I get the new little leo out for pics. Right now I only have "photoshoot" pics of my leos.

okay i can work with the UTH ,thats okay and the lights ,hides too and water bowl i have allready ,sweet i'll look forward to the pics ,thanks again for your help .

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 09:27 PM

okay i can work with the UTH ,thats okay and the lights ,hides too and water bowl i have allready ,sweet i'll look forward to the pics ,thanks again for your help .Make sure you do some research on these guys though. They're not quite as simple as UTH, hides, and water bowl - though they're pretty forgiving reptiles.

Wild, how does humidity in these things work? I know UTHs and solid enclosures like this are both more likely to raise humidity levels than an overhead light and screen-topped tank. I'm not familiar with PVC cages though.

I tell you what, I'd love to get one of these and get some pictus geckos. :D

I recommend this for supplementation:
T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus Supplement Reptile Food Supplements (http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/11442-509487)
You can use it to dust every feeding, unlike most vitamin supplements.

~Maggot

Wildside

12-01-12, 09:34 PM

Make sure you do some research on these guys though. They're not quite as simple as UTH, hides, and water bowl - though they're pretty forgiving reptiles.

Wild, how does humidity in these things work? I know UTHs and solid enclosures like this are both more likely to raise humidity levels than an overhead light and screen-topped tank. I'm not familiar with PVC cages though.

I tell you what, I'd love to get one of these and get some pictus geckos. :D

I recommend this for supplementation:
T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus Supplement Reptile Food Supplements (http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/11442-509487)
You can use it to dust every feeding, unlike most vitamin supplements.

~Maggot

As far as the humidity goes, the pvc enclosures or equivalent, hold humidity pretty well. Also offering that "sweatbox" as I like to call it, allows the animal an opportunity to regulate it's own humidity. Think of it as creating a humidity gradient just like you do with the heat. They have an option to be wetter or drier same as being warmer or cooler, according to their own little hearts desires. Any solid enclosure is gonna hold humidity better than any open one.

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 09:38 PM

Make sure you do some research on these guys though. They're not quite as simple as UTH, hides, and water bowl - though they're pretty forgiving reptiles.

Wild, how does humidity in these things work? I know UTHs and solid enclosures like this are both more likely to raise humidity levels than an overhead light and screen-topped tank. I'm not familiar with PVC cages though.

I tell you what, I'd love to get one of these and get some pictus geckos. :D

I recommend this for supplementation:
T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus Supplement Reptile Food Supplements (http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/11442-509487)
You can use it to dust every feeding, unlike most vitamin supplements.

~Maggot
oh forsure i'll be doing my homework ,i'm currently sifting through many posts on here regarding enclosure set up's ,i have a note pad too jotting down the particulars ,and there's a many great detail which varies from person to person ,so i can assure you young lady that i'm in no hurry time is somewhat on my side Lol :p

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 09:38 PM

As far as the humidity goes, the pvc enclosures or equivalent, hold humidity pretty well. Also offering that "sweatbox" as I like to call it, allows the animal an opportunity to regulate it's own humidity. Think of it as creating a humidity gradient just like you do with the heat. They have an option to be wetter or drier same as being warmer or cooler, according to their own little hearts desires. Any solid enclosure is gonna hold humidity better than any open one.That's what I figured. Just wasn't sure if it would increase it to a point that it would need to be monitored. I don't use a hygrometer for my leo's tank because I don't really need to worry about any humidity buildup.

~Maggot

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 09:39 PM

oh forsure i'll be doing my homework ,i'm currently sifting through many posts on here regarding enclosure set up's ,i have a note pad too jotting down the particulars ,and there's a many great detail which varies from person to person ,so i can assure you young lady that i'm in no hurry time is somewhat on my side Lol :pA good site to look at for leos would be geckoforums.net. It's pretty much all for leopard geckos. Lots of breeders and experienced owners there. :)

~Maggot

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 09:42 PM

A good site to look at for leos would be geckoforums.net. It's pretty much all for leopard geckos. Lots of breeders and experienced owners there. :)

~Maggot

Thankyou ,i got that noted and will take a look here shortly ,appreciate all your help ,you too Wildside .

Terranaut

12-01-12, 09:56 PM

Pvc with uth. So answer is yes. Been in there for a year.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/terranaut0/photo-1687.jpg
She is also on aspen with a rock and a wood hide.
She is very healthy and this setup is super easy to maintain.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/terranaut0/photo-2377.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/terranaut0/photo-1623.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j9/terranaut0/photo-2059.jpg

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 10:04 PM

Terranaut

12-01-12, 10:15 PM

I think the pvc cages are the best critter cages going. I may even switch my beardies into some.

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 10:19 PM

I think the pvc cages are the best critter cages going. I may even switch my beardies into some.

Well this would be our first critter so to speak but since moving my bci into a pvc enclosure ,the humidity is way better and holding temps real good ,especially this week where we've been in the -20's for the best part fs :( the house temps fluctutate a bit more when it's that cold outside you know ,those temps should be illegal Lol ,this Englishman just aint used to it :)

Wildside

12-01-12, 10:33 PM

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 10:39 PM

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/kaldridge84/snakes/100_3571.jpg

Here's the one my daughter keeps her leo in. It's roughly the same size as your new enclosure Craig. As you can see it has a light fixture built in. That substrate is a mix of eco earth and cypress.The white container has sphag moss to make the humid hide. The rock that is flipped up against the back wall is its cool side hide (I flipped it to take a pic of the gecko) and the bell thingy is the warm side hide. That light is 40 watts and the only heat source required in that cage.

Thankyou young lady ,i appreciate your help here with this and your effort to take a pic for me ,i'm not going to rush into this but it's the avenue i defintly want to be on ,no doubts there ,i need to further my knowledge of them ,regarding feeding and husbandry and i found a link of how to build your own hides ,i'm gonna give that a stab tomorrow with my boys as i'm sure they'll wanna be involved ( that could be scary and messy Lol ) ,again though thankyou for your help ,always appreciated ;)

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 10:56 PM

Thankyou young lady ,i appreciate your help here with this and your effort to take a pic for me ,i'm not going to rush into this but it's the avenue i defintly want to be on ,no doubts there ,i need to further my knowledge of them ,regarding feeding and husbandry and i found a link of how to build your own hides ,i'm gonna give that a stab tomorrow with my boys as i'm sure they'll wanna be involved ( that could be scary and messy Lol ) ,again though thankyou for your help ,always appreciated ;)Building your own hides can be fun. I built one with rocks and aquarium sealant, and I actually quite enjoyed it. Plus it was really cheap (free, actually, since I used rocks outside and sealant we already had) and easy.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/MidnightRainbow/Cave_zpsbcf5517f.jpg
It's a bad pic, but I put rocks all around the back except for that small hole. The top rock was left unattached, but I made sure it was sitting very securely. Everything else is sealed on. My leo definitely likes it. :)

~Maggot

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 11:07 PM

Building your own hides can be fun. I built one with rocks and aquarium sealant, and I actually quite enjoyed it. Plus it was really cheap (free, actually, since I used rocks outside and sealant we already had) and easy.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/MidnightRainbow/Cave_zpsbcf5517f.jpg
It's a bad pic, but I put rocks all around the back except for that small hole. The top rock was left unattached, but I made sure it was sitting very securely. Everything else is sealed on. My leo definitely likes it. :)

~Maggot

That looks great ,i seen a link on the BP Net and if i'm right you touched on this subject with someone else in another thread ,hence me wanting now to build my own hides ,it was a great link ,here i'm gonna post it for you now

DIY Home-made "realistic" Hides (http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?77863-DIY-Home-made-quot-realistic-quot-Hides&highlight=hides)

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 11:26 PM

That looks great ,i seen a link on the BP Net and if i'm right you touched on this subject with someone else in another thread ,hence me wanting now to build my own hides ,it was a great link ,here i'm gonna post it for you now

DIY Home-made "realistic" Hides (http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?77863-DIY-Home-made-quot-realistic-quot-Hides&highlight=hides)There are some really cool hide ideas out there. Thank god for creative people that I can copy. :D

~Maggot

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 11:31 PM

There are some really cool hide ideas out there. Thank god for creative people that I can copy. :D

~Maggot
Lol ,oh i agree whole heartedly ,some talented folk around forsure ,i'll besure to make some copies too and try and add a little British touch if i can :p

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 11:34 PM

Lol ,oh i agree whole heartedly ,some talented folk around forsure ,i'll besure to make some copies too and try and add a little British touch if i can :pOh, the British jokes I could make right now. ;)

~Maggot

cossiecraig

12-01-12, 11:44 PM

Oh, the British jokes I could make right now. ;)

~Maggot

Hahahaha , go on then give it yer best shot ;)

EmbraceCalamity

12-01-12, 11:56 PM

Hahahaha , go on then give it yer best shot ;)Nah. I made a quip about Canadians the other day and no one realised I was joking. Best to avoid it altogether. :D If/when you get a leo, you better post pics! I love seeing geckos on here.

~Maggot

cossiecraig

12-02-12, 12:05 AM

Nah. I made a quip about Canadians the other day and no one realised I was joking. Best to avoid it altogether. :D If/when you get a leo, you better post pics! I love seeing geckos on here.

~Maggot

Lol ,aye i seen that 1 your refering too ,i understand though it'a all good with me ,and damnit i had a joke lined up for ya ;p
Oh of course i'll defintly post some pics ,hey thanks again for your input okay ,i appreciate that :) my bed is screaming for me Lol ,enjoy your sunday now .

EmbraceCalamity

12-02-12, 12:09 AM

Lol ,aye i seen that 1 your refering too ,i understand though it'a all good with me ,and damnit i had a joke lined up for ya ;p
Oh of course i'll defintly post some pics ,hey thanks again for your input okay ,i appreciate that :) my bed is screaming for me Lol ,enjoy your sunday now .Let me do it for you:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcy317xYra1qitkkto1_400.jpg

Night. :D

~Maggot

Gregg M

12-02-12, 09:30 AM

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/MidnightRainbow/Cave_zpsbcf5517f.jpg
It's a bad pic, but I put rocks all around the back except for that small hole. The top rock was left unattached, but I made sure it was sitting very securely. Everything else is sealed on. My leo definitely likes it. :)

~Maggot

Your choice of substrate is awesome. I love seeing that some people actually care enough about their reptiles to offer a substrate that allows them to behave naturally. Nice to see that you have not listened to all the impaction hype.

I have been preaching it for years. Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago for gecko time....

Bio-active Substrate | Gecko Time (http://www.geckotime.com/bio-active-reptile-substrate/)

cossiecraig

12-02-12, 10:12 AM

Let me do it for you:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcy317xYra1qitkkto1_400.jpg

Night. :D

~Maggot

Rotfl ,i'll say nothing more about that picture ,thats priceless :p

cossiecraig

12-02-12, 10:17 AM

EmbraceCalamity

12-02-12, 10:57 AM

Your choice of substrate is awesome. I love seeing that some people actually care enough about their reptiles to offer a substrate that allows them to behave naturally. Nice to see that you have not listened to all the impaction hype.

I have been preaching it for years. Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago for gecko time....

Bio-active Substrate | Gecko Time (http://www.geckotime.com/bio-active-reptile-substrate/)On the gecko forum I belong to, most people there don't approve of dirt. But I keep an eye on it and my girl never eats it. Some complain because their natural habitat is 100% rock (which obviously isn't true, as even the rockiest places still have some vegetation, but they forget that the country has areas that are rocky, some sandy, and some very fertile, and no one I know of is completely sure what exact areas they're in). Slate's a decent choice too and looks nice, but they are known to dig on occasion, so if the slate route is taken, I'm more of a fan of only doing half slate and half dirt or non-impacting sand.

~Maggot

Wildside

12-02-12, 12:20 PM

On the gecko forum I belong to, most people there don't approve of dirt. But I keep an eye on it and my girl never eats it. Some complain because their natural habitat is 100% rock (which obviously isn't true, as even the rockiest places still have some vegetation, but they forget that the country has areas that are rocky, some sandy, and some very fertile, and no one I know of is completely sure what exact areas they're in). Slate's a decent choice too and looks nice, but they are known to dig on occasion, so if the slate route is taken, I'm more of a fan of only doing half slate and half dirt or non-impacting sand.

~Maggot

Dig on occasion? How 'bout when they're laying eggs? I think anyone who has ever bred them can tell you they don't just drop eggs on a rock. Every single one of mine digs an elaborate mound inside and outside of the sweatbox. I never have to guess when eggs are laid because there is always a mountain on one side of the cage.

Terranaut

12-02-12, 12:36 PM

Your choice of substrate is awesome. I love seeing that some people actually care enough about their reptiles to offer a substrate that allows them to behave naturally. Nice to see that you have not listened to all the impaction hype.

I have been preaching it for years. Here is an article I wrote a couple of years ago for gecko time....

Bio-active Substrate | Gecko Time (http://www.geckotime.com/bio-active-reptile-substrate/)

That is a great article Greg. I have never even considered "dirt" for use as "dirt" in any of my enclosures before. I have been messing around with substrates for a few months. I have a couple questions.
1) does it smell? The reason I ask is the number 1 issue my wife has with my little hobbie is smells.
2) have you tried this with snakes? I have mostly snakes in my collection so scale rot or other issues are a concern.
3) will there be a risk of unwanted "bugs" in the soil?

Again great article. Sometimes we miss the forest due to the trees.

EmbraceCalamity

12-02-12, 12:40 PM

Dig on occasion? How 'bout when they're laying eggs? I think anyone who has ever bred them can tell you they don't just drop eggs on a rock. Every single one of mine digs an elaborate mound inside and outside of the sweatbox. I never have to guess when eggs are laid because there is always a mountain on one side of the cage.I wasn't talking about breeding behaviour because that only applies to females who are being bred. I was talking about all leos.

~Maggot

beardeds4life

12-02-12, 01:07 PM

I was talking to a guy who kept his bearded dragons sorta like varanids. He kept their basking at 145-155 he had deep bioactive substrate and they were fed a lot of mice and roaches. The main difference was that his humidity was only 60% which would usually be horrible for dragons but because of the high basking temp they were fine.

Wildside

12-02-12, 01:14 PM

I wasn't talking about breeding behaviour because that only applies to females who are being bred. I was talking about all leos.

~Maggot

Oh well in that case I've never seen my males dig

EmbraceCalamity

12-02-12, 01:14 PM

beardeds4life

12-02-12, 01:21 PM

Because the normal basking temp with that humidity would give them an RI. But because of the high basking temperature is doesnt affect them.

EmbraceCalamity

12-02-12, 01:28 PM

Because the normal basking temp with that humidity would give them an RI. But because of the high basking temperature is doesnt affect them.I know what you were saying. But how would high basking temps prevent them from being affected by the humidity they're living in?

~Maggot

beardeds4life

12-02-12, 03:03 PM

I have know idea how it prevents it but his dragons were healthy.

cossiecraig

12-02-12, 03:16 PM

Dig on occasion? How 'bout when they're laying eggs? I think anyone who has ever bred them can tell you they don't just drop eggs on a rock. Every single one of mine digs an elaborate mound inside and outside of the sweatbox. I never have to guess when eggs are laid because there is always a mountain on one side of the cage.

Wild ,what do you do with the egg's ? leave them to hatch them selves or remove them for incubation , parden me for asking ,still learning my dear :)

Wildside

12-03-12, 09:02 AM

Wild ,what do you do with the egg's ? leave them to hatch them selves or remove them for incubation , parden me for asking ,still learning my dear :)

No problem at all. I incubate them.

cossiecraig

12-03-12, 07:57 PM

No problem at all. I incubate them.

Okay thankyou ,perhaps once i'm further into learning about leo's i'll touch more on the subject of breeding and incubation ,right now though my priorities lie within learning the basics of housing and husbandry and genreral good health for the Leo's ," I don't want the horse bolting before i shut the door " so to speak Lol .