Need help with UTH's and terrarium size for a Fat Tail Gecko

[jewels]

I have been planning to get a Leopard Gecko for my son and went to visit a breeder the other day just intending to look. My son fell in love with an African Fat Tailed Gecko, and since the breeder was 4 hours away, I pulled a classic no no and brought the little guy home before my terrarium was fully set up thinking it wouldn't be too hard to figure out. Well, I'm struggling! And I'm worried for my poor baby. I need to get this figured out quickly so he can remain healthy. I bought an Exo Terra terrarium 24" wide x 18" deep x 12" high. A different breeder had told me to get an 18x18x18 for a single kept Leopard Gecko and he told me to get a Zoo Med 20-30 gal UTH to use with it. Since the AFT's are not climbers, I thought the extra floor space would be better, and decided to go with the shorter, wider option. My concern now is that the UTH does not cover as much of the floor as it would have with the 18x18x18 size terrarium. Is that going to be a problem? Will I get enough heat generated from the 20-30 gal UTH to keep the proper heat gradient on the larger size floor? I also bought the larger size UTH (50-60 gal) but it doesn't fit on the glass portion of the terrarium floor if I run it front to back, which I had intended to do so that there was roughly a third of the floor heated front to back. I could run it across the back of the tank, but the then the cord would stick out the side (which isn't a deal breaker but annoying) and it would leave roughly the front half of the tank uncovered with a little "L" piece where the mat doesn't reach the whole width of the tank. I am very confused about what size of UTH to use with a tank of this size, and which way to run it. Is there a rule of thumb about how much of the floor space should be covered with a UTH? I don't want him to be too hot or too cold. Am I supposed to "permanently" attach a UTH to a new tank without knowing if I'm going to be able to get the heat gradient I need? There's got to be a better way to figure this out! There's a lot of info out there about a 10 gal tank, but these Exo Terra and Zoo Med terrariums do not have the same dimensions. Doesn't that affect the heat gradient? I might be way over thinking this whole thing, but I've never owned a gecko and I don't want my little guy to suffer from my ignorance! I'm great with bearded dragon enclosures, but AFT's are a whole new ball game!

So to simplify...

1) Is my 24x18x12 terrarium an appropriate size for an AFT? Is something smaller better or something with different dimensions? I don't want to get something too big if that will only make him uncomfortable. Would an 18x18x12 terrarium be better? Or should I ditch the terrarium and go with a 10 gal tank (20x10x12)? I thought a 24x18x12 would be a nice size for him as an adult, but is that too open of a space, especially with it being glass? If he won't use it then it would be better to get something smaller, especially if he needs to cover the whole floor space in order to get the right heat gradient. I have no experience with AFT's... help! Sometimes bigger isn't better, but I want to give him the most space I can without going too big for his comfort level.

2) What size of UTH do I need for this size terrarium... and if my terrarium needs to be a different size, what size of UTH do I need for that size terrarium? Since I'm going off of dimensions instead of gallons, how do I figure that out?

3) Which direction do I attach the UTH? What position should it be under the floor, and how much of the floor space should it cover?

4) Is the Zoo Med UTH or the Zilla a better product currently?

Please help me figure this out. I need to get his home functional ASAP. Thank you so much!

 

[Doublet74]

Ok AFTs and LEOs are basically the same according to captive care. I have my leo in a 24*18 exo. The smaller UTH is fine. You want to be able to maintain a FLOOR temp of between 90-95° on the hot side. As long as you have a hot side as long as your not keeping your tank in a basement or some other place with extreme cold or heat. Your cool side will maintain itself. Usually between 65-75°. There are ALOT of good caresheets for AFTs online. Do a search.

 

[morphmom]

Hello.
I don't have an AFT, but I do have a Leo and that exact same exo terra tank. I know that the care is similar :wink: I used: The Zoo Med Medium UTH, (30-40 gal, Dimension: 8" x 12", Wattage: 16), but I wouldn't mind going with the Zoo Med Large UTH, (50-60 gal, Dimension: 8" x 18", Wattage: 24) just to cover more surface area.
(I like the Zoo Med UTH because it comes with little "Feet" to elevate the tank for excess heat to escape. I found this received better reviews then the Zilla)


Here's what I've come up with:

The UTH is under his Blue igloo in the back right hand corner. It comes about a 1/4" under his moist hide in the front right hand corner. The UTH is also about 1/4" under his food dish along the back. The water dish starts the cool side. The cord comes out the back.

The temperature is controlled by a Lamp dimmer so the UTH doesn't over heat:


I taped a probe thermometer to the surface directly on top of the tiles to get an accurate reading.


Provide the right temperature with the UTH while providing a cool area for the gecko to regulate. You can play around with the size of the UTH and the placement as long as the temps are correct. I really suggest a lamp dimmer.

-This is just to give you an idea as I don't know the proper temps for a AFT. I also don't know if they require a humid hide or lighting. Don't stress too much tho. Most Gecko's are pretty tuff and can take an adjustment period. They also tend to stay mostly on the hot side (which is why I wouldn't mind a larger UTH) Mylo only goes to the cool side to mess! :lol:
-If you consider more then one AFT in the future, if your 1st one is female, (I assume two males would not get along) Then I would recommend the larger UTH. If not, then the Medium should be just fine.

-Hope I helped a little. Here's a link you may find useful:
http://geckoforums.net/f139-care-husbandry.html :wink:

 

[jewels]

Thanks guys for the help! I have done hours worth of searching the internet for two days now and I haven't found any care sheets that say anything about how much of the floor space should be covered with an UTH. I have found loads of care sheets and read page after page of forum discussions, but I haven't been able to find any specifics that talk about what I'm trying to find out. I know I need to use an UTH and that a 10 gal tank is a minimum size requirement... but I'm not using a 10 gal tank... and I've never used an UTH before so I don't have any way of knowing what size to get for the specific terrarium I have and the specific animal I'm putting in it. Hence my decision to ask the experts! Thanks for the answers! I didn't know how much heat each size of UTH would put out and how many inches of floor space it would take moving away from the UTH to cool down enough to get the proper heat gradient. If I could try each size out I would, but the "permanent" adhesive makes that seemingly impossible. And I'm not about to attach a permanent UTH to my new tank to test it out and then find out I have the wrong size. I really appreciate the input. It's been a bit of a headache trying to figure this out! Thanks again! (Great pics, btw, morphmom. Does your Leo use all that space? Would you buy the same size terrarium again or do you think an 18x18 would be sufficient?)

 

[morphmom]

-Thank you. I would buy the same size because Mylo is a tremper albino giant. At 8 months old, he's the size of a full grown Leo :wink: I understand that AFT's are smaller tho. He really doesn't use the space. The cool side is the bathroom! :lol: But I like having the room as I make a lot of accessories. The next hide will be a "ice fortress" and I'm working on a "pond" that also helps him peel shed. I think all gecko's like hides and I like having space to make really interesting decor.
-You can get the same temps, no matter what size UTH, when you use a dimmer. Mylo's medium UTH is only dimmed a tiny bit. The large UTH would have to be dimmed more as it's a higher wattage.
I'd figure out what you want the enclosure to look like, and how many AFT's you want in one space (you could easily fit one more) then I'd place the UTH on one side or the other and dim til the temps were just right. Have fun with it. You'll have the little bug-a-boo for a long time :wink: