New owner, probably the first of many questions. sorry

Ok, concernng the hides, what side do the hides go on, meaning does the moist hide go on the cool side of her enclosure? I have three hides in her enclosure right now. The moist hide is on the side without the Under Tank Heater, is this correct? Nothing in the hides in the middle and hot side?

I bought a digital thermo, with probe. So the probe goes on the basking spot and the main unit on the cool side? That is how it is configured in my Bearded Dragon enclosure but it is twice as large. Temps at 77 and 90? I am having a very hard time keeping the temp below 100 with the Under Tank Heater and a 60W household bulb for light. Go to 40W or lower if necessary?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Chris

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~Chris

It is better I think to reach for the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them, at least he who reaches will get a good view, a good stretch and perhaps even a low hanging apple for the effort.
-R.A. Salvatore

I keep my moist hides on the warm side and the dry hide on the cool side.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

I keep my moist hides for all my herps on the warm side

Thank you for your replies. I actually had them backwards so just switched. Stewie sure does seem to sleep A LOT! , I realize that they are nocturnal but aren't they active at all during the day?

I'm sorry, one more thing...I have read a lot in the last couple days and have seen Mealies suggested as a staple food. It is my understanding that mealies cause impactions in Bearded Dragons so how does a gecko eat them and not have trouble or am I just completely wrong?

Thanks again.
Chris

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~Chris

It is better I think to reach for the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them, at least he who reaches will get a good view, a good stretch and perhaps even a low hanging apple for the effort.
-R.A. Salvatore

Some people do use mealies a staple, but Im against this because crix are so much healthier and less risk of impaction.

Mine dine on mainly crix with a few mealies,,,,I just cant seem to get them to eat mealies, lol.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

This is a leopard gecko we're talking about, right? To get the temp down on the warm side, you can remove the lamp (and provide general room lighting during the day) and see if that brings things down. You can get a thermostat or a rheostat for the Under Tank Heater, and that will help adjust its output (a rheostat is just a dimmer that lets you manually adjust the heat output until you reach the temp you want, whereas a thermostat has a temp probe and automatically adjusts the output to reach the setting you choose).

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Amy

Yes, a leopard gecko. I will try removing the light for now since it is daytime but without it the enclosure will not be lighted in the evening. I will get a Rheostat today and see if I can get it right that way.

I know I am pushing my luck with all the questions but she doesn't use any of the hides I put in there. Instead she curls up behind a plant pot in the corner. Is this OK or do you think there could be something more wrong with her than just the Metabolic Bone Disease? I am just paranoid because I have wanted one for so long and now it seems a lot harder to keep than I thought and I am worried.

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~Chris

It is better I think to reach for the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them, at least he who reaches will get a good view, a good stretch and perhaps even a low hanging apple for the effort.
-R.A. Salvatore

Not at all! Ask away.
To reduce the heat you can either go with a reostat or simply reduce the wattage of the bulb. Or if possible simply raise the height of the lamp.
As strange as it sounds she may just not have "found" the hides yet. She will hide where she feels most comfortable. Regardless of your best intentions.
Kind of like going out and spending big bucks for fancy baby toys and your kids only want to play with the boxes they came in.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Lol, sometimes it takes herps a while to find their hides..atleast mine always do...Ive had my hogg isle boas for almost a week and they still havent found their hides..Mr Monitor Ive had for well over 2 months and he STILL needs me to show him where his hides are most ofthe time...Its funny they have no problems finding a hiding space when they escape