The Absolute Basics of Your Leo Set Up
This is the absolute basics. I will be going further into further leo care, but for now we’ll just talk about the actual home.
So we’re going to start off with the size of your tank. A 20 gallon is usually recommended, I personally prefer a 40 gallon as a basic for adults. This gives you plenty of room to add climbing areas, lots of hides, and lots of decorations and things for your lizard to mess with. This usually means a 36”x18” tank of varying heights, but usually 18 or 24 inches.
Next you need to decide what style of tank you want. You can choose a top open tank, which is easiest to find and usually cheaper. I personally don’t like top open tanks. I think it makes your lizard feel vulnerable when you reach down into their tank (like a bird swooping down to grab them.) They’re also harder to lock if you have curious kids running around your house or really crafty cats. You can get lid clips, but this doesn’t necessarily deter any children. I also noticed that my lizard was “stargazing” and thought he had enigma syndrome, but this stopped when I switched to a front open tank, and he was simply doing it because he knew that’s where food came from. Which leads to the fact that I think it’s harder to feed. You can’t get the right angles. Your lizard also feels vulnerable while feeding them. If you drop the bug and it’s especially fast, they’re harder to catch.
Front open tanks, on the other hand, usually have built in locks with keys! Easy to hide from kids, and cats don’t have thumbs or know how to work keys (hopefully…) I do find it harder to set up the tank the way I want it, as any two sided decorations cannot be used on the front two panels. They’re easier to clean, and you don’t have to keep reaching in, and easier to feed, because you aren’t playing bug claw machine.
Next we’ll get into ventilation, humidity and heat. I’ll have a bigger breakdown on how to heat your tank but it should be 85F minimum and 90F maximum. Your hottest spot on the tank could reach 100F, but that’s okay because the rest of your tank should be at different temperatures. You will need feet on your tank if you’re going with an under tank heater (or UTH) to not overheat the mat, the glass, or the furniture your tank is on. You’ll also need ventilation on your tank. This is usually screen top and sides. Tops are always screen, some tanks feature side vents too. Never have an open tank! Things can fall in like ceiling crap, dust, cats, and things thrown across the room. Also never have a completely closed enclosure (ie, a storage bin with no holes or screen.) It can cause humidity to build up and give your lizard respiratory issues.
And the last thing you’ll need to worry about is a place to put your tank. I personally have a basic fold out lawn table from Walmart because I could not find anything that could hold my tank without being way too oversized. You can also consider old furniture you have, or checking on local online shops or second hand stores to put your tank on. My dubia roaches are on an entertainment stand from the 90’s. If you go the DIY route you can have cupboards and shelves and it’ll be exactly the size you need! Do not put the tank on a surface that gets used a lot like a dresser or a coffee table. This creates lots of unnecessary stress from wiggling, thumping, or setting down objects on the table. Either way, measure (or get measurements from the seller) of the stand so it’s not too small.
And that’s it for now! That was really long, but I think I’ve covered literally all of the tiny basics. Again, I will go further into things like heat, substrate, lighting, etc. This is just the absolute basics of things. I went into things as detailed as possible, but if you think I’m missing something, go ahead and add it in a reblog or a reply!
Happy herping! Physh the Leo and his human Theo
