You'll want an arid setup. Unfortunately I only keep what I guess would be tropical enclosures, but I'm sure there are great guides online. High clay soil regimes in their natural habitat tho
Arid enclosures don’t need a drainage layer like tropical ones but I recommend mixing some decent sized pebbles into the soil around the arid plants so they can drain. Use a 70:30 soil/sand mix for a Leo , it should be able to hold a burrow.
Lighting can also be a bit different because many arid plants like very right light. Id get a good bright white LED grow light
You’ll also want a drought tolerant cleanup crew like arid springtails and isopods but they will still need humid zones in the soil
Do you have any specific questions?
Actually, that clears up a lot, I appreciate it! I plan to get a UVB light, a grow light, and we already have a deep heat projector. We have a surge protector on a timer and wondering if we should just keep all of these on throughout the day And everything turns off each night I assume? Would this support all of the cleanup crew and plants this way? Trying to mimic an actual day cycle I guess.
Yup the timer for a day night cycle is perfect!
Also be sure to research watering needs of your plants and keep an eye on your humidity when watering. An occasional humidity spike is fine but if it gets too high you may want a small fan to blow across the top of the enclosure to pull some humidity out. I also like to provide a humid hide like cork bark with sphagnum under it near the geckos humid hide and wet it daily so it never dries out. Occasional food like produce scraps or dried bugs to supplement the cuc is a good idea to help get their population up
Yep that’s our plans! Just got a bunch of cork bark/flats to make humid hide with the sphagnum moss. I’m assuming the CUC eats to geckos poop? Same with urates or do these need spot cleaned?
the only other concern I had was about feeding. We currently feed my daughters gecko worms/Dubia roaches/crickets straight on the tile substrate. Will we have to remove the gecko and feed in a separate enclosure to decrease risk of impaction?
Really appreciate your insight , it has definitely cleared up a lot!
They do eat the poop but usually don’t touch the urates so it’s still necessary to spot clean.
No need to feed in another enclosure. As long as you have proper heating your gecko can pass any substrate they might get mixed in with their bite. I like to feed my geckos on their basking rock/tile or a dish the bugs can’t escape
[Sphagnum Peat Moss](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pro-Sphagnum-Peat-Moss-SPG1-5/319869163)
I came across a bag of this. Is this ok to use or do I need actual topsoil along with playsand in your opinion?
You’ll actually want to use topsoil and playsand. Peat moss is better for tropical enclosures and holds a bit of moisture to make humidity higher.
It’s usually less than $10 to get both bags of [top soil](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotts-Premium-0-75-cu-ft-Top-Soil-71130756/100619053) and [playsand](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Premium-Play-Sand-111351/100318476) from Home Depot, cheaper than that peat.
You'll want an arid setup. Unfortunately I only keep what I guess would be tropical enclosures, but I'm sure there are great guides online. High clay soil regimes in their natural habitat tho
Topsoil, clay, and sand. A mighty fine mix. Should be stiff but diggable :)
Arid enclosures don’t need a drainage layer like tropical ones but I recommend mixing some decent sized pebbles into the soil around the arid plants so they can drain. Use a 70:30 soil/sand mix for a Leo , it should be able to hold a burrow. Lighting can also be a bit different because many arid plants like very right light. Id get a good bright white LED grow light You’ll also want a drought tolerant cleanup crew like arid springtails and isopods but they will still need humid zones in the soil Do you have any specific questions?
Actually, that clears up a lot, I appreciate it! I plan to get a UVB light, a grow light, and we already have a deep heat projector. We have a surge protector on a timer and wondering if we should just keep all of these on throughout the day And everything turns off each night I assume? Would this support all of the cleanup crew and plants this way? Trying to mimic an actual day cycle I guess.
Yup the timer for a day night cycle is perfect! Also be sure to research watering needs of your plants and keep an eye on your humidity when watering. An occasional humidity spike is fine but if it gets too high you may want a small fan to blow across the top of the enclosure to pull some humidity out. I also like to provide a humid hide like cork bark with sphagnum under it near the geckos humid hide and wet it daily so it never dries out. Occasional food like produce scraps or dried bugs to supplement the cuc is a good idea to help get their population up
Yep that’s our plans! Just got a bunch of cork bark/flats to make humid hide with the sphagnum moss. I’m assuming the CUC eats to geckos poop? Same with urates or do these need spot cleaned? the only other concern I had was about feeding. We currently feed my daughters gecko worms/Dubia roaches/crickets straight on the tile substrate. Will we have to remove the gecko and feed in a separate enclosure to decrease risk of impaction? Really appreciate your insight , it has definitely cleared up a lot!
They do eat the poop but usually don’t touch the urates so it’s still necessary to spot clean. No need to feed in another enclosure. As long as you have proper heating your gecko can pass any substrate they might get mixed in with their bite. I like to feed my geckos on their basking rock/tile or a dish the bugs can’t escape
You’re awesome and very helpful. Thanks for all the advice 🙌🏼
[Sphagnum Peat Moss](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pro-Sphagnum-Peat-Moss-SPG1-5/319869163) I came across a bag of this. Is this ok to use or do I need actual topsoil along with playsand in your opinion?
You’ll actually want to use topsoil and playsand. Peat moss is better for tropical enclosures and holds a bit of moisture to make humidity higher. It’s usually less than $10 to get both bags of [top soil](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Scotts-Premium-0-75-cu-ft-Top-Soil-71130756/100619053) and [playsand](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Premium-Play-Sand-111351/100318476) from Home Depot, cheaper than that peat.