Leopard geckos & BDs

Question
Hello !
I just bought a UTH today at the pet store. I plugged it and it eventually got REALLY hot. I'm worried this might burn my leopard gecko & i only have one layer of paper towels as the substrate. I heard that there needs to be sand to conduct the heat with ceeramic tiles above, but i don't have much space as i have a lot of pets. How many layers of paper towels do i need to stop my gecko from burning? or can they be fine without a UTH (although i heard they can't digest without it)? Many people say that you need this thing to control the heat but i'm not sure how it works and how to plug it on the UTH. Also, im not sure what brand my UTH is so i don't know if it works with other controling-heat-thing.(i think it's called a thermostat?)
Also, i was just wondering if leopard geckos can eat mealworms as a staple diet without compaction of the exoskelleton, can bearded dragons also eat mealworms on a daily basis? I'm not sure if they have different digestive systems but i was just curious.
Thanks!
Jen

Answer
Hello Jen,

That is a legitimate concern.  I have used UTH's with great success with leopard geckos.  A really good substrate to use is felt.  You can get that from any hobby or craft store & it comes in really cool colors, too.  Plus, it is safe & will not contribute to impactions in your gecko either.
You should use an UTH in combination with a low wattage overhead light for warmth to create a hot spot on one end of around 88-90 roughly.  He needs the belly heat to help digest his food.  The moist hide needs to be on top of the UTH to help create humidity with shedding help.  
You can certainly use a thermostat or rheastat to help control the temperature if you would like to.  If you put a piece of felt to cover the bottom of the tank, that will work great.  Or, if you just want to put a piece of felt to cover the UTH area, & use tiles for the rest of the tank, that is up to you.
Leopard geckos can have mealies as a staple, but you should try to include crickets, & waxies too for variety as well.
Bearded dragons should not have mealies as a staple.  They are too fatty & do not hold a lot of nutrition overall & are hard for them to pass.  They are "ok" as a treat, but not daily no.  

Tracie