Leoaprd geckos

Question
Hello

I just saw a wonderful idea to maximize tank size at; http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Geckos-Leopard/index.html this is a site about all reptiles with many forums and caresheets, anyways I'll get back to my questions... one person on there took a tank with a lid that could be clipped in place with lid climps and turned it on its side seeing how fish tanks are taller then they are wide, she now uses its ide as the living space and the bottom as a back, do you think I could do this with my 33 gallon once my hatchlings get larger? would having such a large tank on its side put alot of presser on in and make it cave in or something? also any decorating ideas would be aprecated. thanks

Answer
Hi,
thank you for your question.
I this that this would work very well. I have a 42 and a 33 gallon for my dwarf hamsters and I did almost the same thing.

What is your lid made of? You must ensure that there is enough ventilation but crickets could escape through a screen lid.
The best option would be to insert ventilation openings covered with metal gauze in the tank (maybe you can find someone who owns a glass cutter who can do it for you). There should be two openings that are diagonally opposed to create air circulation. Then you can use a plexi glass lid or something similar.

You can build rock-like wall for the tank using styrofoam and glue normally used for tiles. Glue the styrofoam to the walls and cover it with at least two layer of the tile glue. You can either sprinkle sand on the last layer while it's still wet or mix the tile glue with dye (there's dye used for concrete that works well). You can form ledges and caves with the styrofoam and so create even more room for the geckos. The styrofoam must be covered with tile glue in all places otherwise crickets will escape into the styrofoam (they love to eat it, don't ask me why, and may even breed there).

You can buy nice hiding places made from clay or build them yourself (you can just let them dry in the sun which will take some time). If you want to use live plants, aloe or sanseveria can exist very well in the dry climate. I'd leave the plants in their pots, it makes it easier to water them and the geckos won't damage the roots when digging. Some dry tufts of grass also look nice.

I hope I was of some help
Jennifer