Recently we purchased an Exo Terra Reptile Den (Size Large) for our Leopard Gecko, Gizmo.  It was half price at a local pet store, so we couldn’t resist.  The premise of this product is that it has one piece that provides a secluded den for your animal and it goes inside the cage; it has another piece that covers the den and it goes outside the cage.  The pieces stay attached by extremely strong magnets.  Upon opening the two pieces for the first time, Adam quickly smashed his fingers between the rocks (hehe, at least it wasn’t me!).  Like I said, the magnets are strong!  Here is our review of the product and how we modified it for our leopard gecko’s cage.

Product Review

Previously we have purchased many toys for cats we have had that they NEVER play with.  I wondered if this would be the case for our leopard gecko.  He is a picky little bugger.  Gizmo hates his cage being rearranged.  He only eats two things – moths and a certain brand dead crickets (and he refuses to eat anything else!).  He hates lizard leashes.  He hates children and barks at them.  If you pick him up, he is only comfortable on your shoulder.   He is a grumpy little lizard.  Would he like his new reptile den?

Upon first putting the rock into the cage, Gizmo was not interested in it.  It sat in there for an entire week without any evidence of him even noticing it.  We decided to lure him into the rock with food and he apprehensively crawled in, ate the food, and then promply crawled back out.  Humphh….. he probably would not use his rock.  This was the cat scenario all over again.

Surprisingly, the very next day, we could not find Gizmo anywhere in his cage.  I opened the rock and viola!, he was there.  Nowadays Gizmo can usually be found in his Exo Terra Reptile Den.

Gizmo actually uses his Exo Terra Reptile Den!

Outfitting the Rock

In order to prevent more pinched fingers, we (…well, more like Adam and his sore finger) decided to attach felt pads to the outer rock piece.  As the rock clanged against the glass side of the tank, I also couldn’t help but wonder if this rock could break or crack the glass.  Although I don’t think that would likely happen, I feel it is better to venture on the safe side.

Felt pads purchased at a dollar store make a quick fix.

The felt pads were easy to attach.  Simply peel of the paper and stick on to the corners of the rock.  I only used four, so I have extras for other household needs.

Felt pads attach easily to the outer rock piece.

I was worried at first about the thickness of the felt pads.  Would they be too far from the other piece for the magnets to work?  Would the gap be too large for Gizmo’s liking?  Once I put the rock together, my worries were gone.  The magnets are strong enough, even at a small distance.  Plus, Gizmo still loves his new Exo Terra Reptile Den.

Gizmo loves his reptile den, felt pads and all!