I’ve kept reptiles for years and currently maintain a room ambient of 71-74°F with a dedicated hot corner that stays 80°F+ for my current animals. I’m looking to populate a spare, well-ventilated enclosure with a species that can thrive at room-temperature ranges (mid-70s daytime, low-70s or high-60s at night) and either requires little to no supplemental heat or only minimal/localized heat in winter.
I’m fully set up for proper humidity and husbandry, I just want something that doesn’t rely on 24/7 heat mats, CHEs, or deep heat projectors year-round.
Open to reptiles, amphibians, or invertebrates. Captive-bred only. Any relatively low maintenance species that genuinely do well in an unheated (or minimally heated) setup in a 71-74 °F room?
Priority: docile, handleable temperament + no/low heat requirement.
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What size of enclosure will you be working with?
A few species that spring to mind for me would be some of the Asian rat snakes like bamboo rats and mandarin rats but they do tend to be more secretive so may not meet your “handleable” request because it might cause them elevated stress (animal dependent obviously)
A possible good candidate might be rhino rats. I know lots of people that work with them and love how gregarious and out and about they are. It is worth noting that they are opisthoglyphous, but all my friends that own them say they are extremely reluctant to bite
If lizards are more your thing then many of the New Caledonia geckos do fine at room temps - cresties, gargs, Leachies, Chachouas, collard… There are also a good number of montane Abronia species that would likely do well, you just have to make sure you are buying form a reputable source since there are quite a few that are trafficked
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If it doesn’t get below 72 often during the day, even in winter, and it gets warmer during summer, then a crested gecko would do fine.
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Thanks for all the details and options provided!
Here are my enclosures:
I have a 40 gal. horizontal front opening Zoo Med and I often have 40 gal. vertical front opening enclosures in and out of the house (I frequently find them at goodwill, clean them up, and re-sell). I also have 2 small vertical enclosures (really only suitable for spiders) and 2 super small 10 gal. horizontal tanks.
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Yes I have been looking into a crestie. I have lots of experience with leopard geckos if they’re any similar. Do you have any husbandry tips? And what do they eat and how often?
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They’re not super similar to leos. They like a tank that is taller than wide, 18x18x24 is typically considered the minimum, but bigger also works. They mainly eat CGD which is a complete feed that comes as a powder you add water to. I feed every 3-4 days. Some also like occasional insects. They do well in temps between 65-86f, i personally recommend to keep them between 74-78 most of the time, and only keep them sub 72 if we’re talking about a nighttime drop, and above 78 if we’re talking about a dedicated hot spot. 80f 24/7 for an extended amount of time could be deadly, but if it’s say only during the day, for a couple of days during summer you’ll be fine. They don’t need additional lighting, but a low-level UVB made for arboreal animals (like arcadias shadedweller 2,4) is beneficial. They need an average humidity of 75% but it’s important to let the interior of your tank dry out inbetween mistings so that it’s never downright wet, to avoid mould and bacteria growth
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Your temperature breakdown is almost perfect for my room 72-74 °F dusk and dawn pretty much year-round, maybe dipping to 69-72 °F on the coldest winter nights, and the daytime where the room creeps to 76-80 °F for a few hours. Sounds like that’s totally within their safe zone as long as it drops back down in the evening.
I’m going to buy one that’s at least 18×18×24 (probably taller) with a good drainage/bio layer, but I won’t have an automatic misting system and there are sometimes (not very often) at most 4 day stretches when I literally can’t be there at all to mist or check on things . Although I have a family I live with who might be able to assist with daily misting. Is a few days between actual hands-on checks realistic for an adult crested gecko, or do they still need something done daily/every other day? I just want to be 100 % sure before I commit.
How do people normally handle humidity/care during longer absences? Hand-misting right before I leave + a couple of big water dishes for evaporation? Covering part of the screen top? Humidity-retaining substrate? Any tricks that actually work for a few days without turning the tank into a mold swamp or letting it drop too low? (I will probably get some springtails to help mitigate mold control as well)
CGD every 3–4 days plus the occasional insect treat sounds incredibly low-maintenance compared to what I’m used to, which is a huge bonus.
You’ve pretty much sold me, I think a crested gecko is going to be the next resident with a few tweaks to my setup and adjustments.
Thanks again! seriously helpful!
The horizontals would work well for the more terrestrial Asian rats. The verticals should be fine for rhino rats (most of the guys I know keep theirs in 60cm cubes) and the geckos
I do not know size requirements for Abronia, but I have vague memories of seeing one keeper/breeder that had his set up setups that looked to be about 60cm x 60cm x 90cm, which I believe is roughly similar to a 40g vertical… I think… I would talk more with solid keepers first though if they are the route you decide to pursue
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I’ll definitely check it out. Thanks a ton!
Its gonna depend on how humid it is where you live. Personally i only mist sporadically as needed, maybe about once a week or so, in all my tubs/tanks with bioactive bedding, focusing on keeping the substrate moist (not wet). If you live somewhere super dry, not checking for 4 days isn’t realistic, but if your tank can keep the humidity relatively high for a few days at a time, and you make sure to get them a decent water bowl, you should be fine. As long as it’s only occasionally ofc 
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Rhino Ratsnakes aren’t rear fanged. Are you thinking of Baron’s Racers? They are.
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I am not confusing with Baron’s. Rhinos (similar to, but different from, Oligodon) have a set of enlarged teeth toward the back of their jaw. It is speculated that, given their semi-arboreal lifestyle, it is to aid in gripping prey items. There is no venom to them, but enlarged teeth can cause a bit more damage than standard fare teeth and thus, I feel it is worth adding a small word of caution for people looking into them
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