Heating lamp help!

[Fitto55]

hey u guys!

how much is a heating lamp

also if i have a bulb for a heating lamp can i put it in a normal bedside lamp and do some "surgery" to the bedside lamp to make it fit on the top?(because i do have a bulb"

 

[SpOuK-3-]

you can buy a lamp kit for less than 20$ @ any petstore. I think it's safer than a "homemade" fixture

 

[Leopardbreeder]

Yea, don't make a homemade one, it is a huge hazard, the plastic will melt. That is why they have a ceramic holder. UTH's are better than lamps, much better.

 

[ALGeckos]

Agreed. It doesn't cost too much, especially if it's already warm in your area. Buying it will be much safer than trying to do it at home. And in agreement with LeopardBreeder, Under Tank Heaters are the most important because the belly heat aids in digestion. Make sure you get a rheostat/thermostat to regulate the temps

 

[ataber]

like everybody said uth is what u need. i wouldnt rig a bedside lamp to work but you can make homemade heat lamps as ive done this in my beardie enclosures and you can buy ceramic fixtures for like $1 more then the plastic ones at lowes But i would suggest the lamp kit everybody else is describing they arent expensive and it sounds like it would work better for your situation then what ive made.

 

[lytlesnake]

Most people agree that an Under Tank Heater is much better for leos than a lamp. Okay, to contradict myself once again on the subject of thermostats..... I ordered some adult racks 3 months ago that haven't arrived yet (company having serious production problems), so I've got a few leos living in makeshift setups. If you buy the Exo Terra Heat Wave Rainforest Small UTH, it's only 4 watts and typically only gets up to around 85- 86 degrees, so you can get away without a thermostat with this particular UTH. If your house or apartment gets really hot though, you'll want to use a thermostat no matter which UTH you choose.

What I'm doing for 4 leos at the moment is this... First I have a 32 qt Sterilite 1756 tub, and I put the UTH inside that. I just lay it in there, don't bother trying to get those things to stick to a steriite tub, they don't. Then I put a 66 qt Sterilite on top of that for the gecko to live in. I'm currently using paper towels for substrate. Anyway, this works really well. Make sure to check the temperature with a thermometer above the UTH, inside the gecko tub. If it's 90 degrees fahrenheit or lower you're fine.

 

[Fitto55]

haha sorry i didnt mention this before but this is for a crested gecko!

haha but my lamp on my bedside table is the same as my brothers heating lamp exept with a stand and i tiny bit smaller

 

[lytlesnake]

I've never kept a crestie, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a lot of them with basking lamps. So.......... never mind the bit about the UTH. The pet store should have a nice selection of lamps for your gecko.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

No! You will kill your crestie with any temperature above 80*f! They thrive at room temperature. Remove the lamps ASAP! They do not need any heating or additional lighting.

 

[Fitto55]

ok sweet no extra money needed!!!!! btw i bought him yesterday and i love him!

 

[ALGeckos]

Ooohhhh a crested gecko! Hehehe. Yup, no lamp is needed if your room temp is between 72-78F. We've kept 2 crested geckos using no heat lamps and they did just fine. We only had a small florescent light with very low wattage (which did not emit any heat) to act as "daylight", but nothing needed for heat. We never really opened the window blinds because we didn't want any sun to strike their cages and increase the heat to something we couldn't control while out of the house.

 

[GoGo]

Man...Did you do ANY research at all? Because if you had you would have found out right away that 80+ = doom.

 

[SpOuK-3-]

I've put a UVB lamp over my crested ... and a heat pad under the tank ... and temp is at ~ 78degree ....

Is that ok or not ...

 

[PaulSage]

Unless your room temperature is below 72*F, I don't think the heating pad is necessary. If it's a human heating pad, it's downright risky because those things are not as reliable as reptile UTH's because they are not designed to remain on for long periods of time. As long as the enclosure doesn't get above 78*F he should be okay, but I would suggest not having more than half of the enclosure that warm.

 

[Leopardbreeder]

True about the 78* thing, but remember, crested geckos THRIVE at room temperature. As long as you are giving them D3 with the calcium, you don't need a lamp. I light that emits no heat if fine if you have a fully planted tank. make sure you have places to let them hide.

 

[Fitto55]

gogo, this is my reasearch. and everyone else, what is the minimum heat i can have it cuz i cant sleep when its hot

 

[Leopardbreeder]

72* is right on the margin.

 

[ALGeckos]

According to PangeaReptile.com, "Cresteds can tolerate night time temperature drops down into the mid 60's but it is not necessary to provide this type of night time drop."

I recommend staying around 70F-72F for night temps. And yes, thanks for reminding me LeopardBreeder - lost of plants and hides if you ever plan on keeping a light on like I did!

 

[SpOuK-3-]

everything is fine on my side ... @ night temp is dropping at 70 and during day 78

there's a lot of plants / hides ...