Heating

[evo676]

Hi guys, I am new to your forum and new to keeping a Leonard Gecko.
I have just acquired a 1yr old Leopard Gecko and vivarium. I spoke to my local reptile shop for some advise, and he's advised me that the vivarium I have is not that suitable for Geckos and a heat mat alone is not suffiecient, so he sold me a heat lamp (red bulb 100W). I have noticed now that the temperature in the Vivarium is now around 82F, when previously without the lamp it was 70F.

My question is that do I need to keep this lamp on 24hrs a day, or can I have it on a timer so it comes on and goes off at certain times ?

also, do I need a light canopy on the vivarium ?

many thanks in advance.

 

[indyana]

Heating is done on a case-by-case basis, so it's difficult to make recommendations without knowing what your environment is like. I'll give you an overview.

For a leopard gecko, you should have the floor surface temp on the warm side around 88-92 F. Floor temp is measured with either an infrared temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe that can be placed flat on the floor. The ambient air temperature on the warm side should be a little lower (70-80 F) during the day. At night, and on the cool side, the temperature can safely go down to around 65 F. Ambient air temperature is best measured by a digital thermometer, either without a probe or with the probe raised up off the floor.

Many keepers only use a heat mat, but if your house is very cool (< 65 F), you may need to provide extra heat. I'm not certain if that is your case, but I assume that may be why you were recommended to get a heat lamp.

Short answer is that, as long as the heat mat is set correctly, you should be able to turn off the heat lamp at night. You should keep your house temperature in mind though. For example, if your house is already 75 F + in the summer, you probably would not also want to be running a heat lamp during the day. If your house is very cold at night, you may need to provide extra heat at night. If this is the case, I strongly recommend getting a ceramic heat emitter instead of a heat lamp. CHEs emit only heat, and not light, so they won't disturb the gecko when run at night.

For actual lighting, leopard geckos benefit from having a day-night cycle. This can often be done with just the ambient light in the room. Some keepers provide a light canopy to augment the day-night difference or provide UVB as well, but lighting is not considered required unless you have a dark room with no windows. Bright lighting can also stress out leopard geckos that don't have adequate dark hides in their enclosures.

 

[evo676]

Heating is done on a case-by-case basis, so it's difficult to make recommendations without knowing what your environment is like. I'll give you an overview.

For a leopard gecko, you should have the floor surface temp on the warm side around 88-92 F. Floor temp is measured with either an infrared temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe that can be placed flat on the floor. The ambient air temperature on the warm side should be a little lower (70-80 F) during the day. At night, and on the cool side, the temperature can safely go down to around 65 F. Ambient air temperature is best measured by a digital thermometer, either without a probe or with the probe raised up off the floor.

Many keepers only use a heat mat, but if your house is very cool (< 65 F), you may need to provide extra heat. I'm not certain if that is your case, but I assume that may be why you were recommended to get a heat lamp.

Short answer is that, as long as the heat mat is set correctly, you should be able to turn off the heat lamp at night. You should keep your house temperature in mind though. For example, if your house is already 75 F + in the summer, you probably would not also want to be running a heat lamp during the day. If your house is very cold at night, you may need to provide extra heat at night. If this is the case, I strongly recommend getting a ceramic heat emitter instead of a heat lamp. CHEs emit only heat, and not light, so they won't disturb the gecko when run at night.

For actual lighting, leopard geckos benefit from having a day-night cycle. This can often be done with just the ambient light in the room. Some keepers provide a light canopy to augment the day-night difference or provide UVB as well, but lighting is not considered required unless you have a dark room with no windows. Bright lighting can also stress out leopard geckos that don't have adequate dark hides in their enclosures.

Many thanks for your reply, that is most helpful