Lighting question..need help!

[dolfun55]

Hey folks!

I need some serious advice from some experienced peeps.
There is so much conflicting information out there on lighting for leopard geckos.
Its make it nearly impossible for me to decide what is best.

Many say they need 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark and say to use a low wattage household plain ol' bulb for during the day.
Then they say they are really sensitive to light. So why use a light if its hurts their eyes?

Some say use a red heated bulb to add a little heat to the tank in conjunction with UTH.
I am so confused at this point.

Right now I am using a UTH and a red heat bulb bulb in a lamp that sits on top of the screen.
I also have my old light fixture from when I was using the tank for fish. It has a plain white fluorescent bulb. I could use that as well.

I just need some experienced guidance please!!

 

[OnlineGeckos]

The general idea is that since leopard geckos are crepuscular (most active at dawn/dust & at night), they don't require a dedicated light for their tank during the day. If your tank is in a room with a window, even with blinds closed, the ambient light during the day will be good enough to give leopard geckos a day/night cycle. If you have your gecko tank in a room that's totally dark without any window, then having some sort of light on a timer is a good idea. It doesn't have to be a basking light shining into their tanks, just some sort of light that turns on during the day and turns off before evening hits.

You only need supplemental heating if your ambient temperature consistently drops below 70 degrees. Having an UTH is good enough for your gecko unless you live somewhere that's cold during day & night. At which time if you need supplemental heating, a ceramic heat emitter may work better because they emit heat without light. They can be used day or night, which is more ideal for your leopard geckos.

 

[dolfun55]

Thank you so much for the response!

A couple of questions for you. I keep it pretty cool in the house in the winter to save $$. Can the ceramic heat emitter be placed on top of the screen of her tank?

I am going to turn off the red basking light for a couple of days and see what the temp in her tank drops to w/o it. What should the temp in her tank be that would keep her happy?

Does the red basking light hurt anything to use as additional heat in the winter? I have read conflicting things on that as well. Some say they cant see red light so its a good color to use to you can view them in their tank but not hurt their eyes. What are your thoughts on being able to view them w/o hurting their eyes?

Thanks again for all the help!!

 

[lisa127]

They can see red light. I use black incandescent bulbs if I need to use overhead heat instead of red. For any of my reptiles really.

 

[Phantom240]

I have a RAPTOR, which is an albino strain, and she seems to be a bit bothered by the red light I have. It's my general understanding that albinos are more sensitive to light, so it might just be related to that trait.

 

[dolfun55]

I got a black bulb and took it back because I couldnt really see in her tank at all with it.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Thank you so much for the response!

A couple of questions for you. I keep it pretty cool in the house in the winter to save $$. Can the ceramic heat emitter be placed on top of the screen of her tank?

I am going to turn off the red basking light for a couple of days and see what the temp in her tank drops to w/o it. What should the temp in her tank be that would keep her happy?

Does the red basking light hurt anything to use as additional heat in the winter? I have read conflicting things on that as well. Some say they cant see red light so its a good color to use to you can view them in their tank but not hurt their eyes. What are your thoughts on being able to view them w/o hurting their eyes?

Thanks again for all the help!!

Yes a CHE can be placed on top of the tank above the screen, they emit heat without light, it's great for supplemental heating if you need to warm up ambient temperature inside the tank. You can use it day or night.

The floor temperature on the warm side should be between 90-95, the cool side should be in the mid 70's. Ceramic heat emitter should only be needed if your ambient consistently drops below 70 degrees.

They see red light, but not all geckos are bothered by red light. This is something you have to test yourself to see if your gecko is bothered by red light. If you want to use something at night to view them, try using a Night-glo moonlight bulb. They emit a soft blue light, which kind of imitates the natural moonlight at night. Get the low wattage one. They can see it of course, but it should be natural moonlight for them.

If you need to warm up the ambient temperature & floor temperature a bit, a ceramic heat emitter really is more ideal since you can use it day or night, especially at night when it gets colder.