NO UTH!!!!!! just lamp heat?

[Yoshi727]

so i know they need surface heat but i am able to maintain a surface temp of 89.4 with just a 75 watt red or "moon" bulb and running it 24/7 is there any problem with this? he seems cozy do i need need need an uth or can i get away without it? thanks a ton. sorry for the newb questions.

 

[zachandjess2904]

We have had Leo's that love to bask under a bulb . As long as you have the temps right and he looks happy , go with it

 

[katie_]

Use a flat piece of slate under the lamp, so they can get some belly heat.

 

[Dimidiata]

Do the temps in the hide, not exsposed to the light ge those temps? Since they spend the day in the hide digesting/sleeping and such its good for them to be able to get belly heat in there(hence why we have a cool and warm).

 

[grboxa]

With what sam said, is this temperature reading inside the warm hide?. If you can read 90 inside the hide using just a lamp, imo I would think your ambient is to high if you have a standard tank. I would think that's why UTH are more practical and recommended seeing as you need the heat to be inside the cave so they can feel secure and absorb through the belly without having to have a heat lamp on trying to get proper temperatures inside the cave, with possibilities of overheating the tank. How big is your tank?.

 

[Fencer04]

I don't think that lights should be used at all for Leopard Geckos. You are heating all the ambient air in the tank with the light which doesn't happen as much with the localized belly heat that is offered by the UTH.

I also think that the lights stress out a gecko for no real reason. The UTH is inexpensive and the correct way to heat a gecko tank. I could use a pair of pliers to take out a screw but why not just use a screwdriver?

 

[katie_]

I don't think that lights should be used at all for Leopard Geckos. You are heating all the ambient air in the tank with the light which doesn't happen as much with the localized belly heat that is offered by the UTH.

I also think that the lights stress out a gecko for no real reason. The UTH is inexpensive and the correct way to heat a gecko tank. I could use a pair of pliers to take out a screw but why not just use a screwdriver?

My problem with this is, geckos dont get just pure belly heat in the wild. They burrow. So wouldnt they still get most of their heat from above, while sitting on warm rocks in their burrows?
I think lights can work as long as you provide a slate rock for belly heat, and as long as you can maintain correct temperatures. Its harder, but its possible.
Albinos shouldnt have lights though, their little eyes are very sensitive.

 

[Fencer04]

My problem with this is, geckos dont get just pure belly heat in the wild. They burrow. So wouldnt they still get most of their heat from above, while sitting on warm rocks in their burrows?
I think lights can work as long as you provide a slate rock for belly heat, and as long as you can maintain correct temperatures. Its harder, but its possible.
Albinos shouldnt have lights though, their little eyes are very sensitive.

The heat can't come from above because they are in a burrow. They would get Geothermal heat that would come almost entirely from the walls of their burrow. The sun would heat the ground around them, but the suns rays are not shining down on them. The hottest part would be the rock they are sitting on. When a snake or lizard sits on a rock in the sun they are not absorbing the heat from the rock (it's under them, it isn't getting heated) as much as they are absorbing the rays of the sun.

Also, because Leopard Geckos are in a burrow they wouldn't have the level of ambient light that is provided by a light bulb. I feel this forces them into their hide when they may want to be outside of it.

I'm also not saying that it will kill the animal, I'm just saying that it isn't ideal and why would be strive for anything but ideal when taking care of another life?

 

[katie_]

But sun shines down from above?
They would still be getting heat from above, and from the heat that radiates off of their burrow.

 

[Fencer04]

But sun shines down from above?
They would still be getting heat from above, and from the heat that radiates off of their burrow.

The sun does shine down. The heat is absorbed by the ground evenly because the dirt will distribute the heat as evenly as possible. This will cause the heat to radiate off the the surface in the burrow whether it be the top or the bottom. The key is the the heat will move from the surface of the burrow inward.

On the surface the heat will just come from above. Putting something under the gecko doesn't do as efficient of a job because the surface being heated is mostly covered by the gecko. In the burrow the sun is heating the dirt above and the heat is radiating through the dirt evenly.

I attached a really crappy illustration that I made to show what I am talking about.