The Lights vs Other Heat

[Desdemona]

So, my little guy is in a 20 Gal tall tank (a freebie for me) and currently he has a 75 Watt black light made for reptiles. Its what the store suggested. They may have thought I had the long 20 Gal though.

Anyways, the temp of the air inside (I did just put the thing in the middle, plan to get two more, probably cheaper, thermometers for the ends) doesn't seem to be going to far above 70. He is able too climb to the top of a reptile tree I bought and sit only a few inches under the light (I have seen him do so). Since he has access to the light is he ok or should I look for other options? I did read somewhere they like belly heat and I havn't tested the top of the tree to see if it actually feels hot. When I first set it up I had the light on one end on the glass and he was trying to "run" up the side of the cage so he could rest his belly on the glass (poor guy). Now the light is on the top though, sitting on the lid.

 

[acpart]

They really do need belly heat. Even though some leos have been known to bask, I don't think basking all day like a bearded dragon is typical leo behavior. It would be more common for it to be under a rock or a hide. Some people do choose to heat their cages with a heat source (a light or a ceramic heat emitter) from above to mimic the effect of the sun on rock. This does make sense to me, but it seems that it would be difficult to maintain a good belly heat at night when they are active. I have no idea about the heat retention properties of the substrates we keep them on in comparison to their natural environment.

I do feel that belly heat with an under tank heater is the way to go and that your guy is probably cold which is why he's acting in a way that isn't usual for most (not all) leopard geckos. I don't worry so much about the air heat as long as I have belly heat in the low to mid 90's because if the air is too cold the gecko can stay in the hide where the air temp is probably a lot warmer.

Long story short --get a UTH

Aliza

 

[Desdemona]

Ok, so do you use mats or the ceramic heat emitters? Is there a watt that is good for these guys or something adjustable? I am browsing Amazon on my BB (at work..shhh) to see what my options are.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I would suggest a under tank heat mat as well. I have a 20 long tank with a 6x11 7 watt cobra heat mat and it keeps the heat mat area consistantly at about 90. I have a 75 watt infrared heat lamp and a 50 wat "night light (blue) that I alternate between as the nights get colder. I haven't needed one for an entire night, but mostly just the hours between sunset and bed at midnight and it keeps the tank at a consistant 93 degrees F if I use the blue night light. If I use the infrared I get upwards of 105-108 which is entirely TOO warm for a leo so this is where a thermostat comes in handy. You set the temp you want your tank and the thermostat will turn off/on secondary heat sources when they're needed. Like another poster said ambient (air) temp makes little real difference. It's ground temp that is important to leos. Make sure if you do install an UTH that you put your temp probe right on the spot where the heat mat sits or you'll get inaccurate temp readings. I had started with muine off the corner of the heat mat and couldn't get above 77 degrees. I moved it to the hottest spot I coudl feel and with in an hour it was up to 93. The ceramic heat emitters will increase your ambient temp but not really affect your ground temp very much imo.