Updating heat and substrate!

[harpbeat339]

Hi all, I've had my leo girl for 4 years now and she's been super healthy / happy from what I can observe, but I'm always trying to learn more and improve her situation and that has recently pointed to a few areas of improvement. Naturally this comes with some stress since what I've been doing for 4 years has "worked" for her.

The first area being her heating - I've used a heat pad under her warm hide as well as a ceramic heat emitter to keep the hot end of her enclosure around 85 and her cold end around 75. I've since learned 3 things - a halogen bulb mimics the sun better and is a better alternative to a CHE, UVB is in fact recommended for leos, and a drop in temperature at night is the most natural and healthy for them. She now has a linear UVB + a 75W halogen bulb on a dimmer connected to a thermostat, but it seems to be constantly adjusting all the way off to all the way on (I assumed there would just be slight dimming adjustments) and I can't imagine that is good for her circadian rhythm.

I turned off her lamp entirely for the first time last night (but kept heat mat on) to allow for a temp drop and was concerned this morning when I realized temps dipped to 60F overnight (we're experiencing a particularly cold winter in NY right now). It is unclear from my research online if a 60-65 degree night temp is an appropriate drop, or if that is dangerously cold. I immediately ordered a dual light fixture so I can keep the CHE on at night, at least during the winter as I don't see the room temp being an issue in other seasons.

I've also been using paper towels for years as her "substrate" as this has been easiest to clean, doesn't snag her claws, and I can easily monitor her poops. I will be switching her to Bio Dude's Terra Sahara Bioactive Substrate once I feel confident she has adjusted well to her new heat system, but want to know the best way to maintain loose substrate.

TLDR:
My questions are -
1. Does anyone use a CHE at night in the winter, or is a temperature drop really best?
2. Should I switch my 75W halogen bulb to a lower wattage to stop it from constantly dimming/adjusting?
3. Cleaning process/schedule for loose substrate? Would a "clean up crew" be best for that even if I'm not looking to fully transition to a bioactive enclosure right away?

Appreciate any advice offered!

 

[acpart]

Hi. I think the bulb is going on and off because you probably have an "on and off" thermostat (as opposed to a proportional thermostat). That means that when the temp gets to the thermostat's set temperature, it shuts the heat source off, which means that the light goes off. When the heat then starts to go down and gets below the thermostat setting, the thermostat switches on, so it switches the light on. In other words, the bulb is dimmable but it isn't getting "told" to dim a bit, just to either provide heat or not provide heat.
My living area is warmer now than it used to be because my husband and I are both retired/semi-retired and home much more. In the past, though, the heat went down to the low 60's (I'm in New England) in the winter during the day. All my leopard geckos have heat mats only, and there's a hide placed above the heat mat. For the most part, if the gecko is cold, it can go into the hide and the air trapped inside the hide is warm. Some of my geckos spend most of their winter time inside the warm hide and a few seem to stay on the cold side and actually brumate.

Aliza