Is an UTH a necessity?

[CasperTheGecko]

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Hi everyone, the other day I purchased a leopard gecko and I already love him to death! He is so sweet and gentle it's amazing! He's 3 and I got him from a family that lost interest in him. I did a lot of previous research on what to look for health wise and he seems to be very healthy. He's 3 and the tank he came with is very small. I decided to put him into my 30 gallon tank and today I went to the pet store to purchase supplies for it. I originally intended on buy an UTH because they looked to be the easiest to set up and I liked the idea however the guy talked me out of it and told me that an infrared heat lamp is the best way to go. So I trusted what he said and went with that. Now I'm reading that it may have been the worst way to go and I need to get a UTH. Is it really that important to get an UTH or is my infrared going to be okay? It was quite expensive and if I could use it I'd like to but I also want the very best for my gecko so if I do need to change it I can. Right now I'm using reptile carpet but I read that ceramic tile is good for collecting heat and I could easily get those for him. Also, if I do keep the infrared, what temperature should it be at?
Any input is extremely helpful,
Thank you

[SORROW89]

You can use the res bulb, but you still need the UTH. The UTH is more important for leo's.
Check out what you need here.
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...-included.html

[kouneli]

Belly heat is more important. See if you can return/exchange the heat lamp/bulb for a heat mat.

[Melanie_Linn]

I agree belly heat is better. They soak up more heat that way since they are so low to the ground.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Belly heat is more important. See if you can return/exchange the heat lamp/bulb for a heat mat.

I agree belly heat is better. They soak up more heat that way since they are so low to the ground.

An UTH as the main heat source is important to provide belly heat. However, it is also VERY important to have overhead heat from a ceramic heat emitter to provide a warm air space of 85 F. By providing BOTH, a leopard gecko will not be glued to a heat mat and will be more active.

Make sure to read the Leo Guidelines which SORROW89 has linked in post #2 on this thread.

[Melanie_Linn]

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An UTH as the main heat source is important to provide belly heat. However, it is also VERY important to have overhead heat from a ceramic heat emitter to provide a warm air space of 85 F. By providing BOTH, a leopard gecko will not be glued to a heat mat and will be more active.

Make sure to read the Leo Guidelines which SORROW89 has linked in post #2 on this thread.

Of course. I guess I didn't phrase that right. It's not better so much as its just as integral as over head heat for Leo's.