[EchotheGecko]

Wonder if any of you can answer this. Obviously our little friends don't pop to the shop and grab themselves a tub of calcium with D3 to sprinkle on their fish chips every night. So my question is, where do Leo's get their D3 from in the wild if they aren't the basking type?

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[cricket4u]

I guess your not aware? In the wild they have a local petsmart
It is said they have been seen in the wild basking in the late evening sun.

[Mardy]

They do get sunlight during dawn & dusk.

[acpart]

Since they are out mostly at dawn/dusk as mentioned above, they don't need as much D3 as diurnal reptiles.

Aliza

[EchotheGecko]

So they would benefit from a low powered UV light then?

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[cricket4u]

Originally Posted by EchotheGecko

So they would benefit from a low powered UV light then?

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Here is a link to a thread in which I discussed UVB with another member.

UVB question

[EchotheGecko]

That is fantastic thanks for that. I'm thinking of using a UV bulb to try and re-create a more natural environment and allow Echo to selectively bask when he needs to. I'm sure he will know when he needs to or not.

My question however wasn't answered in the post you kindly linked. Someone mentions a light less than half the tank in length. In your (or anyone elses) opinion, should the light cover both warm and cold sides of the tank or mainly over the warm side? My initial reaction would be warm side but thinking about it, even during daylight hours a Leo would find cooler spots in the wild when needed?

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[cricket4u]

I have it placed on the warm side next to an infrared bulb to try and duplicate full spectrum lighting. They move around at times from the cold to warm areas even during the day. The more hides the better. You can also add fake plants to help block out some light in places not desired. You do not want the UVB rays to penetrate throughout the whole enclosure because their skin absorbs rays quicker than basking lizards. If the enclosure is large enough you can also place it so that they will have the options of the UVB being in mid-warm temperatures.

[Mardy]

Originally Posted by EchotheGecko

That is fantastic thanks for that. I'm thinking of using a UV bulb to try and re-create a more natural environment and allow Echo to selectively bask when he needs to. I'm sure he will know when he needs to or not.

What kind of gecko do you have? UVB can actually be harmful if you have an albino or enigma, where albinos lack melanin (skin's natural sunblock) and enigmas get severe syndrome when exposed to bright light. UVB can also be harmful to normal leopard geckos if you over-supplement vitamin D3.

See D3 is easily controlled via multivitamin supplement, as you have the power to choose when to dust feeders with multivitamin supplement that contain D3 to give to your geckos. But if you put UVB in question, you would not know just how much your gecko is basking, how much D3 its absorbing, you could essentially overdose on D3 if not done properly.

While it's a noble thing to want to recreate their natural environment, it's near impossible to do given such limited space. In nature they have a whole world's space to move around in, so they can most definitely choose when to expose to sunlight when not to. In captivity they are limited to 10 to 20 gallons tops usually for a single leopard gecko, and it'll be very hard to reproduce their living environment with such a small enclosure.

This is why folks normally recommend to simply place the tank somewhere that can benefit from indirect sunlight through the windows. Indirect sunlight is perfect for leopard geckos in captivity, they'll get a sense of day/night cycle, and you won't have to worry about overexposing them to UVB or over dosing on D3. You can have various genetic morphs without having to worry about lighting.

Another problem with forcing UVB on your captive leopard geckos is not only how quickly they absorb it through their skin, their eyes can also be harmed by it. There have been many reported case of blindness or light damaging a gecko's eyes. Again, in nature they got a whole earth to hide around in. In captivity, they are limited to much less space and there's really no way to reproduce their living environment.

Leopard geckos are crepuscular creatures, they come out at dusk & dawn, they are most active at night like nocturnal animals. There's a reason for that and it's often not a good idea to force UVB on them. It's much easier to give them what they need via multivitamin supplements with D3 so you can 1) make them more comfortable in their their living environment, and 2) you can control their D3 intake.

Just my opinion anyway, good luck

[cricket4u]

Originally Posted by EchotheGecko

That is fantastic thanks for that. I'm thinking of using a UV bulb to try and re-create a more natural environment and allow Echo to selectively bask when he needs to. I'm sure he will know when he needs to or not.

My question however wasn't answered in the post you kindly linked. Someone mentions a light less than half the tank in length. In your (or anyone elses) opinion, should the light cover both warm and cold sides of the tank or mainly over the warm side? My initial reaction would be warm side but thinking about it, even during daylight hours a Leo would find cooler spots in the wild when needed?

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Mardy your great at explaining detail

Echo the gecko~
Actually I was the one who stated (a light less than half the tank in length) in the other thread I linked because of the danger Mardy mentioned. Although I know people who have albino's and use UVB with no negative effects, it all boils down to size of enclosure, size of the bulb and placement and proper hiding areas. I would never use UVB in an enclosure smaller than a 55 gallon for a crepuscular lizard.