Leopard Gecko Bowser: ceramic heat emitter, night viewing bulb, setup ?s, & all

Bowser

Bowser

New member
Elizabeth Freer said:
No on black light...contains UVA according to Aimee on a separate thread :). http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...427-using-black-lights-night-heat-source.html

A 10 inch dome fixture for the ceramic heat emitter and maybe a smaller dome for the viewing light.
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The black light wouldn't be for heat, the ceramic would be for that. They make night lights now that are supposed to mimic moonlight. its not like a regular black light, i dont think. From what i gather, its like a red night lamp, but gives off a bluish/purple glow instead of red.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Bowser said:
The black light wouldn't be for heat, the ceramic would be for that. They make night lights now that are supposed to mimic moonlight. its not like a regular black light, i dont think. From what i gather, its like a red night lamp, but gives off a bluish/purple glow instead of red.
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I giggled when I read this because I knew this question was going to cross your mind. Do you mean this bulb?

Reptile Terrarium Lighting: Exo Terra Night Glo Moonlight Lamp

I understand both sides to this debate. They do have moonlight in the wild which emits very tiny amounts of UV according to what I have read. How does this bulb actually compare to actual moonlight? I don't know. I use it for viewing during the summer and shut it off after I am done. It doesn't appear to bother my geckos as the red one has. It's something you must research and come to your own conclusion.
 
Bowser

Bowser

New member
cricket4u said:
I giggled when I read this because I knew this question was going to cross your mind. Do you mean this bulb?

Reptile Terrarium Lighting: Exo Terra Night Glo Moonlight Lamp

I understand both sides to this debate. They do have moonlight in the wild which emits very tiny amounts of UV according to what I have read. How does this bulb actually compare to actual moonlight? I don't know. I use it for viewing during the summer and shut it off after I am done. It doesn't appear to bother my geckos as the red one has. It's something you must research and come to your own conclusion.
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Lol yup, thats it! ;-)

Does this give off heat as well?? What wattage bulb do you have? I figure if i give this a try, i would do the lowest watt possible to keep the UV at a minimum. Also, if it is for heating as well, maybe i could turn off the ceramic to cool the cage down a bit? Id still have the UTH pad on tho.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Bowser said:
Lol yup, thats it! ;-)

Does this give off heat as well?? What wattage bulb do you have? I figure if i give this a try, i would do the lowest watt possible to keep the UV at a minimum. Also, if it is for heating as well, maybe i could turn off the ceramic to cool the cage down a bit? Id still have the UTH pad on tho.
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It gives out very little heat. I use 75 watt because their enclosures are a bit over 4 feet long. The bulbs are placed all the way on one corner, so if I use anything lower, I can barely see them. I guess a 50 watt would be okay for you. Ideally the UTH should be their only source of heat at night unless the air temp drops under 70F.

One thing I do suggest is to observe him/her with and without the bulb at night to see if there is a change in behavior since I am guessing your geckos's enclosure will be smaller than mine. With the red bulbs some geckos failed to wonder around at night or would look up at the bulb squinting. I haven't had a problem with these, but just incase.
 
Bowser

Bowser

New member
cricket4u said:
It gives out very little heat. I use 75 watt because their enclosures are a bit over 4 feet long. The bulbs are placed all the way on one corner, so if I use anything lower, I can barely see them. I guess a 50 watt would be okay for you. Ideally the UTH should be their only source of heat at night unless the air temp drops under 70F.

One thing I do suggest is to observe him/her with and without the bulb at night to see if there is a change in behavior since I am guessing your geckos's enclosure will be smaller than mine. With the red bulbs some geckos failed to wonder around at night or would look up at the bulb squinting. I haven't had a problem with these, but just incase.
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Thanks!! Do you supply a day light as well? Also, the terrarium I am thinking about getting is the Exo Terra 24x18x12. Is this a good size? The 18" wide is super nice for room...it really opens up the floor space. But I also understand that for temperature gradients, the longer the cage the better. So at 24", is this enough to create a gradient?

The Exo Terra is really nice and I love the opening doors as opposed to the Zilla critter cages where you need to remove the light fixtures and slide to the whole screen off to get any access into the cage.

Thanks!
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Bowser said:
Thanks!! Do you supply a day light as well? Also, the terrarium I am thinking about getting is the Exo Terra 24x18x12. Is this a good size? The 18" wide is super nice for room...it really opens up the floor space. But I also understand that for temperature gradients, the longer the cage the better. So at 24", is this enough to create a gradient?

The Exo Terra is really nice and I love the opening doors as opposed to the Zilla critter cages where you need to remove the light fixtures and slide to the whole screen off to get any access into the cage.

Thanks!
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Yes, I do provide day lighting on a timer in one end of the enclosure. However, I want to remind you that my enclosures are fairly large which means there are areas that are darker. I also provide many hides in different temp zones so that they can choose.

As much as I like the Exo Terra enclosures, I believe that it is almost impossible to achieve a proper temp gradient for a leopard gecko. I highly suggest not to buy anything under 30 inches long.
 
Bowser

Bowser

New member
cricket4u said:
Yes, I do provide day lighting on a timer in one end of the enclosure. However, I want to remind you that my enclosures are fairly large which means there are areas that are darker. I also provide many hides in different temp zones so that they can choose.

As much as I like the Exo Terra enclosures, I believe that it is almost impossible to achieve a proper temp gradient for a leopard gecko. I highly suggest not to buy anything under 30 inches long.
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Well I got lucky, Exo Terra makes a 36x18x12 cage! :yahoo:
 
Bowser

Bowser

New member
some light fixture options?

So, as I am organizing my purchases, I need to figure out the lighting situation of the terrarium. I was wondering what you guys have setup.

Basically, a whole fixture or separate dome lamps?

Thanks!
 
panthergecko

panthergecko

Active member
Natural light fills my room up so my gecko knows when its morning.
But for darker rooms or just cause it looks good you can use timers.
I don't use much lights only a lamp when I'm curious.

as for the timers read reviews to get a good idea how people responded to them or to just here opinions.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
gogeckos said:
Leopard geckos don't need lighting. Lighting stresses them out anyways.
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You know what causes stress? poor husbandry. Not all geckos are stressed by light. I know this for a fact. Bad placement of bulbs, wrong wattage and small areas cause stress.
 
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Bowser

Bowser

New member
cricket4u said:
You know what causes stress? poor husbandry. Not all geckos are stressed by light. I know this for a fact. Bad placement of bulbs, wrong wattage and small areas cause stress.
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I feel you are so right on the money with this. I want some day time light, but I don't want to overdue it. The cage I plan on getting is only 12" high, so I feel any bulb I use for lighting purposes should not be directly on the screen top. What I want is a sort of hanging light setup where the lights are suspended overhead by a good distance. Again, the use of LIGHT bulbs is just so we can view. We do not need so much light to do so.

An idea I had to help with a direct 'spotlight' scenario, is to add a thick mesh 'cover' for the light, so the light source with be diluted. That sort of thing is easy...any trip to Home Depot to get some grating or metal mesh and some clips will work just fine.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Bowser said:
Zoo Med™ Reptile Lamp Stand - Fixtures & Lamps - Substrate & Bedding - PetSmart

This looks perfect. For a 12" high cage with plenty of hides and coverings, a 2 foot clearance (this has a height of 36") of light source with a low watt bulb should be absolutely fine, and produce enough light for clear viewing. Again, I cannot say from experience!

Cricket4u, what do you think?

Maybe 2 of these, one for day bulb and 1 for night bulb, would work very well.
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Maybe it will be fine. You have to get to know your gecko.:)

Quick story. Years ago I had friends call me and ask me why was their gecko laying under the heat bulb. Obviously these questions crossed my mind.

Is the UTH working properly?
Is it too hot under the warm hide?
Is the thermometer functioning properly?
Can this gecko possibly be blind?
And so on....

I am not a person who is easily convinced and like to see and test things for myself. So I went over to my friends house and checked all the equipment myself. To my surprise everything was working just fine. He actually had 2 hides on the warm side to choose from. I took my temp gun with me and tested their thermometers. I mean I looked at every possibility. This gecko just enjoyed and preferred to bask.:shock: Not all leo's are alike.:idea:

Common mistake:

10 gallon tank, overheated, cheap thermometer, 100 watt bulb, overcrowded, no thermostat, half hides
 
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Bowser

Bowser

New member
cricket4u said:
Maybe it will be fine. You have to get to know your gecko.:)

Quick story. Years ago I had friends call me and ask me why was their gecko laying under the heat bulb. Obviously these questions crossed my mind.

Is the UTH working properly?
Is it too hot under the warm hide?
Is the thermometer functioning properly?
Can this gecko possibly be blind?
And so on....

I am not a person who is easily convinced and like to see and test things for myself. So I went over to my friends house and checked all the equipment myself. To my surprise everything was working just fine. He actually had 2 hides on the warm side to choose from. I took my temp gun with me and tested their thermometers. I mean I looked at every possibility. This gecko just enjoyed and preferred to bask.:shock: Not all leo's are alike.:idea:

Common mistake:

10 gallon tank, overheated, cheap thermometer, 100 watt bulb, overcrowded, no thermostat, half hides
Click to expand...

Animals are unique the same as people are unique. We don't all like the same things! Trial and error really is the best and only way to find what works for your pet. And what works for you, may not work for another. Such is life!

Now if you'll excuse me, I see an icon I cannot resist to use, so I will end with a little crazy town banana pants :banana:
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
gogeckos said:
Leopard geckos don't need lighting. Lighting stresses them out anyways.
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Have you heard about CHEs...ceramic heat emitters?

cricket4u said:
You know what causes stress? poor husbandry. Not all geckos are stressed by light. I know this for a fact. Bad placement of bulbs, wrong wattage and small areas cause stress.
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The overhead dome is usually necessary to maintain good air temperatures on the warm end no higher than 85 F. The max ground temp on the warm end should range from 88-93 F depending upon your leo. Using both an UTH (main heat source) as well as an overhead dome (secondary source) ensures a leo will have more than just a warm spot. The leo will be more active because his heat needs will be met with 2 heat sources :).
 
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Bowser

Bowser

New member
custom cages?

Anyone know of a good place that makes custom cages? A lot of ones i found are like stackable enclosures with only the front being glass. Idk how the lighting/heating situation would even work. Does anyone have a custom cage??
 
Bowser

Bowser

New member
Anyone want to share pics of their gecko's cage set up? I'd appreciate a look into some of the veteran cages.

Also, I'm still looking for custom cage options, or just a really nice one.

The visionarium looked pretty good.
 
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