Confused about Lighting and heating

[fr236]

I currently have a deep orange 15w bulb on the right hand side (the warm side) of the vivarium.
The heat matt below maybe reaching the end of its life as the heat just isnt going up and my gecko just isnt happy. I have gone round and round the logistics of different set ups.
plkease Please pleasel can someone answer te following Q's:

I have seen a video on here with a guy using tile as a substrate (im changing to this soon) - but will the heat from below the tiles get through enough to warm her belly?

Im changing her set up around to make her happier but will she find the change unsettling and disorientating as she has been used to the current set up for 10 years? Is it important to not swap around the warm and cold end etc...?

I have seen another video with a guy who has two lamps - one that looks like a moon sort of glow and emits heat and the other emits light at the other end- but i have heard white light hurts geckos eyes? hence my current red bulb.

What wattage should the lights be to get enough heat into the enclosure? should i have two bulbs?

Should i set the heat mat and bulbs to the same thermostat? or have two thermostats? i currently don't have a thermostat for the heat mat?

So confused!

any help would be really appreciated!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I currently have a deep orange 15w bulb on the right hand side (the warm side) of the vivarium.
The heat matt below maybe reaching the end of its life as the heat just isnt going up and my gecko just isnt happy. I have gone round and round the logistics of different set ups.
plkease Please pleasel can someone answer te following Q's:

What are the dimensions of your tank?

I have seen a video on here with a guy using tile as a substrate (im changing to this soon) - but will the heat from below the tiles get through enough to warm her belly?

Do you mean TonyPerkins203 video? If so, Tony has his setup down to a science. His leo Cleo is a very lucky lizard. Can you see that Cleo has tiles in her tank?

Im changing her set up around to make her happier but will she find the change unsettling and disorientating as she has been used to the current set up for 10 years? Is it important to not swap around the warm and cold end etc...?

If you are moving her to a larger setup, she will quickly settle in. Does not matter if you switch the warm and cold sides.

I have seen another video with a guy who has two lamps - one that looks like a moon sort of glow and emits heat and the other emits light at the other end- but i have heard white light hurts geckos eyes? hence my current red bulb.

You will find links to the lighting debate in the caresheet. An UTH is rec for belly heat, a 10 inch dome with a Ceramic Heat Emitter to provide decent air temperatures, and then maybe a second dome only for viewing purposes. The overhead heat can be turned off at night. Don't use household incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs.

What wattage should the lights be to get enough heat into the enclosure? should i have two bulbs?

Wattage is trial and error. Two thermostats are recommended: ont for the UTH and the second one for the CHE.

Should i set the heat mat and bulbs to the same thermostat? or have two thermostats? i currently don't have a thermostat for the heat mat?

Hydrofarm MTPRTC (link in caresheet) is a good thermostat.

So confused!

any help would be really appreciated!

That's it.

 

[fr236]

That's it.

Thankyou for the reply!

The viv is roughly 30x90 cm.

I don't have a 'dome' - the current lamp is inside the viv and has heated the air temp for 10 years (i cannot believe we've been doing this wrong for so long - - it was parents who look after her and they set it up as I was 11) - this heat used to be enough to keep the temp above 30 but recently the temp has gone way down -perhaps the mat is broken... ill get a new one. I hope his eyesight has not been consequently damaged.
Thankyou for your answers. I have a few more Q's if you don't mind.

Should I install a 'dome' and how? Or is it ok to put the lamps inside the tank :
Leopard gecko vivarium setup - YouTube

I fear she is suffering from impaction due to years of sand substrate (stupid pet shop owner recommended this). She is regurgitating crickets, lethargy, wierd pooing patterns - doing them in wierd places) Should I follow the massage in warm water and give her oil&prune mix method or take her straight to the vet?

Im confused about the heat and light timings:
Should I set the 'viewing light' to come on in the day and turn off at night to replicate desert day/night?
Won't she get cold at night if the heat emitter is turned off?
( both viewing lamp and heat emitter turn on in the day and turn off at night)
If the heat emitter is turned off at night wont it turn on anyway as the thermostat will kick in when the temp gets too low?
Why have a thermostat for the heat mat when it needs to be on all the time anyway?

Lastly... (im so sorry for all the Q's but Im finally getting her life sorted ..after years of my parents looking after her and getting poor advice)

1) Should I get a dimming thermostat or is this not important?
2) Does it matter if i feed her either phoenix worms/ silk worms/ horn worms - recommend any?
3 )When I change the set up will she stick to the same (front left corner) poop spot so ill have to build the set up around this i.e. therefore make this the cool end?
4) Will she know where to lick the calcium automatically? is D3 calcium crucially important?

Thanks again so much - what a fantastic forum!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

1) Should I get a dimming thermostat or is this not important?
2) Does it matter if i feed her either phoenix worms/ silk worms/ horn worms - recommend any?
3 )When I change the set up will she stick to the same (front left corner) poop spot so ill have to build the set up around this i.e. therefore make this the cool end?
4) Will she know where to lick the calcium automatically? is D3 calcium crucially important?

I fear she is suffering from impaction due to years of sand substrate (stupid pet shop owner recommended this). She is regurgitating crickets, lethargy, wierd pooing patterns - doing them in wierd places) Should I follow the massage in warm water and give her oil&prune mix method or take her straight to the vet?

Not good at all. Replace the sand with paper towels right away. Consider getting porcelain or ceramic tiles as the substrate. Piease post pics of her and the habitat. A vet visit should verify impaction or the presence of other issues. Not good to treat without knowing exactly what is wrong.

Im confused about the heat and light timings:
Should I set the 'viewing light' to come on in the day and turn off at night to replicate desert day/night?
Won't she get cold at night if the heat emitter is turned off?
( both viewing lamp and heat emitter turn on in the day and turn off at night)
If the heat emitter is turned off at night wont it turn on anyway as the thermostat will kick in when the temp gets too low?
Why have a thermostat for the heat mat when it needs to be on all the time anyway?

Where are you from? Some of this advice is different if you are overseas.

Right at the beginning of my Leo Caresheet is a 6 minute setup video. Details follow in the caresheet.

1) A thermostat is very important to keep the temps stable and add to your leo's comfort. It minimizes risks from overheating like fires. Hydrofarm MTPRTC can be ordered from Amazon and costs about $25...small metal probe and digital readout. Since you are striving for two different temperature settings (UTH and CHE) two thermostats are recommended.

2) Feed crickets (grasshoppers, locusts) primarily. Add hornworms. Other worm feeders are not as popular with leos. Freshly shed mealworms or mealworm pupae for variety only.

3) Just gotta experiment

4) Very small bottle cap of plain calcium in enclosure 24/7. Some people don't recommend that. If you see your leo licking the plain calcium frequently something else is amiss. D3 is crucial. Please check the Leo Caresheet linked in my sig for thorough info.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Even though this repeats some info you just shared, please include the info here for ease of reference.

#50---Cricket4u's Gecko Health Questionnaire
GU members: When copying & pasting this questionnaire into your thread, please change only the answers of your reply font to boldface to make your replies easy to read. Don't know whether that is possible. Don't really want the entire reply bold.

General Information
Species of lizard:
Gecko's name:
Morph:
Gender:
Age:
Weight:
Total length:
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it:
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught:

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth):
Cage (type, size):
Substrate provided:
Types of hiding places provided:
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:
List recent changes in the environment, if any:

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s):
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):

Natural lighting
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window:

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage?
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other):
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide:
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other):
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners):
Are you using a thermostat(s)?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?

Humidity
Is the humidity measured?
Humidity range:

Diet
Insects and worms, list type:
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with?
How often do you feed your gecko?
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins (include brand name)?
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs:
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain):
Discharge from the eyes or nose:
Increased breathing rate or effort:
Change in the droppings:
Urates
---white or yellowish:
---size of urates as compared to size of feces:
Abnormal skin color or shedding:
Parasites on the skin or in the feces:
Weakness:

Previous problems and/or illnesses:

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household
List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months):
Are any of your other pets ill?

Please include pictures of your gecko, the habitat, and particular issues (eye abcesses ?). If the problem involves gait, a video will be helpful. Many thanks.