Leopard Gecko Lighting

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Sg612

Member
Geecko123 said:
do you reccomend a specific light? my goal is to heat the air and provide UVA, do you think I should get a 25 watt or 15 watt, what bulbs do you use?
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I’m not sure who the question was for? I’ll go ahead and give my input. I had larger enclosures, therefore my light source was a UVB tube(no heat) for the leopard geckos. I had a CHE on a thermostat to bring up the air temps.

UVB tube(longer, covers more area) is probably brighter than a tight beam bulb such as that one. However, when the enclosure is smaller, the lighting will be more intense. The truth is when given many options, you will see various behaviors. One day they will be out and about during the day for a while and the next day sleeping. It’s bs that they are only active at a specific time of the day. One Leo will gladly lay under a bulb to bask(even when a UTH is provided), while the other will expose a body part.

One of the concerns I have is with the expanding foam. Can it melt or release fumes under heat? If the tank was wider, the heat source could have been centered away from the background. Unfortunately it’s only 12 inches wide. Also if you do not control the room temperature, overheating can occur. I know you were thinking, kill 2 birds with one stone(heating air and lighting), however safety is important. I hope this makes sense.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Geecko123 said:
would UVB and UVA make Citrine more active?

I found these to help warm up the enclosure,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IY6US/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5Y7FF8/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d
and
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IO6N0/?ref=idea_lv_dp_ov_d
the thermostat would be set at 85 on the background closest to the heat lamp.
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Both Sg612 and I have replied to your concerns about UVB and UVA. Have you seen our posts? You can't get both heat and UVB from a single bulb that's safe for a leopard gecko. A Zoo Med compact fluorescent UVB bulb requires a separate dome and be timed for a couple hours per day (morning & early evening). As far as I know only Zoo Med and Arcadia make decent compact fluorescents. By adding belly heat to the ground, you'll gain space on the screen top (in one of the corners) for a compact fluorescent UVB bulb.

Continue to use powdered calcium with D3 at least until your heating is squared away.

(check) an 8.5 inch diameter dome light fixture. A 10 inch diameter fixture will spread the heat out even better.
(check) a second thermostat
:( a 200 watt CHE

Even though you'll be adding a second thermostat, that thermostat could fail.
A 200 watt CHE is much too hot no matter what!
Start with Zoo Med's nano CHEs about 25 watts. OR
Try PetSmart's All Living Things CHEs. Hopefully they make a 40 watt bulb.
In my personal experience Exo Terra CHEs are unreliable.​

A local pet store is quite convenient so you can easily exchange/return CHEs that are too warm. Many pet stores accept returns if the item doesn't meet your pet's needs.

Sg612 has posted thoughtful questions about heat melting the expanded foam background or producing unhealthy fumes when heated. What do the directions say?
 
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Geecko123

Geecko123

New member
with the lamp I just meant if that was the right type of bulb, not the right watts, sorry for not putting that out clearly.

what do you use? do you use a heat lamp at all?

I was thinking, so long story short, before I got my gecko I ordered a heat mat, I did not realize it would take a month to get here, so since I had everything else I went to petsmart and got my current heat mat, the heat matt I ordered cam with a thermostat attached, I now have that extra heat mat sitting unused, do you think I could just put the second heat mat under the cool side and set it on 70?

if that works could I just not worry about the heat lamp and just get one UVA bulb?

you asked about the heat lamp melting the foam, right? the instructions said said that it was completly safe for pets as soon as it sets ( which it has ) and also the foam would never get hotter than 80-85 degrees, also If I was able to use the extra heat mat, than I would not have to worry, right?
 
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S

Sg612

Member
Geecko123 said:
what about this bulb for UVB/UVA
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-25157-Reprising-Fluorescent/dp/B00A8RHTYU
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The sun brings some warmth correct?

One mistake people do with UVB is provide a UVB light without heating. In order for UVB to work, the reptile must have sufficient heat. If not you can give a jar of calcium and it will likely not be absorbed. This is why some people’s reptiles suddenly start shaking and developing symptoms of MBD. Not always because they were not provided with UVB or D3 supplements, simply under heated.

The 10. is too high. You want to go with the 5.0 and make sure that the area where the light is(underneath, above the warm hide) is between 80-85f. A heat mat under the cool end will not work.
 
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Geecko123

Geecko123

New member
you said
"If you place both heat mats side by side, you'd need some thermostat like an Inkbird that accepts 2 mats when both are set at the same temps."

they would not be set at the same temp, my cool side would be set at 70, and my hot side is set at 91.
they would be on opposite sides but this would keep the cool side at 70 and the warm side at 91-90, that way the whole tank is warm enough for her to climb-crawl.
 
Geecko123

Geecko123

New member
thanks for the bulb, would I place it on the warm side, middle, or the cool side?

and if I use the extra heat mat to warm the enclosure, then i won't need a CHE, right?
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Geecko123 said:
you said
"If you place both heat mats side by side, you'd need some thermostat like an Inkbird that accepts 2 mats when both are set at the same temps."

they would not be set at the same temp, my cool side would be set at 70, and my hot side is set at 91.
they would be on opposite sides but this would keep the cool side at 70 and the warm side at 91-90, that way the whole tank is warm enough for her to climb-crawl.
Click to expand...

Geecko123 said:
thanks for the bulb, would I place it on the warm side, middle, or the cool side?

and if I use the extra heat mat to warm the enclosure, then i won't need a CHE, right?
Click to expand...

I'll be replying later today. I will send you a PM about my "missing" post from last night.

I don't understand (in a room that's about 68*F all the time and using an 8 x 12 inch heat mat for a 30 x 12 x 12 inch -- 20 long) how half the entire ground can be between 90-91!

As Sg612 and I have always mentioned, your warm end is too small! It's too small to make good use of a UVB/UVA bulb overhead! The cool end set at 70*F (no matter how) will not fix the 8 x 12 inch warm end. A 70*F cool end is NOT going to help Citrine's activity at all. Primarily it's belly heat from an 11 x 17 inch warm end that will help Citrine be more active.

If you fix the warm end, then Zoo Med's 5.0 UVB/UVA compact fluorescent screw-in bulb needs to be above the warm end. Citrine may or may not "decide" to use that UVB. That way Citrine can get UVB as well as the warmth good belly heat provides.

I asked where and how you've stuck the 8 x 12 inch heat pad you have and what the dimensions of your second heat mat are. I haven't heard back yet.
 
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