Leopard Gecko Lighting And Heating Requirements

When looking for a leopard gecko terrarium consider your gecko s age and size before making your choice.

Leopard gecko lighting and heating requirements. As leopard geckos are terrestrial ground dwelling the tank or cage you keep them in should be long and wide. I find that this can be done most effectively with a good basking bulb and a dimmable heat lamp with a ceramic socket my favorite is this one by zoo med. 6 16 cm or shorter 20 gallon tank or about 30 x 12 x 12. Depending on the size of your viv determines the wattage of the bulb needed.

When using a leopard gecko heating pad it is essential that you use a thermostat to ensure you secure the right temperature to reduce burning your reptile or providing a side that is cooler than required. We have our lights on a timer. This is what you need to replicate in your leopard gecko s vivarium. Leopard geckos do not need artificial lighting or uv light which some reptiles do require but they do need to know whether it is day or night.

In our vivariums we have lights to help heat their enclosure. Ceramic bulb for nighttime heating or a heating pad if your tank is too small. The ideal dimensions for one gecko would be roughly 50cm long by 30cm wide and approximately 30cm high to accomodate the lighting needed for him her. Using a mini heat uvb fixture with a zilla 50w mini halogen bulb and a zilla desert mini compact fluorescent uvb bulb will provide the correct heat and uv for your leopard gecko to thrive.

There are also a lot of different opinions regarding heating a leopard gecko enclosure many of which we ll touch on briefly here. Leopard geckos are crepuscular lizards which means that they will be sleeping and hiding from the sun during the day. Red blue or black night light which should be for a couple of hours while you want to watch your geckos optional. Heat lamps supply heat in a way that works with a leopard gecko s instincts replicating nature in captivity.

T5 or t8 5 6 uvb bulb 2 3 for albinos. To simply a standard 10 gallon tank would work as long as it is a long and not a high. Leopard gecko terrarium lighting and heating. In reality it doesn t really matter which method you use as long as it s safe for your leopard gecko and provides enough heating.

While leopard geckos don t need uvb to survive uva uvb light has been shown to greatly improve the immune system health and wellness of all reptiles both diurnal and crepuscular. Incandescent heat lamp as daylight. Best leopard gecko lighting setups. Heating mats and heating pads are the preferred choice for leopard geckos.

Given measurements are length x width x height. In the wild they hide from bright light and sun during the daytime hours and come out when it becomes cooler. Here is a quick overview of a 5 element setup for any leo tank.