Leopard Gecko Lighting Needs

Your leopard gecko will spend the majority of its life in its terrarium so it is your job to make sure that terrarium mimics the gecko s natural environment and allows for natural behaviors.

Leopard gecko lighting needs.

Choosing your leopard gecko. Tips for lighting your leopard gecko tank leopard geckos are not the most demanding of pets but they do require care that is different from a dog or cat. Given measurements are length x width x height. T5 or t8 5 6 uvb bulb 2 3 for albinos.

Ceramic bulb for nighttime heating or a heating pad if your tank is too small. Incandescent heat lamp as daylight. 6 16 cm or shorter 20 gallon tank or about 30 x 12 x 12. The goal here is to imitate the conditions in your pet s natural environment as closely as possible.

Is there any other lighting apart from uv lighting that a leopard gecko should have. It s critical that your habitat provides for your leopard gecko s heating and lighting needs. Since they are long lived lizards be sure you re prepared to care for a leopard gecko for an extended time. 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.

These highly popular pets are readily available but it s always best to purchase geckos from a reputable breeder which can cost 20 to 40. The mat needs to cover between half or 1 3 of the bottom of the enclosure. Best leopard gecko lighting setups. 70 77 f 21 25 c at night leopard geckos can tolerate a drop in temperature down to 60 f 16 c.

The temperature of the floor of your enclosure where the geckos bask should read between 84 88 degrees fahrenheit. Red blue or black night light which should be for a couple of hours while you want to watch your geckos optional. Leopard gecko tanks since leopard geckos are ground animals and rarely climb the tank will need to be long and wide not tall and narrow. As you may or may not know the lighting that is provided in an enclosure also provides a heat source.

Rare morphs may cost up to 100. Leopard gecko terrarium lighting and heating. This is what you need to replicate in your leopard gecko s vivarium. You will need to make sure that your gecko cannot easily climb out of the tank so a tank with glass sides would be a good choice since leopard geckos cannot climb glass.

In the summer your gecko will need about 14 hours of visible light per day and 10 hours of darkness. Leopard geckos are crepuscular lizards which means that they will be sleeping and hiding from the sun during the day. The biggest requirement apart from uvb lighting is the lighting which regulates their heat. When looking for a leopard gecko terrarium consider your gecko s age and size before making your choice.

Leopard geckos like all reptiles need a temperature gradient in their terrarium for best health. In the wild they hide from bright light and sun during the daytime hours and come out when it becomes cooler.