Adopting a leopard gecko

danny_cham

danny_cham

Established Member
After telling myself I wasn’t going to get anything before I got a snake, I just filled out an application to adopt a disabled leopard gecko.

I haven’t had a leopard gecko in nearly 10 years. Can anyone recommend the best lighting? And do they need UVB?
 
Can anybody tell me if heat mats (with thermostats are safe for leopard geckos? I am reading conflicting information on various websites
 
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I should have mentioned…most of my Leo’s lived to be over 19. I kept them in pairs (1.1) but had one trio (1.2). One of the females in the trio was what we referred to as a “hot” female…incubated at a temperature that should have made her a male…and she never produced fertile eggs, rarely produced eggs at all and wouldn’t mate with the male easily…but they did well together all those years. I think the male knew and didn’t bother her.

Did you know that the temperature the eggs of Leo’s are incubated at determines whether they will be male or female?
 
I use under-tank heat mats with thermostats for my leopard geckos and provide them with uvb. While technically I believe they probably should have the Arcadia 7% Pro T5, it hasn’t been in my budget so I use the same that I use for my chameleons - T5HO with 6% bulbs. I did recently hear on YouTube or somewhere that the new thinking for providing heat is to use deep heat projectors which are more similar to the heat from the sun. Switching over also isn’t in my budget, so I’m sticking with my heat mats.
 
kinyonga said:
I should have mentioned…most of my Leo’s lived to be over 19. I kept them in pairs (1.1) but had one trio (1.2). One of the females in the trio was what we referred to as a “hot” female…incubated at a temperature that should have made her a male…and she never produced fertile eggs, rarely produced eggs at all and wouldn’t mate with the male easily…but they did well together all those years. I think the male knew and didn’t bother her.

Did you know that the temperature the eggs of Leo’s are incubated at determines whether they will be male or female?
Click to expand...
I did know that! It’s like that in many reptiles, which I find quite interesting
 
MissSkittles said:
I use under-tank heat mats with thermostats for my leopard geckos and provide them with uvb. While technically I believe they probably should have the Arcadia 7% Pro T5, it hasn’t been in my budget so I use the same that I use for my chameleons - T5HO with 6% bulbs. I did recently hear on YouTube or somewhere that the new thinking for providing heat is to use deep heat projectors which are more similar to the heat from the sun. Switching over also isn’t in my budget, so I’m sticking with my heat mats.
Click to expand...
I do have a heat mat with a thermostat coming in the mail. It’s the same one I use for my dart frogs and I haven’t had any issues with it
 
kinyonga said:
I should have mentioned…most of my Leo’s lived to be over 19. I kept them in pairs (1.1) but had one trio (1.2). One of the females in the trio was what we referred to as a “hot” female…incubated at a temperature that should have made her a male…and she never produced fertile eggs, rarely produced eggs at all and wouldn’t mate with the male easily…but they did well together all those years. I think the male knew and didn’t bother her.

Did you know that the temperature the eggs of Leo’s are incubated at determines whether they will be male or female?
Click to expand...
I could be wrong, but I thought leopard geckos were a solitary reptile only?
 
These might be of interest…there is no absolute guarantee that they will all get along. Each has its own personality just like humans do…
but my groups worked just fine…


 
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In my readings I have learned that the specific morph of gecko I am gecko is less pigmented and therefore needs a less intense UVB bulb. Something like a 2-2.5%
 
Also, does anyone know if something like a 40w LED bulb would be ok for her enclosure? I ask because I was using a 100w halogen and it got way too hot. I’ve plugged in the 40w for now. I want to find what’s best before I bring her home
 
MissSkittles said:
I use under-tank heat mats with thermostats for my leopard geckos and provide them with uvb. While technically I believe they probably should have the Arcadia 7% Pro T5, it hasn’t been in my budget so I use the same that I use for my chameleons - T5HO with 6% bulbs. I did recently hear on YouTube or somewhere that the new thinking for providing heat is to use deep heat projectors which are more similar to the heat from the sun. Switching over also isn’t in my budget, so I’m sticking with my heat mats.
Click to expand...
Very important mention—- you NEED a thermostat to monitor any kind of heating element that makes contact with your gecko (eg. heated rock, heat mat) because they will cause burns. They can be dangerous if not monitored.
 
danny_cham said:
Also, does anyone know if something like a 40w LED bulb would be ok for her enclosure? I ask because I was using a 100w halogen and it got way too hot. I’ve plugged in the 40w for now. I want to find what’s best before I bring her home
Click to expand...
I use a bulb with a dimmer, that way you can adjust it if it gets too hot. I got mine from Amazon, it looks like a light fixture with a little knob on the wire. I also recommend an IR temperature gun to monitor the temps, they’re pretty cheap.
 
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