Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im new to leopards and ive been doing some research as i plan to buy a few geckos in a few weeks and i was wondering if they have to have UV lighting like chameleons. I saw that you can place a calcium dish in their tank so is that enough for them or do they also need the light.

They do not need UV lighting... They are nocturnal...

Put a dish of PURE calcium without D3 in the cage... Dust its food with a vitamin supplement with D3 2 to 3 times a month...

They don't need UV light, but I wouldn't put together a setup with out one. In my experience, I bought a bulb with UVB (I believe) on a whim and the difference in the behavior of our other leopard gecko was shocking. He ate more and was a lot more active within 3 days of having the new light. I wouldn't go back and think it is important to the overall health of the gecko. Most people will say that the gecko doesn't need it because they are nocturnal, but a little reading will tell you they are an animal that is active at dusk and dawn, so they do naturally get some amount of sunlight in the wild, and certainly I'd had geckos that enjoy the occasionally sunbathing as strange as that sounds.

So it is up to you, I usually suggest people with established geckos try one to see the difference, but just starting out I guess you'll have to decide on opinions. Calcium dish has nothing to do with UV or not, but is a good idea for an adult leopard gecko. Gutloaded and vitamin/mineral dusted crickets is usually enough for little ones since they eat so much.

Good luck and welcome to the world of geckos!
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

thanks for the help. i also have 2 more qucick questions, what calcum do you guys use from the store and do you think it would be a bad idea to buy one from a place like peco because they have sand in their cages and i know thats not good for them

Everybody's experiences are different, and several frequent posters on here have bought from Petsmart/Petco without problems, but I for one will never buy an animal from them ever again; I went through way too much pain and suffering with my first leopard gecko because it wasn't taken care of properly at a Petsmart. Obviously this isn't the experience everybody has, but I have no wish to repeat it, so I'm just going to avoid them going forward. I happily shop for cage furniture and various supplies at these stores, but as far as the animals themselves go, I much prefer to find an independent shop specializing in reptiles or buy directly from a breeder.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear