Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, now this post is to do with lighting. my terrarium has a mesh top that's 45cmx45cm, and at the moment, the light im using is a 60w bulb that's hanging above the mesh by about an inch. the bulb gives off enough light, but i dont think it give off enough heat paired with the UTH so i was lookin on the net for light fittings so i'd be able to have the bulb inside the cage.

the way i see it, with the bulb above the mesh, is that it's heating the air at the top of the cage, and im losing alot of the heat through the mesh due to the nature of air (heated air rises, and cold air dampens). i dont want to block off the ventilation and would rather have a hanging light, or maybe a strip light, but does anyone know of the distances to which lights must be away from gecko's so it doesnt cause burning. if i did have a hanging light, it would be about 9-10inches away from the bottom of the tank, but thought i'd ask before i take any action. on the night i cover the tank to 1. make it darker in there, and 2. to stop rapid heat loss.

sorry for so many questions aswell but, is it "normal" for a leo to pass a urate without the fecal matter?

thanks

Just wondering, but do you use the light for you to see and/or is it only for him to have heat. Might I suggest a red heat bulb. They emit alot of heat and a soft red glow so you can see your gecko and that your gecko cant see so it wont interupt his day night cycle. Do you have an UTH?? Does it not get hot enough by itself?? If you hang it inside.. make absolute sure your gecko can not touch it at all, it will create a nasty burn. If you have an UTH and it isnt getting hot enough, I know you use sand so try adjusting the depth of your substrate. you may have it too deep for the heat to reach the top. Good luck and hope someone comes and offers better advice.

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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.1 chocolate labs and bassett (Harley, Barker and Capone)
1.0 leopard gecko (Nacho)

I dont recommend putting a light inside the cage. A red bulb will give off more heat than an incandent white, and you can leave it on all the time. You can also use a blue or black/purple, see what works best for the temps you need. You can but fixtures designed to sit flat on the top, so the heat is directed straight down. Yes, you losse some heat upwards, but use a thermometer and unless your ambient temps are low, a UTH should give you an adequate hot spot. And leos often pass urate only, esp. if they are drinking but not eating. If there's no solids going in, they won't come out.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
1.0 SHCT hatched by me! (Sunny)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 Normal from 2001 (Freckles)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

yeah its what i thought about the urate thing.

i do have a UTH but its only about 4"x8", and covers about 30% of the floor space in the terra, and where the UTH is the sand is warm, and the therm is pointing to about 84°. i did have a red bulb which i kept on my windowsill, and one night when my window was open, i went to put the red bulb in and it popped straight away and i havent been able to buy a new one (there quite expensive for some reason :S )

if it was a hanging one i'd make sure that there would be no way my leo could touch it. i remember seeing pics someone posted of a leo they adopted with really bad burns and i wouldnt want to do that to mine..

im gonna look into lighting a bit more and decide then i guess. thanks for the input ^^