Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Over the past year, I have been getting into keeping geckos more and more. Since the day I received a satanic leaf-tail, I have been getting more offers on panther geckos, leos, and Rhacs. In light of this, I have been wondering about an economical way to provide heat for my collection as it grows. Which would be cheaper:

1. Set up a "reptile room" with baseboard or similar heat source, and set thermostate to 82-85 F. Or.....

2. Just provide individual heating for each cage (cermaic heat emmiters, light bulbs, etc).

Any thoughts? Opinions?

Depending on the Rhacs you get, I always heard 85 was too warm for cresteds, for one. So you might want to check into the max temp that Rhacs are comfortable at.
Also, my theory is that it's better to give an animal a range of temperatures to choose from rather than keeping them at a constant one, but I'm not saying that heating the whole room wouldn't work, per se. It's just my theory.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

i have more snakes than lizards at the moment but i say the room all the way. i have balls, a blood, standings & grandis, & a vietnamese walking stick. i find it a lil cheaper because i only need one honeywell heater for the room (walk in closet 10ft by 7ft) also i like it because they are less disturbed then if they were being kept all over my house I feel that it gives more privacy & security. but then again you have more geckos which require more special lighting. if it were me i say give them a room because in time you collection will most likely get bigger so give them a room keep it at 80 to 82 this way who ever needs to be hotter can be handled with a stronger watt bulb. let us know what you decide
later

Thanks for the info and opinions.

I've been thinking: I don't see myself having lots of animals. At most, a breeding trio of panther geckos, a pair of cresteds, and perhaps a pair of leaf-tails. Cresteds do not like temps above 85 F. Neither do leaf-tails. So, the only animals that would need the extra heat would be the panthers, and I can provide that with a heat ceramic heater. If I only have to buy one $25 ceramic heater once every few years, that's fine. Then, I only have to spend $3.00 for new 25-watt "party lights" at Walie-Mart every month or so. I can back them up with heating pads, which do not need replacing. If I need more light bulbs for aby enclosures, no big deal. And I can buy an incubatior for eggs.

I am a real snowman when it comes to inside temps. I like it 65-70 in my room, especially at night. I don't want a hot room just for herps, and I don't want to buy a house or rent an apartment with an extra room (more expensive) just for a few lizard species when I can just provide individual heating. And besides, temp gradients may be better.

As a side note, those colored "night lights" bother me. My leaf-tail spends the night in the hall or the bathroom if I have to leave his light on for extra heat at night.

yea i'm a polar bear myself..lol in a snow storm i'll have the window cracked with the fan on me at high speed..that's part of the reason they have my walk in closet but also i find it soo much easier to get the room to a set temp then individual tanks at certain temps. but that works for me & is cheaper beacue i have a larger collection that is still growing. if you only plan on a small collection there probably isn't a need for it. well good luck in you decision.

I too am a big fan of buying cheap lightbulbs at places like walmart. I have found that Big Lots and the local dollar store have even cheaper light bulbs. The 25 watt party bulbs don't put off much heat. I found 40 watt red bulbs at Big Lots in two pack for $2.00, and the dollar store had 75 watt black light bulbs for $1.00. I don't honestly seee what makes the expensive reptile heat bulbs special. I use reptisuin or exo-terra flourescent lights for UVB, but heat bulbs shouldn't matter in my opinion. ALso if the red lights are bothering you at night, try switching to blacklights which are much darker.

You're right, those reptile bulbs are a rip-off. All you pay for is a label. Thanks for telling me about the light bulbs. Look like I'll be making a trip to the Dollar Tree.