Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm planning on using a heat pad connected to a thermostat to heat my future leopard gecko's cage (I think I'm going to go with either the exo terra heat mat or the big apple one...both seem to be relatively the same). Do I need any light sources either. i have some spare flourescent lights that would fit perfectly on the tank if I need daytime light (the tank would be in a corner of the family room that's particularly dark). I suppose that would probably be more dependent on whether or not I wanted it to be light in the daytime...but would it be good for the gecko's internal clock to know when day is and when night is? Do they usually stick to the nocturnal schedule, or do they start to get used to a fairly diurnal schedule?

Should I have any supplemental lighting at night? Like a red bulb or something? Would that be another thing that, when I have the heat pad, would really only serve for viewing the gecko better? Since they're nocturnal, I'm assuming geckos can do what they've gotta do in the pitch black right?

Also, can someone give me a link to a website that would have good info on the general feeding schedule of a leo from baby to adult? I'm pretty sure I'll probably end up feeding the little guy out of a slick bowl (or at least trying too, I'm assuming every now and then one or two will hop out...unless I pinch the back legs).

Really, any other important info I should know about leos that you don't think I would already know? I know the general setup...a hide in the cool side and one in the warm side, a humid hide on the warm side, a small water dish and small calcium dish (would I still dust the crix with supplements?), heat pad under one side of the tank, reptile carpet or shelfliner for substrate (or paper towels), and a thermostat's a good idea too. What should I set the thermostat to turn off at?

Thanks for any help in advance. I'm excited to be getting another reptile in the near future.

Hi -Ryan-,

Congrats on wanting to get a new leo ! I'm here to answer some questions you have:

Do I need any light sources either. would it be good for the gecko's internal clock to know when day is and when night is? Should I have any supplemental lighting at night?
You do need a light source during the day to keep the temperature of the warm side of the cage at about 85F-88F while keeping the cool side at around 80F. It is also good for the leo's internal clock - having 10-12 hrs of light and the rest (night time) without light. No special UV light is required as they will be sleeping in one of their hides away from the light.

For night time, you must keep the temperature around 70F-75F. The UTH should always be on as it will assist in digestion. If your room temp is at 70F-75F, then you don't need any extra night bulbs unless you wanted to just view your animal during the night. Yes, they can do what they have to do in pitch black darkness. But if your temp drops below that, then plan on getting those nocturnal night bulbs that keep them warm (red/blue/black reptile bulbs).

Do they usually stick to the nocturnal schedule, or do they start to get used to a fairly diurnal schedule?
They stick to their nocturnal schedule.

Also, can someone give me a link to a website that would have good info on the general feeding schedule of a leo from baby to adult?
As long as the prey is no larger than the size between the leopard geckos eyes, you should be okay. Crickets, Silkworms, and Mealworms make a good staple diet with Waxworms being used ONLY AS A TREAT once a week. I fed mine medium sized mealworms and she ate about 12-18 per night. I'm not sure with crickets, but I think 6-10 would do. Hopefully someone can answer that one. I don't have a link to help you with that as I haven't looked at care sheets since having lost my gecko Just see how many he'll eat and whatever is left over you can remove as to not stress or pick @ your gecko. Babies and juvies fed daily, adults @ every other day.

would I still dust the crix with supplements?
Yes, dust them interchangably. One night, dust with calcium - Next night dust with Vitamins (I understand Miner-All is VERY good, but I use Repitive because I couldn't find Miner-All until after I bought the bottle of Repitive- lol.

Substrate?
Paper towel & newspaper are best, but it really depends on what you want. If you want sand, make sure you have the husbandry down and you'll be successful with it. I've heard people using the reptile carpet, but personally I like paper towel - Something that I always used, but people do have differing opinions.

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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)

Sorry about your gecko. How did he/she die?

So leos do like a temp drop at night, but they still like to maintain a warm floor on half the tank (probably much like how rocks in the desert heat up in the day and retain heat through some of the night)...is that the general idea? So I'll have the heating pad on all of the time, but just having that and a flourescent strip in the daytime won't cut it? I was under the assumption that leos really only needed a heating pad for heat, and that it could stay the same temperature in the day and night. I guess it's back to more researching.

Thanks for the info.