Leopard Gecko Questions

[Vinegaroonie]

Just moved my leos from a 20 gal wide to a 30 gal long breeder. Finally saved the money to do it (had a leo tank fund) and just set it up, but there's a problem:

I put in a 60w pure heat bulb on one side of the tank, and the temps are 93-95 with 37% humidity. I read that it has to be 86-90, with 90 being the most you can do. I thought, fine, I'll replace it with a 40w that I have, so I did. The temps are now 80-83, too low. What should I do? These were the only bulbs available at the 3 pet stores within reasonable driving distance, and they all said that they restock next Tuesday. (Note these temps are in the "hot side" of the tank) Are they OK to go with the low temps? I'm reasonably sure that they are but one of them is a bit sickly and I want everything to be perfect so she can keep getting better.

Thanks,

Niko

 

[truecreature]

They do make a 50 watt bulb but until you could get ahold of one you could try putting in the 60 and increase the distance from the lamp to the basking spot. Or depending on what you're using as a basking surface, change it out. I was able to lower the surface temp in my skink's cage by about 7 degrees just from switching from a ceramic tile to a regular rock, even though said rock was an inch thicker.

Or I thought I'd read before that a UTH is better for leos than a lamp, but I don't have any experience with them myself.

 

[Vinegaroonie]

I'm really wary of using a UTH because I had a small fire incident last year because of one :/
The basking surface is regular rock already unfortunately, so that's not the solution. They can hang out in the cooler area which is 78-80, which they are doing atm. I'm thinking they'll be ok for a few days to be honest, but I can make the 1 hr 15 min trip to another reptile store on Saturday if I really need to lol.

 

[leaveittoweaver]

Was the UTH on a thermostat? Without a thermostat they tend to have more issues malfunctioning. UTH is still the best choice though for a leopard gecko. Bulbs really aren't that helpful for leopards as they rely on belly heat for digestion.

How do you take temps? The only really accurate way is with a temp gun. Stick on thermometers and analog thermometers are garbage as they are not reading surface temps but merely ambient air temperature.

Also, don't waste money on "reptile" bulbs. A bulb is a bulb. Same with fixtures. Just go to home depot for fixtures and bulbs, save a lot of money and the bulb won't blow out as quickly.

If you are truly uncomfortable with a UTH and really don't want to use one, get a ceramic heat emitter, much better at holding the temperature and produces no light. They last forever. More expensive but worth it.

 

[Vinegaroonie]

Yeah, I use regular bulbs too. I guess I'll try to go for a UTH, it was on a thermostat, but if it really is the best option...

 

[viper69]

I've used the same model Ultratherm UTHs for about 20 yrs with no issues. They are basically preassembled flexwatt. The nice thing about them is they are UL listed.

 

[bchbum11]

Are the max temps you listed on the hot side of the terrarium? If so, check the cool side as well. As long as there is a gradient that allows the geckos to pick their preferred temps, you should be fine. If it is 93-95 on the cool side, then ya, it needs to be addressed. Otherwise, you should be fine. The whole point of setting up a gradient is that it allows the animals to choose their preferred temps. If the cool side is slightly below the 'ideal' temp, and the hot is slightly above, then you are golden.
That said, if you have a gecko that is struggling, I would recommend removing it from that environment and setting it up by itself. If all the other animals in the enclosure are doing fine, and one is lagging behind, there is a good chance that the reason isn't temp related. It more than likely has to do with stress from overcrowding or being bullied by more aggressive cage mates.