trying to breed golden geckos/changing reptile lighting.

[K-TRAIN]

im trying to breed my golden geckos. so far i've had no luck. could anyone give me an idea what im doing wrong? i tried to make the tank, (about 29 gallons) similar to the original environment by adding fake plants and using corkbark as a "tree", there currently on cocobark (it'll be changed though), and im trying to stabilize the humidity and temperature. (im thinking of using aquarium stones under the substrate to make a "pool" of water that will help keep the humidity.)
the temperature stays between 78 and 83 degrees, and humidity is usually between 50-80%, depending on how much water i spray into the tank. there is also a aquarium light above the tank, which is on from 6am to 6 pm (from dusk to dawn.) am i doing something wrong? i probably am. here are some pics.



heres a close up.



and the geckos themselves. (i couldnt get pics from there tank.)




also, i want to get some better lighting for my other herps. could anyone tell me what would be good (and not real expensive, like mercury bulbs are.) for a uromastyx (aegypticus), a ball python, and some turtles. (two red eared sliders, and a mississippi map turtle.)

 

[K-TRAIN]

sorry for the bad pics.

 

[K-TRAIN]

no one can help me?

 

[Avic_Addict]

there is also a aquarium light above the tank, which is on from 6am to 6 pm (from dusk to dawn.) am i doing something wrong? i probably am. here are some pics.

You need to swap this aqauarium light for a full spectrum UV tube (I recommend the Exo Terra Repti-Glo 5.0) in order to stimulate breeding behaviour, and increased their photoperiod from 12 hours to 15 hours. Also, are you sure you have a sexed pair? Are they sexually mature?

also, i want to get some better lighting for my other herps. could anyone tell me what would be good (and not real expensive, like mercury bulbs are.) for a uromastyx (aegypticus), a ball python, and some turtles. (two red eared sliders, and a mississippi map turtle.)

What kind of lighting? Do you mean heating lighting or UV?

Here's what I recommend:

Uro - Needs high output full spectrum UV tube light such as the Exo Terra Repti-Glo 8.0, plus a basking heat bulb such as the Infra-Red bulbs available from Zoo Med.

Ball Python - DO NOT give them UV lighting - new research indicates this damages their eyes and can cause blindness. Use an Infra-Red basking bulb instead.

Turtles - Same as for Uro.

All heatbulbs must be protected by wire safety cages to stop the animals from burning themselves, and must be run on reliable thermostats.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Ball Python - DO NOT give them UV lighting - new research indicates this damages their eyes and can cause blindness. Use an Infra-Red basking bulb instead.

Most heating lights will dry the hell out of the enclosure's humidity, though. That and they're burrowers and generally should be given belly heat instead. Undertank heating pad for this one.

 

[Avic_Addict]

generally should be given belly heat instead. Undertank heating pad for this one.

Sorry to disagree, but I am a herp vet and I deal with (and sadly often have to euthanaise) royals with thermal burns on a daily basis because people still insist on using 'belly heat' sources such as heat pads and hot rocks to heat their snakes :wall: :wall: :wall: . The damage can be horrific, and, as I've mentioned on other threads, the sight and smell of treating a live snake with its cooked intestines hanging out is not one you forget in a hurry.

Royals are Boids - heavy bodied snakes with all of their temperature sensory and regulatory apparatus located within the head. So when your royal sits half-on and half-off the heat source, because their head is at an acceptable temperature they think the rest of the body is too, and they literally sit and cook the part of their body that is above the heat.

Overhead basking heaters such as radiators and basking bulbs are much safer (provided they are used in conjunction with appropriate wire guards and reliable thermostats). Yes, they can dry out an enclosure if the owner is careless enough to not provide an appropriate source of humidity, such as a large water bowl or regular misting of the enclosure either by hand or via a motorised misting machine. Infrared bulbs in particular are good as they produce a deep penetrating heat required for effective digestion and other metabolic processes, and the red light they give out does not disrupt the nocturnal royals normal circadian rhythm.

 

[LeilaNami]

Would you recommend a heat pad for nonburrowing snakes?

Golden geckos are easy to breed so I second the idea that you may not have them accurately sexed

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Sorry to disagree, but I am a herp vet and I deal with (and sadly often have to euthanaise) royals with thermal burns on a daily basis because people still insist on using 'belly heat' sources such as heat pads and hot rocks to heat their snakes

Uh, you do realize that an UNDERtank heating pad is not actually inside the tank? I would never in ten million years encourage the use of a hot rock, or anything else that goes on the inside of the tank where a snake can sit on it.

 

[Avic_Addict]

Would you recommend a heat pad for nonburrowing snakes?

Whether or not the snake is terrestrial or sub-terrestrial doesn't really matter, the type of heat source used depends entirely on the species of snake. As a general rule heat pads are ok for use in most colubrid snakes (rat snakes etc), but never for boids (pythons and large boas).

 

[Avic_Addict]

Uh, you do realize that an UNDERtank heating pad is not actually inside the tank?

Do you really think I wouldn't know this? Please do not patronise me.

Put an under tank heater underneath a wooden vivarium and you will get very little heat transfered into the viv, not to mention creating a potential fire hazard.

If you are implying that the heat pad should be placed under a GLASS tank, well thats a whole seperate world of issues. With few exceptions, reptiles should never be housed in all-glass tanks. For a list of reasons why go find the thread on 'Ball Python Enclosure Questions' on this forum. Here in the U.K its generally only inexperienced (or ignorant) keepers that house their reptiles in glass tanks, although it seems like this is still fairly common practice in other countries. I cannot advise strongly enough against this. If you are going to keep reptiles as pets, you should invest in a good quality wooden or fiberglass vivarium. They can easily be purchased from the internet, or if you want to go DIY you can build a basic viv in an afternoon with the right materials and tools. For examples of viv styles that are easy to make yourself try www.vivbuilder.co.uk

 

[LeilaNami]

The glass is used because it's able to maintain humidity.

 

[K-TRAIN]

You need to swap this aqauarium light for a full spectrum UV tube (I recommend the Exo Terra Repti-Glo 5.0) in order to stimulate breeding behaviour, and increased their photoperiod from 12 hours to 15 hours. Also, are you sure you have a sexed pair? Are they sexually mature?



What kind of lighting? Do you mean heating lighting or UV?

Here's what I recommend:

Uro - Needs high output full spectrum UV tube light such as the Exo Terra Repti-Glo 8.0, plus a basking heat bulb such as the Infra-Red bulbs available from Zoo Med.

Ball Python - DO NOT give them UV lighting - new research indicates this damages their eyes and can cause blindness. Use an Infra-Red basking bulb instead.

Turtles - Same as for Uro.

All heatbulbs must be protected by wire safety cages to stop the animals from burning themselves, and must be run on reliable thermostats.

i know that the golden geckos are sexed correctly because i checked them myself, and the person i bought them from told me that he had eggs from them. so there definitly a mating pair.
will the tube lights work in a fishtank hood? thats what im using currently because it came with the tank im using.

Would you recommend a heat pad for nonburrowing snakes?

Golden geckos are easy to breed so I second the idea that you may not have them accurately sexed

see above.

 

[K-TRAIN]

thank you for your information. im changing all my tanks so i need the opinions on lighting.

 

[LeilaNami]

Those tube lightings will work in the fish tanks hoods. Ya just gotta get the right size

 

[K-TRAIN]

Those tube lightings will work in the fish tanks hoods. Ya just gotta get the right size

oh, ok. by the way, i know you told me about the heat rocks. im changing my uromastyx to a different heat source.