Hi Boo,
Boo wrote:
all the temperature literature... just sort of confuses me. i seem to beThe internet is a confusing place. It is much less confusing to pick a good breeder and work with them. Caresheets are a dime a dozen and you often get what you pay for. Besides, who wouldn't want to skip all the stress you have been experiencing with this and get the right information the first time? Even good breeders have different techniques, what matters is the end result. Is the breeder successful at keeping their geckos alive and thriving, and how long have they been doing it?
doing fine but i want better info.
The GGA is a nice supplement for info for sure and you will get tons of info here.
i have a 10 gallon terrerium with a teenager leopard gal.A 10 gallon is not the easiest set-up to work with light bulbs due to the small size. It is much easier to establish a thermal gradient from warm to cool with a longer terrarium, a 15 gallon long works very well.
i keep the light on my right hand side when facing the front of the
terrerium. its on a stand away from the wall
with a screen cover.
i use the red bulbs.
Rule #1, unless they are well known reptile specialists, DO NOT LISTEN TO THE PET SHOP! Check with your local herp society first, see kingsnake.com for a listing of herp societies. Chances are there is one in your area, if not in your state. Herp societies are also great for hooking up with other reptile keepers, learning about techniques hands on, where to get healthy animals and what is going on in the herp world. This is how I was "brought up." ;) Start going to meetings and seminars, you'll learn a ton! Often the GGA is represented at shows and this is announced here, usually good gecko breeders show up at these shows. The quality info is definitely out there!the pet store told me to get a 75 watt and a timer.... i thought that kept it too cold when the timer was off as it always goes down to 70 or maybe lower on the cold side.
so i got a 100 watt that is set to time for 30 min on, 30 min off all day and night. that puts it at 88 when on but the hot side is 70 when the timer is off.
then it occured to me, what if i ran the 75 watt full time. it would keep it at 75 full time.
however, what are the heating hazard of that on the cage screen all day 7 days a week.
and should the gecko really be more than 75 then?
86-88F in the warm side for most of the day.
should i stick with what i've been doing with the 100 watt at 30 min on, 30 min off ?
should i keep the 100 on at all times so the terrerium is always 88 on the hot side?
That sounds good, off at night.
Screen does not burn, it is the plastic making up the edges if it is that type of screen cover. The good ones are made of 100% metal with metal siding. Any herp online supply place worth its salt has these. I send folks to the Bean Farm to pick up these type of supplies. Or be cheap and cut a section of hardware cloth to go on top of the cage, bend it over to fit. If you don't have a cat then you can make a 1/2 top, just enough for the lamp to sit on. This way you have easy access to the terrarium.
oye, my biggest fear is catching the screen on fire.
You should be able to set up much of your terrarium with supplies from Home Depot or your local hardware store.
the second fear is that its a 10 gallon with one gal in it. what if the cold
side is too cold for too long? sure she hangs out on the warm side when the
timer is off and even often times when it is on.
but is that going to make her ill with the constant on and off of the heat?
Ideally the temp stays fairly constant during the day with some fluctuation downwards and a little bit up. More than 90F is too hot for them. I always recommend folks use reflector lamps, 8-1/2" for stability, and regular house bulbs, starting at 40 watts and going up or down from there until you find the right combo. Reptile bulbs are expensive and really not necessary. Their visual quality is nicer though.
A timer is nice, saves you a lot of work turning off and on the light. Automation is good! ;) Use whatever combo yields a somewhat stable warm spot 86-88F. Off at night. If you are set on using a heat pad, use a high quality one like those at the Bean Farm. I hear of too many fires and hot spots developing on cheap pads. Be sure to use a mercury type thermometer to measure the temps down on the ground where the gecko is. This is something you can buy from the pet shop! ;)then there is the whole "ambiant temperature" thing.
i think the bigger question is, do i really need the timer? am i timing the
heat appropriate? should i stick with the 100 watt or use the 75 watt?
Julie Bergman www.geckoranch.com GGA Lifetime member
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