newbie advice for crested gecko

[metalpetal]

After some advice on a crested gecko what is the important equipment needed as keep seeing conflicting advice. i have an exo terra 45x45x45 my room temp is around 72 degrees.i have a heat mat,do i need a thermostat?.Confused on if it needs a light and which things are essential for set up as there is so many things available...thanks in advance for any advice.What is the best substrate?

[chrisw]

Originally Posted by metalpetal

After some advice on a crested gecko what is the important equipment needed as keep seeing conflicting advice. i have an exo terra 45x45x45 my room temp is around 72 degrees.i have a heat mat,do i need a thermostat?.Confused on if it needs a light and which things are essential for set up as there is so many things available...thanks in advance for any advice.What is the best substrate?

for substrate, i used coco-soil/plantation soil. the gecko will rarely sit on the substrate, so it only needs to be a thin layer. i used to use the moonlight bulbs from exo-terra, as the temperature of the room was warm enough most of the time, so the bulb was just to aid viewing the gecko. always use a thermostat with heat mats as they can damage the little guys. i had a uv light for a while, but mine hid from it at all times and seemed stressed by it, but thats my experience. hope this is helpful.

[Cairwen]

Originally Posted by metalpetal

After some advice on a crested gecko what is the important equipment needed as keep seeing conflicting advice. i have an exo terra 45x45x45 my room temp is around 72 degrees.i have a heat mat,do i need a thermostat?.Confused on if it needs a light and which things are essential for set up as there is so many things available...thanks in advance for any advice.What is the best substrate?

By the sounds of things you wont need to use the heatmat too much. As long as the temp stays in the mid 60s at night and doesnt go above 80 in the day the temp should be fine.
As substrate, i use eco earth, as said above, i only use a thin layer.
Lighting is not essential as they are nocturnal. I use a normal energy savng bulb during the day, just to help keep the temp stable.