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Day gecko heating, lighting, UVB? please help!

16K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Otacon 
#1 ·
Hi there all,
(Im very new to this, go easy haha)

i have recently bought my first Peacock Day Gecko and im picking him up on friday. i have a silly question about my viv, as this is the first reptile i have ever owned, what lighting, heating and UVB requirements do peacock Day Geckos need? and more importantly, what products should i get to meet these requirements?

i have a heat mat at the ready, but i want to get all of the proper stuff before i pick him up on friday!

any help would be amazing! i know the basics from revising care sheets but im still kinda nervous about getting his housing right!
 
#2 ·
For heat a small 20watt halogen will do the job on a stat. A heatmat isnt required nor is heating at night.

For uv if the bulb is above mesh I would go with the newer arcadia d3+ T5 bulb with reflector. If inside a tank the the D3 T5 will do the job fine. T5 lamps require a different ballast than normal T8 bulbs.

The chapest place to buy all the T5 stuff is here:
Arcadia T5 Reptile Lighting - Surrey Pet Supplies
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your help Bradley,

im very new to this and so will start with the basics. Plus i want to get it spot on from the start so my Gecko will be in the best condition and health.

going to get all the lighting/heating equipment tomorrow night so i will post on this thread what i have got incase anything is missing.

also ordered a habistat for the heating which seems to be a must! (my best mate is a long term reptile keeper so he is helping me aswell)

iv got a few care sheets printed that i have been reading over and over again, but i want my first reptile to live happily.

when he is in and settled il post pictures to let you guys have a look and make sure everything is fine.

cheers!
 
#4 ·
I see you have been reading through all the other Day Gecko threads too:2thumb:

I am certainly not the most experienced keeper here, but below is a list bits I use. Other posters will use different methods but this works for me.
My house is fairly cold with no heating on during the day, at most for maybe a couple of hours at night.


Exo Terra 45x45x60
Exo terra hood with exo terra heat lamp 25w and a exo terra repti glo 10.0 compact. This hood is turned on from 7am til 8pm and creates a nice ambient temperature and a hot basking spot after a couple of hours.

I do sometimes use an exo terra glow lamp and Exo Terra Sun Glo Neodymium Daylight bulb 60W. This will heat the viv up to ambient temps very quickly.

I use no extra heating at night.

Hope you enjoy your new pet, they are full of character :flrt:
 
#5 ·
I use an Arcadia 100W D3 UV lamp for my adult pair, mounted above the mesh on a timer, with a couple of daylight flourescents to raise the light level.

I also have a large heat mat stuck on the end of the viv (on the outside of the glass) at the same end as the Arcadia, it was on a stat at first but as it never switched off I removed the stat and now it's just on all the time, day and night, it never gets very hot and the geckos usually sleep on or near it at night.

The viv is very large so there's no danger of it overheating, during the daytime when both the mat and the UV lamp are on temps get into the mid to high 30s at the hot end, but rarely exceed 22-23 at the cool end.
 
#6 ·
Not the easiest thing to go for as a very first reptile I must say! Good luck!

I have my Phelsuma cepediana pair in a 45x45x60 exo terra. I heat it with a 100W ceramic heat emitter which is on a thermostat. It makes the hottest areas at the top branches about 33C, temp gradient means lower parts of tank about 23/24C. At night I drop this so the upper parts are about 23/24. I don't feel comfortable leaving them with no heating overnight because in winter my house gets very cold.

Lights - I have 2 daylight bulbs (which is more for the plants) and a compact arcadia 2%. I only use a 2% UV bulb because it's seperated from the tank by special UV passing acrylic so all of that 2% is getting through. If you have mesh between the bulb and your geckos you will want a higher one, like a 5/6%.
 
#7 ·
OK then guys, a quick update.

got the gecko last friday, he has settled in nicely so far! no problems yet

i have a UVB strip light at the top back, a tropical green ProRep heat bulb in a basking spot, and a heat matt on low the other side.

the ProRep bulb is running through a thermostat and i keep the temp around 85f

that is 85/88f under the heat bulb and 80f in a cooler area. with a drop into the 70's over night

i mist the viv twice/three times a day

i havent actually seen him eat yet, but he has only been in my house for 4 days, so may be settling in. OR he eats when im not there haha coz trust me he isnt thin! haha


Pics comming very soon!
 
#11 ·
QUICK UPDATE;

Gecko is doing fantastic, i think he has really settled in in the two weeks iv had him. he is eating well (and leaving lots behind after ALL over the glass at the front of course)

temps are fine, water level is fine, UVB level is fine,

he is still a bit shy, he wil happily come out to see you, or stay out when you are around but when you open the glass door, if you do it too quickly he will scarper into the plants. if you do it slowly he will be fine with it and even turn around to look who you are.

got 2 ProRep Green heat bulbs off amazon, both of which exploded in the viv in the first week!! (Max 80w socket, 60W bulb exploded the first day of it being in and the 40W broke in half after 5 days of it in.) i do not recommend them. so im back to the red light untill my exo terra no light heat bulb turns up.

any questions please feel free to ask!
 
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