lighting for geckos?

[trogdor1988]

hey i was thinking of buying a spiny tailed gecko just wondering tho.. do they need a light? or can i jus put them in a plastic tub with sand sum sticks to climb and a heat cord under one end or heat mat? and will i need a thermostat or just leave the heatcord on and it will be fine? thanks guys..

steven

 

[trogdor1988]

anyone? help please..

 

[trogdor1988]

come on.. seriously everyone here is allways selling northern and southern and eastern spiny taileds cant neone tell me if i need a light or just a heat cord or heat mat?

 

[warren63]

I have golden tails which are part of the Strophurus group and informed they all need some type of uv light. Mine are only hatchies and spend most of the day basking.
Alos i would get a thermostat for controlling the amount of heat they receive

 

[trogdor1988]

damn... i wanted a cheap gecko that didnt need lights.. lol i liked the spiny taileds to but i hate the lights.. to expensive. cheers anyway warren

 

[MoreliaMatt]

uv lights for spinytails is another good debate, some say yes, some say no.....

as for heat, depends where you live and what the ambient temps are in your house where you are keeping them....

 

[trogdor1988]

well i live in brisbane.. but atm its cold lol.

 

[trogdor1988]

ill make this easier does neone here keep any geckos without u.v light? and do they use calcium or not? any species at all that they have kept and or bred succesfully without u.v light? and if not did they use calcium supplements?

 

[jonesc1]

Generally speaking, apart from the Strophurus genus, geckos do not require UV being primarily nocturnal. It is a good idea to provide calcium supplements however, especially to hatchies and gravid females. Probably the best bet for a first gecko would be a Thick-tailed Gecko, Underwoodisaurus milii.... or Nephrurus husbandi, what ever they're classified as now.

 

[Kenshin]

i keep and breed knob tails without any light whatsoever

 

[trogdor1988]

ok cool thanks guys..

 

[hornet]

i would say no, they dont need it. Dragons can be kept and bred successfully without uv so i;m sure strophrurus can be aswell.

 

[spongebob]

All my Oedura and Nephrurus are keep in rack set ups with no lights at all. However Strophurus perch out in the open and bask, generally in dappled light. They dont need a hot basking light but something reasonably gentle. I give them UVB as most advice encourages this.