Thicktail gecko heating

[Clarke.93]

Hey,
i have got a pair of 3-4 week old thicktail geckos and was wondering about heating and using a 25w night glow by exo terra.
i dont have a timer on this one if its needed just tell me but rather not get it.
how far away should i keep the light and any other info you think i would need with heating with these guys.
Cheers,
Jake.

 

[LizardLady]

Hey Clarke!

From what I can gather, thick-tails can become heat-stressed fairly easily... Because of this, my trio (housed in a large 90litre plastic tub) have no "supplemental" heating. My Reptile Room is a fairly constant 23degrees, even in summer, and my thickies' tub is on the floor under my coffee-table in the room. They must be reasonably happy, I've discovered eggs in their laying box...! The following is from a care sheet I found (I think it was from Steve Comber, VHS)...

One of the most important captive requirements for thick tails is their dislike of high temperatures. They should not be subjected to temperatures over 30 degrees for prolonged periods

So, unless your room gets quite cold, they may fair quite well without supplemental heating...

Hope this helps!

Best,
Carolyn

 

[Sarah]

no heat required if anything being up in Brisbane you would want to make sure they dont get too warm.

 

[Clarke.93]

oh ok thanks guys!
just thought as it gets to like 23 degrees through the night they might need something.
at what age do they start breeding if im lucky enough to have male and female.

 

[LizardLady]

And this from "Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards"...

In summer months, U. milii should be provided with a temperature gradient ranging from 20-24ºC to 25-27ºC closer to the heat source. During the winter cooling period, daytime temperatures are reduced to a maximum of 22ºC, while temperature at night may be as low as 10ºC. This species has been observed to be active with a body temperature of 8ºC

Hope this helps!

Best,
Carolyn

oh ok thanks guys!
just thought as it gets to like 23 degrees through the night they might need something.
at what age do they start breeding if im lucky enough to have male and female.

Again from "Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards" (love this book!)

U. milii may reproduce in their second season, however they are more often successfully bred for the first time at around two years of age.

Lastly Clarke, I would highly recommend you get two books... The first being Keeping Australian Geckos, by Rob Porter (I can't remember how many times I've read that little book! A GREAT read) and Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards, by Gerry Swan and Steve Wilson...

Trust me, it will be the BEST additions to your collection!

Hope this helps, anything else, ask away!

Best,
Carolyn

 

[Clarke.93]

ok thanks was gonna ask you where to get them. in the post befroe.
sorry about late reply have my beardy out decided to wait untill he pooed he didnt so though he wants to come out because he is scratching and take him out sits on my lap a bit, put him on the lounge gets on fluffy pillow and there he goes haha. little bugger!
where do i get these books?

 

[Danger_Mouse]

pretty sure Herptrader.com.au has those two books