Help please with required UVB and heat lamp?

[Maggie1030]

Hi I was given a 2 year old Gecko last month. I noticed the last week he has been in his cave more and not eating his worms and crickets. Can someone please help me with his lighting UVB and heating requirements. Also what heating is required at night? Ceramic heat emitter, red light or no heat at all during the night. I just want to make sure his enclosure has the correct requirements for optimal health.

 

[acpart]

In my opinion, ideally the gecko will have belly heat 24/7 from a heat mat. There are some deep penetrating lights that people are using now to provide their gecko with light-based UVB. I don't think lighting is necessary as long as there is ambient light, though some people feel the gecko gets a better deal with lights since they will have a basking option. Some of my geckos are out during the day, either walking around or lying down in a way that, if there were lights (there aren't), people would say they are basking. I worry about use of heat lamps because they tend to dry out the air in the enclosure and can dehydrate the gecko.

Aliza