New Gecko (and reptile) owner!

[ljg990]

Hello,

My name is Lawrence and I’m going to be a first time reptile keeper this Friday. I’m going to get a baby Leopard Gecko and I’m super excited. I have a 20 gallon long tank, 3 hides, one for the hot side, cool side and a humid hide to help with shedding. I’m going to start with using paper towel as a substrate and I will be using an under the tank heater because I heard they need belly heat to digest food. I also bought a UVB fixture as I heard it is good for them. The thing I am confused about is: 1. Should I get another light (LED?) or is the UVB lamp sufficient? 2. Do I keep the UVB on for the full 10-12 hours of daylight for the day/night cycle?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Skybug]

Uvb should only be offered during daytime hours, the one light for a 20 gal should suffice, it’s always nice if your reptile can escape light if they so choose, i dont know how other people feel about under tank heaters, but id be very careful to monitor how warm it gets maybe tape a mouse pad to under the tank then the heater over the pad so the pads not directly under the glass(ive heard many horrible stories about cooked lizards) if you can post a picture of your setup

 

[ljg990]

I do have a thermostat hooked up to the UTH so I can control it.