Night Lighting for my Crested Geckos--Need help

[don_juan_el_guapo]

So, I'm new to the gecko world. I was reading about night lights to see these little guys in action. I read that either black lights or red lights will do the trick. So, I was at Home Depot and purchased this black light:

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

That didn't work at all. They still hid and the visibility was VERY poor. However, my cresties didn't move at all. They just stayed in hiding. Well, I thought maybe the black light doesn't work as well as the red light. So, I own a head lamp like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Tra...K7H2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326079049&sr=8-1

It has a red LED light. At night, I turned the red light on and it worked. It was quite bright but it didn't affect the geckos at all. They crawled around and did their thing and it was fun to watch them. So, I thought that I would buy a red light. Off to Home Depot I went again and bought this light:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Unlike the black light, this light lit up my tank very well. However, the little guys just hid again.

So, what is the difference between the red LED light that worked well and the red fluorescent light that seems to be scaring them in to hiding? I went with fluorescent because I don't want to add any more heat to my tank.

 

[marauderhex]

Um... They are nocturnal and do not like lighting of any kind. Mine come out when the room is dark. I wouldn't recommend any lighting on them.

 

[doublet74]

I agree that no lights is the best way to go. However, observing them in the dark is tough. I have a 15 watt red bulb on my tank which I only turn on when I'm staring at the tank. Mine hardly ever comes out of hiding though. If your looking for a lizard to be able to watch perhaps a crested isn't for you. They are shy. JMO

 

[marauderhex]

Mine, will come out when it get's mostly dark, but will stay out if I turn the light on in the room (they are in my bedroom). The shyness seems to be related to how much they are handled when they are juvies.

 

[don_juan_el_guapo]

So, what's the point of having them then if you never see them?

 

[doublet74]

I won't say that I never see mine. It's just you need to look for them and they hide really well. I honestly don't sit there and stare very often. However if I'm in my bar room (where my geckos are) playing pool or watching hockey. It will pop out to see what is going on.

 

[marauderhex]

I see all five of mine every day.

 

[Dimidiata]

So, what's the point of having them then if you never see them?

Because their awsome lil geckos from what i hear, and you can handle them.