# temperature for leopard gecko tank !?



## miss 1234 (Nov 5, 2009)

What is the temperature meant to be for a leopard gecko terrarium??
and where is the best place to put the thermometer probe??


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## MrMike (Jun 28, 2008)

Keep the warm end around the 32C (90F) mark, the cool end can come down to room temp.


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## miss 1234 (Nov 5, 2009)

Thankyou for your help


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## Garko (Nov 9, 2009)

It's important to try to get a temperature gradient across the vivarium - that is, one end should be warmer than the other so that the lizard can move around depending on whether it wants to warm up or cool down. I maintain the warm end at 32oC and the cool end at 22oC during the daytime - I use a combination of a spotlight and a heatmat under the slate substrate. At night the lamp is off and the warm end drops to around 22-24oC, which is maintained by the mat (thermostatted) and the cool end drops to room temperature - at this time of year that is around 17oC.

I use thermometers made by 'Lucky Reptile' which have two probes (LTH-31) - one probe goes at the cool end and one at the warm end so you can be sure that you have a gradient. The mat thermostat (I use Habistat Pulse Night/Day) probe goes at the warm end and sits on the substrate.

Hope this helps.


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## mad baboon (Oct 2, 2008)

it doesnt have to be exactly 32 C i keep mine at 30C and the temp varies a couple of degrees sometimes and it eats and sheds fine


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## beckyl92 (Aug 21, 2009)

yeah i keep mine at 30C aswel.
25-26C at night


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

I was told when i got my Gecko's that the warm end needs to be at 32 degrees C as they need belly heat to be able to digest their food properly :2thumb:. My cool end sits at room temp which during the day is usually about 24-25 degrees C (with heating on) & drops to about 21-23 degrees C at night.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

I do not drop the temperature of the warm side at night. That stays at 32f 24 hours a day. The cool end temps do drop slightly at night as they are virtually room temperature. This allows my Leos to regulate their temperature and gives them belly heat to digest their food. The thermometer probe should be placed next to the thermostat probe - on the floor of the warm side of the viv - directly above the heatmat and substrate.


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## Doodlebug (Nov 1, 2009)

On the care sheet it says to keep the Viv, at about 88o-90of on the warm end, now is that the substrate heat or should it be the air above it?


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## carolineg (Nov 30, 2009)

It's the temperature on the ground, not the ambient air temp.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

jools said:


> I do not drop the temperature of the warm side at night. That stays at 32f 24 hours a day. The cool end temps do drop slightly at night as they are virtually room temperature. This allows my Leos to regulate their temperature and gives them belly heat to digest their food. The thermometer probe should be placed next to the thermostat probe - on the floor of the warm side of the viv - directly above the heatmat and substrate.


Same here : victory:



Doodlebug said:


> On the care sheet it says to keep the Viv, at about 88o-90of on the warm end, now is that the substrate heat or should it be the air above it?


It should be the temperature measured directly on the top of the substrate.


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## Nicquita (Mar 14, 2009)

Doodlebug said:


> On the care sheet it says to keep the Viv, at about 88o-90of on the warm end, now is that the substrate heat or should it be the air above it?


substrate heat as leos absorb heat primarily from beneath them. that's why heatmats are generally used with leos

Olivine, you beat me again ¬_¬

:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Nicquita said:


> substrate heat as leos absorb heat primarily from beneath them. that's why heatmats are generally used with leos
> 
> *Olivine, you beat me again* ¬_¬
> 
> :Na_Na_Na_Na:


Age before beauty :whistling2:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

jools said:


> Age before beauty :whistling2:


not saying a word :whistling2:


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## chucketeechuckstah (Sep 21, 2007)

miss 1234 said:


> What is the temperature meant to be for a leopard gecko terrarium??
> and where is the best place to put the thermometer probe??


hot spot no lower then 85f no higher then 90f..... cooler side have heating on in house in winter will be ok then.... more holes the better... for humidity less humidity for a leopard gecko the better i can tell me send me message... 

checking temps best is temp gum there good i like them, it checks all i love erm.:2thumb:


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

jools said:


> Age before beauty :whistling2:


Oi you...outside

*rolls up sleeves*


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

olivine said:


> Oi you...outside
> 
> *rolls up sleeves*


Not a chance that I'm going outside - we've got 8 inches of snow and it's still falling :devil:


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## MrMike (Jun 28, 2008)

olivine said:


> Oi you...outside
> 
> *rolls up sleeves*


Now now children, can't this be resloved over a nice cup of Horlicks? :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Nicquita (Mar 14, 2009)

olivine said:


> Oi you...outside
> 
> *rolls up sleeves*


careful jools, you'll be blamed if she breaks a hip 

(just so you know, i do respect my elders, and olivine a lot. this is just playful teasing)


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

jools said:


> Not a chance that I'm going outside - we've got 8 inches of snow and it's still falling :devil:


Ah, that's understandable....you need to be careful in case you slip and break a hip or something...:whistling2:


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## Garko (Nov 9, 2009)

mad baboon said:


> it doesnt have to be exactly 32 C i keep mine at 30C and the temp varies a couple of degrees sometimes and it eats and sheds fine


32oC is really just a guide and obviously isn't meant to be a rule, and varying the temperature by several degrees from this would be pretty much what the lizard would experience in the wild state. If one checks the average daily temperatures of Northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran etc where these lizards originate from it becomes clear pretty quickly that there is a large variation in the day/night temperatures and seasonal changes in temperatures too. For example Karachi in January ranges from 13-25oC and in June it is 28-34oC. The record high temperature is 48oC recorded one May, whilst the record low is 4oC recorded one January. It follows that there is no single 'correct' temperature for a leopard gecko, which is why most texts recommend a range of daytime and night-time temperatures, based on seasonal averages from the natural geographical range.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

olivine said:


> Ah, that's understandable....you need to be careful in case you slip and break a hip or something...:whistling2:


No - I would be alright - I've got my Zimmer. It's just that the cold gets in under my corsets.


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## ginnerone (Aug 2, 2009)

jools said:


> Not a chance that I'm going outside - we've got 8 inches of snow and it's still falling :devil:


 don't be mean olivine you know artheritus set's in as you get old mwahahahaha


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