Hi!
Since my leo came home, I've been keeping an eye (and ear) in her night habits, easier to track than my gargoyle geckos.

One of the most peculiar things I've noticed was the huge difference in the amount of night activity and hunt following days of similar conditions. It was weird to see that one night she didn't hunt most crickets even though she was starving when I went to check her up in the morning.

Today I've realized what seems to be the only culprit in creating this huge behavior difference: light!
I have all herps in an interior room and the door is closed most times to prevent our lights and noise to disturb them.
But when there's some light, whether because I leave the night light on or because the door is not fully closed and they have some shred of light from 2 rooms away, their activity level is higher, much higher I would risk to say from the noise level.

It makes sense. Go outside in an area without public lighting and it's not pitch black even if the moon is small and the sky is clouded. Your poor night vision can distinguish shapes at minimum. So if these animals are equipped with a sophisticated night vision, but not sonar, thermal or electrical senses like cave dwelling animals, why keep them in the dark?

I know a lot of people keeps their enclosures in shared areas where some light, natural or not, reaches the enclosures but I've just checked a few caresheets and all my notes, and I don't see any reference to night lights except when recommended for keepers to check their animals without disturb them.
The lack of reference to proper night lighting feels like those caresheets where keepers state "room temperature" or "ambient humidity" is just fine for that species, forgetting the rest of the world doesn't live in AC/heated houses or in the 70-80% relative humidity California state.

Considering that I obviously didn't make the discovery of the century but simply tripped over something rarely mentioned, I ask you to share your experience, knowledge and view.

Thanks =)
Ricardo

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My boa is more active at nite when I have her blacklight on for heat. It produces a little bit of light I notcied the same with my crestie

my Leopard Geckos come out more in the red light I use at night if it gets turned off they stay in their hides but they will always eat for me but I feed them about 8 pm while everyones still awake

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0.0.1 Iguana Pickle
0-1-0 Bearded Dragon Honey
1-1-0 Red Tail Boa Libby&Dogma
1-0-0 Cat Rajha
0-0-1 Charcoal Corn Snake Strider
1-1-0 Chinese Water Dragons Isis & Osiris
1-1-0 Cockitiles Hawk&Ashley
1-0-0 Tangerine Leopard Gecko 9erz
0-1-0 Leopard gecko Jets
1-0-0 Mali Uromastyx Uri
0-0-2 Betas Holly & Go (kids fish)
0-0-1 Red Eared Slider Shelly
R.I.P hamster hamtaro
R.I.P Wolf Lab Cross Kenya

My pets all have ambient night time lighting, i've noticed that after 3am or so when I shut off my TV they all settle down and go to sleep and get back up again about an hour before their lights turn on.

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~*~Lacey~*~

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Since you use a blacklight, I need to ask if it will be good for a Tokay. I just got a 60 watt reptile blacklight..the heat it produces is perfect for night (about 70 degrees on the warm side and 65 degrees on the cool side>which is what the temp is without night heat on and air condition) I just don't know if it is best to use. I changed from the red because one it was too hot (too high of watt) and I thought too bright for my Aunt if she does visit again in a month, so I am trying to get the best for both my gecko and my Aunt. I do believe that "Trouble" my newly named tokay needs night heat when the air is on, but I don't want it to be too bright for when my Aunt comes (even though she is up or at least leaves the light on at night) I was told to check out ceramic heat, but it could shatter....so I am stuck when it comes to making everybody and animal happy. Thanks!
Also, I noticed that my Tokay was getting more active now...or at least moving around and changing positions more. Would this be becasue of the light change or even the heat change? (blacklight maybe?) thanks again!