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I want to make sure I totally understand, it is late and I am kinda really tired and can't sleep, but see if I made sense of this.
You house is at 72 degrees, and you want to know if that is an acceptable temperature.
- That is an okay temperature for at night, the reading I have done, says that the day time should be in the vaccinity of 85 degrees (82-88), and at night should be 10 to 15 degrees cooler (70-75). 72 sounds okay, however I would consider the Under Tank Heater just as a stand by, it can't hurt, and it eliminates the possibility of an accidental draft lowering the temperature, especially since it is going into the winter, and is not going to be warming up for a while.
You have a hinged screen lid, and need a lid to prevent other animals and children from getting to him. I assume that the hinge is basically right in the middle.
- I am not sure what kind of enclosure the gecko is in, but you may want to look into getting a solid cover that is not hinged that clips down, they make them to fit standard aquarium sizes and they are relatively inexpensive. This way whatever you sit on top sits level. If you like the lid you have, you may want to look into setting smaller heat lamps on top that only go on half of the lid so they are not wobbling. If you use the lamp, you are going to want to put a slate piece under it so that it absorbs the heat.
You don't like Under Tank Heater's
- For the people that disagree with you about Under Tank Heater's, there are a lot of risks, no matter how minor. They could cause a fire, they could over heat, they could do a lot of things. I understand your concern especially if there is a little one running around.
A heat lamp poses all the same problems, it is just a little more conventional meaning that it seems more traditional and less likely to pose problems. Heat lamps can cook reptiles if not used properly and they are equally apt to fires. They can also be a problem if your child or cat knocks them over, they can burn the child and the cat; this is not a risk with a Under Tank Heater, as the child or cat would have to knock over the whole enclosure, in which case, the Under Tank Heater is the least of your concerns. The Under Tank Heater also heats the substrate which is where the Leo will spend most of his time, light heats the air and the very surface of the substrate which makes for higher temperature variance, and I assure you the Leo will not spend a lot of time in the air. The heat from the substrate will keep the air warm enough and if you desire you can always use a light for show, but since the substrate is already heated, it can be low wattage with a lower heat output.
I would like to end this ponting out that I don't currently have a leo, but helped my cousin design his habitat a year ago his little guy is still alive and very healthy. He uses a Under Tank Heater and 2 60watt desk lights just to shed light on the enclose, as well as minor amounts of air heat since it is a bit cold in MD, and they don't heat their house to 72, one is a red nocturnal light, the other is just a sylvania reveal bulb; the nocturnal is on round the clock this time of year, and the bright light is on during the day, he has guages, and timers for the whole thing to regulate the temperature and light cycle.
Good luck with everything, I hope my rambling helped. If not, I'm sure there are a lot of people here with A LOT more experience than me that will be able to help you.
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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov
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