I just picked up a 2 month-old Crestie, and I've got him/her (too early to tell which) in a 450x450x450mm Exo-terra terrerium. Heat might be a little bit of a problem for a little while until I get my Herp room set up, so would a temporary wall heat pad be good enough or is it not a good idea? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Hello,

I personally have no experience with Crested Geckos, but would a Ceramic Heat Emitter work for them? A Ceramic Heat Emitter (Ceramic Heat Emitter) doesn't display any light, but does emit a nice amount of heat from above. A heat pad would not warm up the ambient air in the enclosure, so I would say it wouldn't be enough.

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Crested Geckos come from a temperate environment, and prefer temps in the 65-75 range. Down to 60 is OK, I think. But 80 and above is too hot for them. So unless your room is terribly cold (as in, you have to wear a jacket in the house), you probably don't need heat for your crestie.

Anyone with more crestie expertise, please speak up.

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Amy

From what I have read, I agree with Amy. For our Crested Geckos I do have a regular house bulb in a reflector at one end of the cage just to give a little more warmth in case they want it. Ours one tank in currently at 78.

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Colleen

What Amy said No need for a heat pad unless your temps are lower then 65 deg

The temperature is about 70F in the terrerium now, so that should work ok.

If I see any signs of stress, I'll increase the temp a bit.

That should work, ours stay a bit warmer due to all the lights, and heating pads going on in the room. Our house temperature is set a 70, just check the creasties cool side and it is 74. There are no lights or heating pads on yet as the timers haven't kicked on yet.

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Colleen

Mine got as low as 16 celcius. Really they don't like it but it's okay. I noticed they didn't like hot, like 25 celcius, either.

I DISAGREE with the 60F, however. Closer to like 63ish or 65ish. That's awefully cold for New Caledonia...ever seen where it is geographically? Either way, I'd say he's fine but for a growing baby maybe a few degrees warmer.


Cermaic heaters + Crested Geckos = BAD NEWS Rich. I'd say a WEAK heat pad and remove it when if they spend too much time on it.

I would say that for creasties, and gargoyles for that matter, temps in the range of 73°F - 78°F are ideal with temps at NIGHT going as low as 60°F but again 65°F - 70°F are better...

I would disagree with this statement, IMO Ceramic heaters are the best heat source for most reptiles, especially nocturnal ones...if the ceramic is properly guarded and controlled by a thermostat (which ALL heating devices should be) then the amount of heat they CAN emit is irrelevant because they will be emitting only the heat that is needed.

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I'll think of something to put here soon.......

Definitely. Ceramic Heat Emitters are fantastic, and when controlled by a thermostat are great for any temperature needs. I can't imagine having any heat source without a thermostat because they make it so much easier to achieve and maintain the desired temps.

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~Juliane~