When the autumn starts to edge closer to those cold winter months, it’s time to begin thinking about making sure your crested gecko stays warm and comfortable in its enclosure. Since crested geckos need proper heat and warmth in their enclosure throughout the year at a constant level, winter months can be of concern for most responsible pet owners.
This article will discuss three things that need to be considered and a few tips for winter, so your crested gecko stays comfortable and healthy during those bitter cold days. Therefore in this article, I will discuss all the tips on keeping crested geckos warm in winter. Let’s first begin with the things that needed to be considered to keep them warm during those cold days.
3 Things To Consider To Keep Crested Gecko Warm In Winter
Adjust Light Cycles
If you happen to live in parts of the northern hemisphere where the amount of daylight is much less in the cold months than summer months, you will need to adjust your crested gecko enclosure’s daily light cycle. The best thing you can do to control the lighting of your crested gecko setup is by using a quality timer.
The quality timer will always allow you to set the daylight time and forget about it, and it will automatically turn on and off as per the setting or the instruction you have given to the timer. It is must to keep the light on for about 4-6 hours in the summertime, but in the winter season, it’s must to keep it on for about 10 hours per day to make winter daylight.
Place Cresties’ Enclosure In A Warm Spot
In the winter season, windy winter storms can sometimes make your home a drafty place. This is why I would always recommend relocating your crested gecko tank to a warmer home area. You should also avoid placing your crested gecko tank under any vent.
Other than this, you should also avoid placing the tank in any unheated garage or ba$ement. You should avoid placing the tank near any windows or outer doors. It is always best to find a place where no chilly draft can reach.
It will be better to add a small space heater for your crested gecko during those cold, windy winter storms. Keeping a crested gecko tank near the windows will allow the chilly draft to create a relaxed environment for your crested gecko, which is not good.
Keep An Eye/Check On Temperature
You should always have two thermometers installed on each end of their tank for a proper and accurate reading. If you don’t have thermometers, then make two purchases. Please have one thermometer at the cooler end while the other one at the basking end.
When purchasing a thermometer, I recommend you always go with the digital one as it works very well and gives you a quick snap of reading. In the winter season, it’s not only essential to keep your home at a toasty temperature but also to keep a close eye on or monitor your crested gecko enclosure temperature.
While placing the thermometer, you should also keep in mind that it should be at a height equal to the crested gecko basking perch. It is essential to continuously monitor the temperature of your crested geckos’ enclosure throughout the day in the winter season.
Other than this, you should also pay attention to their tank temperature overnight. If you find the temperature inside that enclosure is too low, you can either have a higher wattage bulb or an under-tank heater to provide more warmth and heat. Alternatively, you can also go with this ceramic heat emitter.
5 Tips To Keep Crested Gecko Warm In Winter
Cover The Crested Gecko Tank With A Blanket.
You can also put a blanket around your crested geckos’ enclosure if you need to keep it warm while looking for another solution. This method always works best at night time. Make sure not to cover the ventilation hole of your crested geckos’ enclosure.
Even putting a towel around their enclosure will not make a huge difference or increase the tank temperature. But when there is no other solution, it can help keep the current temperature more stable. Wrapping your crested gecko enclosure using a towel, a cloth, or blanket can help it stay warm throughout the night if your room gets oo cold.
Equip The Cage With A Basking Perch For Your Crested Gecko.
It is always better to have the perches that absorb more heat. Do you know that crested geckos love climbing on ramps, hammocks, branches, and perches to bask? They also enjoy laying on rocks while flattening themselves to get as much heat as possible.
In groups, they prefer basking on higher structures to absorb more heat. So always consider having a perch that absorbs more heat or a heightened basket spot that decreases the distance between the light and your crested geckos. Alternatively, you can choose a basking rock or a platform that can make the hammock or the branch heated.
Keep And Make Your Room Warmer.
It is common for your home rooms to get colder in the winter season. It would help if you tried to make the room warm where the crested gecko’s tank is kept. Keeping or making the room warmer where the tank is situated will also help with heating the tank.
You can heat your room using a radiator or central heating device. While doing so, always ensure that your room has proper ventilation. The room temperature should be around 60-70° F as it dramatically helps your crested gecko’s tank stay warmer during the day and night.
Adding to this, crested geckos need a temperature of around 72-75° F throughout the day and night. 65-70° F is also ideal for nighttime temperature in a crested geckos tank if your room is at least 55-75° F to prevent the tank temperature from dropping.
Interesting Further Reading
- Are Anthuriums Safe For Crested Geckos?
- 3 Best Substrates For Cresties
- Are Bamboos Safe For Crested Geckos?
Double Check Both Thermometers Before Winter Arrives.
One of the most important things you should do before winter arrives is to check your thermometer and ensure it gives you an accurate reading. If you use only one thermometer, measuring the temperature gradient on both ends of your crested gecko’s tank can be problematic.
I would highly recommend you always have a digital thermometer; otherwise, you won’t be able to decide on the correct bulbs. You should avoid using an analog thermometer as it can be a problem when deciding which lamp to use. The thermometer is more efficient in giving accurate reading under the basking bulb or area.
You should get the one that comes with a probe. In addition to that, having a handheld thermometer will also help you get accurate readings. Always make sure that you point the handheld thermometer and hold it around 4-5 cm away from the basking spot.
Increase The Basking Bulb Wattage.
If you find your crested geckos’ tank or basking spot not hot enough, try increasing the bulb wattage to get more heat. The best basking bulbs you can use are ceramic heat emitter bulbs for nighttime and halogen floodlights for the daytime.
When choosing a bulb, there are many factors that you need to consider. Winter draught will cool down your room temperature in the winter season, so trial and error are always necessary to find the best bulb for your crested geckos’ tank setting. If you have a 40-gallon crested geckos tank, you will need 50-60 wattage halogen flood bulbs.
On the other hand, if you are going with the basking bulbs, always choose the 100-wattage variant or more to reach the ideal temperature. Aside from these options, Mercury vapour bulbs tend to be very hot, which can be used for a crested geckos’ enclosure, but it is not suitable for a smaller tank than 70 gallons.
The best thing about using a mercury vapour bulb is that it emits UVB and light, and also, it comes in high wattage. If you find the basking spot having a higher temperature of more than 110° F, try moving the light higher to decrease the temperature.
Conclusion
So, it is essential to always keep crested geckos’ enclosure warm during the cold months. In the winter season, the tank temperature and the room temperature can significantly drop. It would help if you always replace the bulbs every six months because that output decreases with frequent usage.
I have tried my best to give you all the information about how to keep crested geckos warm in winter. If you find our article helpful, then consider sharing it. Your one share can save many crested geckos from getting cold in the winter.
94% of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day. In 2007, I realized that I was made for saving Animals. My father is a Vet, and I think every pet deserves one. I started this blog, “InPetCare”, in 2019 with my father to enlighten a wider audience.