Do this
- Measure exposure where the gecko can actually sit.
- Provide an immediate route from light into complete shade.
- Keep fresh water and monitor leopard gecko behavior every day.
- Record changes so a reptile veterinarian receives useful evidence.
Leopard gecko · UVB and shade
Does a leopard gecko need UVB?
Leopard gecko care should include the measured low-output UVB gradient below. Preserve complete shade and switch every light off at night.
The amount reaching the gecko changes with its distance from the lamp and anything positioned between them.
Use the practical checks
The short answer
Offer gentle UVB with an immediate route to shade for leopard geckos
Leopard gecko care should include the measured low-output UVB gradient below. Preserve complete shade and switch every light off at night.
- Adult home
- RVC minimum 36 × 18 × 18 in; the RSPCA lists 60 × 30 × 40 cm as a minimum and encourages larger housing
- Warm zone
- RSPCA basking area 28–30°C (82–86°F); RVC guidance is about 32°C (90°F)
- Cool and night
- Cool area about 24–26°C (75–79°F); Lights and daytime heat off; controlled non-light heat only if the room falls below about 18–20°C (64–68°F)
- Humidity
- Dry ambient air around 30–40%, plus one clean contained humid hide
- UVB
- Low-output UVB with a measured gradient near UVI 0.7 to zero shade
- Food
- Varied appropriately sized live invertebrates, gut-loaded and supplemented to a reviewed plan
The honest fit
Would the adult routine work in your home?
Avoid this
- Do not choose a lamp by percentage without distance guidance.
- Do not leave visible lighting on overnight.
- Do not copy another reptile species' setup.
- Do not treat a persistent health change as a shopping problem.
01
Design light and shade together
For a leopard gecko, use low-output UVB with a measured gradient near UVI 0.7 to zero shade. Group the brighter zone with daytime warmth while preserving dark retreats and foliage or hide cover nearby.
A lamp percentage cannot predict the dose on its own. Follow the fixture maker's distance chart, account for mesh, and measure at the highest place the gecko can actually reach when possible.
02
Keep the cycle predictable
Run the daytime lighting on a timer for roughly 12 hours, then make the enclosure dark overnight. Replace the lamp on schedule or verify output with an appropriate meter.
Secure or guard fixtures so the gecko cannot contact hot glass or a breakable lamp. After rearranging climbing routes or hides, re-check distance and shade instead of assuming the old setup still applies.
03
Coordinate food and UVB
UVB, heat, calcium, and the rest of the diet work as one husbandry system. More supplement is not a safe substitute for unmeasured lighting, and more UVB is not automatically better.
Discuss supplement choice with a reptile veterinarian, especially for a red-eyed or unusually light-sensitive morph, a growing juvenile, an egg-producing female, or a gecko showing weakness or skeletal change.
Useful tools for measured heat and light
Three optional picks matched to this topic. Confirm the species' target temperatures, UV Index, fixture distances, and thermostat requirements before buying.
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Adjustable lamp stand
Keeps a compatible fixture supported independently and makes height adjustments more controlled than improvised mounting.
Stable support · Route cords safelyCompare Adjustable lamp stand options
Infrared surface thermometer
Spot-checks basking surfaces and hides; pair it with fixed probes because it does not measure air temperature.
Surface readings only · Keep fixed probes tooView Infrared surface thermometer
Slate basking tile
Provides a flat, washable surface under suitable overhead heat; verify surface temperature before use.
Verify surface heat · Stable and washableCompare Slate basking tile optionsKeep deciding