Good beginner lizard?

[prairiepanda]

I'm not a breeder, but I know two breeders in my area. I do hope to breed in the future, though, after being inspired by my virgin female's one fertile egg(it didn't make it to full term, unfortunately).

As for temperature; generally, if you're comfortable then the gecko is comfortable. So if you're roasting then a fan would be a good idea. Try to keep the temperature below 80F. They can handle higher temperatures for short periods, but try to avoid that. The ideal temperature range is 68-75.

I would go with LEDs for lighting. Keep in mind these are nocturnal animals and will become more active when the lights are dim. If you're installing lighting directly on/in the enclosure, I'd recommend 2 different lights: one daytime bright light for daytime viewing and one dim light(can be coloured if you wish; blue seems to disturb them less than red...green should be okay too) In the evening I dim the lights in my room to encourage the critters to start coming out to explore before it's time for lights out completely.

Aquarium deco is completely safe, just rinse it with hot water before use. Home decor items are a bit more questionable because sometimes the paints or coatings on them are intended to be kept dry and may leach chemicals when wet for extended periods, as they would be in the terrarium. In most cases, it should be safe, but I would soak it in water for a couple days to see if anything comes off it. A cheap pH test kit to test the pH of the water before and after would help determine whether anything invisible is leaching out. Most people aren't paranoid enough to go to such lengths, though. Also, anything intended to be in contact with food would be safe.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and about tap water: It depends on your water. I give my animals tap water. But I have contacted my town and confirmed that they do not use chloramine or fluoride in the water here. I know that some people even use tap water without those additives and have no issues, but I personally would not. Chlorine is perfectly fine as it usually dissipates from the water as it's coming from the tap, not to be confused with chloramine which lingers. Of course, if you don't drink your tap water directly then you shouldn't give it to your animals either. Some areas have suspicious water even for humans lol