Best UVB for a crested gecko (2026)

Do crested geckos need UVB at all?

They can be kept without it, and they do better with it. We answer that question properly on do crested geckos need UVB - this page assumes you have decided to provide it and want the right lamp. The published target is UVI 1.0-2.0 at the basking branch per the care figures, with the species sitting in Zone 1.

Note that is a slightly higher window than a leopard gecko's UVI 0.5-1.5 at the basking spot, despite both being Zone 1 animals. Arboreal geckos in the wild bask in dappled canopy light rather than on open ground, and the published figure reflects it. Do not carry a leopard gecko distance over to a crestie.

The problem a tall terrarium creates

An 18 x 18 x 36 in terrarium is three feet tall. Put a lamp on the lid and the floor is 36 in away - far outside any published figure, which means a gecko on the floor receives effectively nothing while a gecko on the top branch might be well inside the window. That is not a lamp problem. It is a hardscape problem.

The fix is to decide where the basking branch goes first, then mount the lamp to that distance. For the 7% lamp you want the branch 8-12 in below the mesh. For the 2.5% lamp, 6-9 in. Everything below that is shade, which is correct - a crepuscular animal needs somewhere to not be in UV far more than it needs maximum exposure.

Why not a desert lamp turned down

Because distance is not a dimmer. A 10% or 12% desert tube at the 8-12 in distance a crestie branch sits at overshoots UVI 1.0-2.0 at the basking branch substantially, and backing it off far enough to land in the window puts it so far away that the usable zone collapses into a narrow column. A purpose-built low-output lamp gives you a wide, gentle gradient at a workable height. That is the whole argument for the ShadeDweller class, and it is the same argument we make for leopard geckos on their UVB page.

Photoperiod, and the seasonal part people skip

The published photoperiod for a crested gecko is 14 hours in summer, 10 hours in winter. That seasonal swing is larger than most keepers implement, and it is free - a plug timer does it. A crepuscular animal under a flat 12 hours year-round loses a cue it would otherwise use. UVB hours per day has the figures for every species we cover, and night lighting mistakes covers what not to leave on after dark.

What to buy alongside it

A thermometer and hygrometer with a remote probe, placed where the animal actually rests rather than stuck to the glass at mid-height, because both the 82-85 F (28-29 C) at the top of the enclosure figure and the 60-80%, allowed to dry back to 40-50% between mistings range are measured at specific places. If you keep a reduced-pigment morph, a UV index meter - it is the only way to confirm you are inside a narrow window. Our crested gecko UVB setup page covers the install, and temperature and humidity covers the measurement points.