Many new owners want to know everything about their leopard gecko and they will think to themselves can leopard geckos see in the dark?
Leopard geckos are mostly active during the Dusk and Dawn Parts of the day. There is a word for that called Crespuscular.
This kind of activity comes from evolution. Over the years they have adapted and learned to become active during these times for safety from other predators
Leopard geckos will stay hidden during most of the day and at night to hide from predators and go hunt for food during the dusk/dawn times
Can leopard geckos see in the dark?
Yes, they can. They will be able to move around at night unnoticed by other predators. They can actually see color in the dark. This is again because of evolution. They can see just as well during the night as they can during the day
Leopard Geckos can actually see far better than humans can. They can see over 300 times better than humans.
The exact number is not certain but they evolved to see better than humans for survival purposes
As they have evolved over time they have moved on to hunting and eating during the morning and evening times when there is low light
Does your Leopard Gecko need its own lighting if they can see in the dark?
They do need their own lighting because they need to know when to sleep and when to wake
What you can do is use UV lighting and heat to help them know the right times to wake. One thing you should use though is a timed light dimmer. You should be able to find one at your local pet store or hardware store
The reason you need this is as the day and night cycles happen outside your gecko will know when its time to get up and move and when its time to sleep.
In terms of sleeping your gecko will be sleeping a lot. They will usually sleep during the day before its time to get up and hunt things
They will sleep 10 – 12 hours per day usually
A little tip for you as well. Keep your gecko away from lights and television screens. any kind of light that might affect them will be messing with their sleep schedule
They need to operate how nature intended them to.
If you have a room with a window that has natural light coming into it you can put your gecko in there. that will actually be perfect and you won’t need any artificial light sources. You should get some heat pads in case it gets too cold.
Conclusion and thoughts
Can leopard geckos see in the dark?
Yes leopard geckos can see in the dark and you don’t have to break the bank in order to make sure they can have a high quality of life in this manner
Leopard geckos have evolved to see very well. Much better than humans can.
Having them near a window will be the best solution to giving them the best day and night cycle
if you do buy artificial light you should have a dim timer attached so it will dim the lights or turn them off at a specific time as well as heat
Heat is another indicator of a change in the day for reptiles
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