crested gecko lighting

Question
QUESTION: alright, so i was reading up on some stuff for my crested gecko and i ran across a question someone had asked you about MBD and UVB lighting for their crested. anyways, i had read that florescent bulbs are "bad" for lizards. so my question would have to be, why? my guy is 2 months old, in a exo terra 18x18x24 rainforrest terrarium. the lighting i have a dual canopy top that came with the enclosure. the max wattage that it allows for bulbs are 26 watts. the "cool" side has a exo terra 5.0 rainforrest compact bulb and on the "hot" side, i have a 26 watt sun-glo incandescent bulb. he eats well, is very active, and i hear him "singing" sometimes haha. will this hurt him in anyway? thanks a bunch!

ANSWER: Hello Josh,

Well, the fluorescent tube bulbs are not bad.  There have been some that were hazardous because they were made with the incorrect glass & phosphors.  
A crested gecko would benefit from having UVB exposure.  The best one that I can recommend would be the Reptisun 10 tube bulb.  I don't suggest using a compact/coil light though, they really do not have very good UVB emissions & are sometimes hard on their eyes, too.  The tube bulbs can be hard on their eyes too if they are not used with bright enough lighting, also.
You will need to readjust the lighting though.  :-))  The basking light needs to be placed directly beside the tube bulb.  That is so they can have a nice bright basking spot in which to get warm as well as gain valuable UVB exposure at the same time.

The basking light sounds perfectly fine though.  What are the temperatures in the tank, are you using a digital probe or a temp gun to measure the temperatures with?
It sounds like he is doing pretty well though.  How often do you use calcium supplementation for him?

Tracie  

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QUESTION: temps are anywhere from low 70s to low 80s in the day and high 60's at night. i have a digital probe on the cold side of the tank right in the middle of the side wall. i dust the crickets i give him and i serve him crested gecko diet with his baby food. i give him crickets about 2-3 times a week. and that canopy i have fits compact bulbs :/ and so the exo terra florescent i have in there is a coil.

Answer
Hello Josh,

Does the coil UVB seem to bother his eyes any that you can tell?  If not, then that should be ok.  The coils don't put out as much UVB as the tube bulbs though.  
How is he doing now, has his appetite picked up any?  That is great you are using a digital probe to measure the temps they are fine then.  Just make sure he has a hot spot of around 88-90 on a small area of the warm side for him.
Dust his crickets when you feed him, & try leaving a small dish of calcium in there with him also.

Tracie