Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am really confused on the heating and lighting for CRB's...I have an UTH on the tank (only a 10 gallon as he/she is brand new to my house tonight), but it isn't getting the spot hot enough...I have about an inch to two inches of bed a beast...There is no change from no UTH to having the UTH...I have a dome light and a few 40, 25, and 15 watt night bulbs sitting around...If the hot side is only 74.7 degrees F, Should I add the bulbs...I plugged the UTH in about a half hour ago...should I give it more time? Thanks in advanced, Kyle.

If you're not seeing a temperature difference with vs without the UTH, the first thing I'd do is verify that it's not defective by pushing your fingers down through the substrate to see if it's warmer deeper down. If it is, I'd probably give it a bit more time to come up to temperature - if not, well, problem solved, return the defective UTH. If it is functioning and more time doesn't do it, you might consider either additional heat or a thinner layer of substrate or different substrate. A couple of layers of paper towels, for example, aren't much barrier to heat, and are zero ingestion risk when feeding.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

Thank you...I was able to add a night bulb to get it up to 87.4 on the warm side, so I think I have it down now...It isn't defective...I have had the tank a while and have used it for other UTH-needing herps before (don't worry, it was thuroughly cleaned with a vinegar/water solution...). I can feel the heat through the bottom of it so heat is being put out...I think it just needed some more time for the heat to reach the surface...I have the night bulb on a timer to be on in the day, and off at night...my room is bright enough in the day to not have a day bulb...thanks again for the help...

87 on the warm end is too hot, especially if the cool end is above 78. CRB do well with low end of the cage in the low to mid 70s and warm end in the mid to high 70s. It is okay in a long cage to go above and below those temperatures as long as at least some of the cage is in the mid 70s. That is probably not possible in a tank shorter than 30 inches long. Tanks with screen tops allow too much humidity to escape from the cage. This is especially problematic if you are heating the cage because that will create a flue effect in which the hot part of the cage warms the air and it rises out of the cage and is replaced with cooler dry indoor air dropping into the cool end of the cage.

>>Thank you...I was able to add a night bulb to get it up to 87.4 on the warm side, so I think I have it down now...It isn't defective...I have had the tank a while and have used it for other UTH-needing herps before (don't worry, it was thuroughly cleaned with a vinegar/water solution...). I can feel the heat through the bottom of it so heat is being put out...I think it just needed some more time for the heat to reach the surface...I have the night bulb on a timer to be on in the day, and off at night...my room is bright enough in the day to not have a day bulb...thanks again for the help...

Agree with Jeff 10000000%

Screen top fish tanks have two serious flaws when used for tropical species like BRB and CRB...

1) the screen top allows all the heat to escape taking the moisture (humidity) with it. Then you add more heat to bring the temps up and more escapes with more humidity. You can end up cooking and/or drying the habitat out while never actually getting the tank warm enough.

You can band-aid that defect by covering most of the top with something that will not allow the air/humidity to escape. Sheet of plastic, board, aluminum foil saran wrap etc.

2) Glass is an excellent conductor of heat. Even with the top closed off, a tank in a cool room will allow the heat to escape out the sides. Then you end up pumping more heat in the cage to keep the temps up. That can lead to overly hot spots while still having areas of the enclosure too cold.

That can be band-aided with insulation around three sides and the top of the cage.

Can you tell I do not like fish tanks for BRB/CRB's ???

>>87 on the warm end is too hot, especially if the cool end is above 78. CRB do well with low end of the cage in the low to mid 70s and warm end in the mid to high 70s. It is okay in a long cage to go above and below those temperatures as long as at least some of the cage is in the mid 70s. That is probably not possible in a tank shorter than 30 inches long. Tanks with screen tops allow too much humidity to escape from the cage. This is especially problematic if you are heating the cage because that will create a flue effect in which the hot part of the cage warms the air and it rises out of the cage and is replaced with cooler dry indoor air dropping into the cool end of the cage.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks...but I thought that BRB's like it cooler, while the CRB's like it in the 80's...It's just been so hard to find good caresheets that are thurough on the CRB's...I found tons on BRB's though...Thanks again for the help...I plan to have her in a 40 gallon soon, but am holding off due to money at the moment, and I don't want to throw her in this giant tank...I am going to wait a little while...I turned the night bulb off as well, and humidity is fine...I have a combo light on top that cover the perimeter of the lid, with a small portion exposed to help ventilate a little...The bedding is still pretty moist and I am yet to mist this afternoon...