Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Trying this again, because I didn't get the answer to my temp gun question...

Thanks (to Marcia I think) for the answer I got earlier on where I should be doing my temp gun measurement (bottom of the enclosure). But I have yet another. I have it near the floor of the enclosure. Do I point it straight down? Or, from the middle of the enclosure, direct it in the warm direction to get the warm side temp and direct it the other way to get the cool side temp?

Sorry if this is tedious. Here is why I ask.
When I point it straight down on the warm side, I get measurements of about 105 degrees. This is true even though I have a UTH with a Zoo Med thermostat set in the "low" range, which in THEORY should be keeping my warm side significantly cooler than that. I am suspicious that it's my thermostat that's not functioning properly.

Slinky does spend most of her time on the warm side of the tank and she doesn't seem uncomfortable so I don't think it's really 105 degrees over there. ??

Thanks for any help.
geckoGirlsMom

I'm pretty sure they don't read air temps but the ground or wall temps. So wiht that in mind it should be pointed straight done? You said you have your thermomstat at the low setting. Well thermomstats will have a temp tp set it out not low-high so it see you have a reostat? I don't like reostat it effects the wattage being output from the UTH so it can change and be effected by ambeint temps. I use thermomstat are much better and my three all read the correct temps I set it on 90 it stays 90
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Leopard Geckos
1.1 Tangerine trempor albino
2 blizzard lizzard female
1.1 Super Hypo Carrot tails (both Baldy)
1 amel corn snake

1.0.0 Common snapping turtle
0.1.0 Belize slider
0.1.0 Egyptian tortoise
0.0.1 blackknobbed sawback
0.0.1 stripeneck musk
0.0.1 nothern DBT

geckoGirlsMom,

The temp gun only reads the surface temperature, so my suggestion would be to shoot the floor of the enclosure at different points to get a reading of what your gecko is actually feeling. Pionting the gun at the ends of the tank will do little good unless your gecko has learned to climb the walls.

105 degrees is in my opinion much too high, i suggest replacing your thermostat as soon as possible, Preferably with one you can set a temperature on instead of "low" "med" and "high" settings.

Another option is using a rheostat. This will require more work on your part as it will need to be adjusted as the ambient room temperature changes.

Best of luck and keep us posted on how this works out for you.

Russ~~aka Resident Numbskull

geckoheads and geeks LOL
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-robin struck
Geckoheads And Geeks

Ok, thanks to all for the help. I am pretty sure I have a bad thermostat. I'm going to repost for a thermostat recommendation and get my money back for this one. It's a zoo med and low is meant to correspond to 70. But I've got it between low and med and my temp gun says 100 if I point it straight down. Something is amiss.
Thanks again for your help.
geckoGirlsMom
(and a geek also... programmer by trade.)

a good quality thermostat, it will be more than what you bought but well worth it... called a ranco...... i have seen them posted on k -snake, but IMHO those sold on there are horribly over priced. if you know anything bout wiring you can but em for about 45 bucks at granger and just wire em yourself. if you dont know i can get my husband to walk you through it and type you out a simple print out on it.. email me later once he wakes up and i can give you the exact model numer i can not think of it off hand
-robin
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-robin struck
Geckoheads And Geeks