Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my heat tape now for about a week. Its my first time using it.

Anyways I have a dimmer hooked up to it and I know it works. The thing is this. I keep my geckos between 88-90 degrees. The heat tape on the plastic shoe boxes is so cold. It fluctuates between 88 and 90, but its cold, and the humid hides inside the boxes never get dry they are staying moist. This is causing a concern for me.

So I did a test. Without the geckos in the boxes I turned up the heat tape. I got it up to 100-105 degrees. That actually felt warm, but not hot. I could comfortably put my hand on it. I could actually feel heat. With 88-90 degrees there were warmish spots and cold spots on it. BUt with the higher temp. it was warm everywhere.

My geckos are kept in my basement. My basement is about anywhere from 65-75 degrees. It varies, but it always seems very warm in my reptile room.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Should I keep it at a higher temp? I just dotn want to do something stupid. I guess I just dont understand how it can be comfortably warm on about 100 degrees or so and I wont feel a thing when its right where I need it.

If I have to keep the temp. higher for it to be warm for the babies, I could put another layer of paper towels down to suffice the heat. The paper towels that I am using are bounty, the really heavy quilted ones.

Thanx for everyones help I really appreciate it.

Shayna
Leo Lovers Lizard Lounge

Where are you taking the temps at? If the reading in the container it self is right then I say leave it. If you can, also check the temp in the humid hide. I have also found that if one of my container is out of place in my rack the temps tend to fall. I think the containers themselves help to keep the heat even. If there is an empty spot the heat escapes. Hope this helps. Jeremy

How did you wire your heat tape? If you wired it in series, the way I see alot of people recommend, it will not heat evenly. The first strips will be warmer than the last strips. I wired in parallel, as recommended by my brother (an electrical engineer), all the strips heat evenly over 100 linear feet of heat tape.

of course 88-90*F is going to only feel "cool" to the touch...... human body temperature is 98.6*F

dont hike up the temps on account of what feels warm to you. stick a good thermometer on the heat tape, and adjust temps accordingly

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Rakell McKEE

GeckoFreak.com