Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know not everyone heats them, but my reptile room (finished basement) stays at about 68-70 degrees during the day and about 66-67 at night. That's with the main level of the house at 72 degrees and the second story (where the bedrooms are) at about 74, so I can't really bump up the thermostat in the house any higher.

I've been keeping Cresteds for a couple months now, and they're all doing just fine, but I think they'd probably eat a little more if they had a bit more heat. For daytime heat, the cages are lit with 15-25 watt bulbs during the day, and the temps are only getting up to about 72-74 degrees (that's the floor temp, directly under the lights). I'm thinking that I might want to bump that basking site up to about 78-80 during the day, so my question is this.

I don't want to make the lights any hotter because they dry out the air too much, so can I use a lower wattage UTH like a "Cobra" heat mat without a thermostat, or do I need to get another thermostat so that it stays under 85?

I figure if only the surface temps near the UTH get up to about 90-95, and the UTH only takes up about 1/4 of the floor space, the ambient temps should stay cool enough that the geckos will still be able to find plenty of cool spots within the cage.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Anthony

Ideall, the temp range should be between 74-80. A low-wattage bulb for a basking spot should be enough. I don't think a heat matt would do much as they usually don't spend much time on the ground.
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A twisted mind is a terrible thing to waste.......so is BEEF JERKY!!!!!

np
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Mike Coscia
mike@gexfiles.com
www.gexfiles.com

n/p

used to heat small rooms. Check out home depot, they sell a whole bunch of different brands. Home depot the greatest place for pet supplies...hehe.
-Mike

I have a tank that has half of it with a permanent screen top on one half I stapled 1/4 inch hardware cloth on it from the inside so I can lay a pieces of ceramic tile in the lid space. I put a UTH between the wire cloth and the tiles so the ceiling actually heats down. The other half of the tank I have a glass lid that lifts out. It holds humidity well and my Tokay just loves it, he alway bask under the mat on the screen or on the wall under it when he gets chilly.

they dont need/use a basking spot per sey.......but I do use black light/moonlite bulbs ranging from 50watts or 75 depending on a tall vs. long tank to give extra heat......

I find that "they" find that spot that works for them, I have a metal rack with slat shelves and three tanks one on each shelf, the radiant heat from one helps warm the one above from below and so on so I need a lower wattage bulb to keep the tanks with a comfortable cool and warm side not exceeding 80 degrees...

I mist heavily once in the evening in the spring/summer and more often when my house is very dry in the winter.

you will find what works for you......

Sue