Risk of Overheating...?

Yoshi'smom · #1 09-03-2011, 06:46 PM

So, as most of us know, I don't have my Garg yet. I'm getting him soon. I want to be as prepared as I can for this little guy. I'm fairly confident that I can keep the humidity stable but what I'm growing concerned about is the temperature.
Here in Detroit we just had two really hot days that sprang out of nowhere. We don't have AC but I have a window fan running. It helps the temps drop to a tolerable level at night. What should I do about the day time? I'm worried that if it reaches 90F in this room (like it is right now in the kitchen-2 rooms away) that I'll stress the garg out. What do you guys recommend I do? I'm not worried too much about this as far as winter but come next summer I don't want to kill the little bugger either.
Any suggestions?

Hannibal · #2 09-03-2011, 07:34 PM

During hot days, keep him/her on the lowest level (heat rises), so if you have a basement that would be ideal. An interior room with no windows facing south or west, maybe a hall bathroom where you can turn the shower on cold to help cool that room. A window a/c unit would probably be the best choice, they are relatively cheap $80-150 and they do not run the electric bill up as much as most people think. I have a 4000sqft house with central a/c that I run only when I am at home (so off all day while I'm at work), and we have a window a/c unit for the gecko room that we run 24/7 during the summer for them set at 74-75 day & 70-71 night....our electric bill is only $145 month in summer.

Yoshi'smom · #3 09-03-2011, 08:13 PM

Yeah we've been thinking about getting a window AC. It seems like a beneficial thing for all the living things in our apartment. We are on the lowest level in our apartment except for the basement underneath us. I wouldn't trust putting anything down there where it's not locked up. For the most part its not too bad in this apartment. Thanks...

daggekko · #4 09-03-2011, 10:16 PM

Yes I can agree with the window AC. I lived in FL in a house with no central heat/air. All summer I ran mine and kept my room 74F. My roommate ran his and the one in the living room ran all the time as well. Our bill was a bit higher but that would be partly due to the fact that we had tons of reptiles and somewhere around 6 fish tanks/ponds.

If the window unit can't be done you could try ice cubes on the screen during the day. Might be a decent idea, but as I am thinking right now it could be a bad one too. Best bet would be getting a window unit!

Yoshi'smom · #5 09-04-2011, 10:00 AM

OK, Thanks guys. We've been thinking about getting one anyways, so I guess next summer is a better time than ever!

daggekko · #6 09-04-2011, 10:11 AM

I would try to find one during early fall/winter to see if you can't get one at a reduced price(since nobody uses ac during winter)! Or at least look at stores that sell them often to try to get the best price.

Yoshi'smom · #7 09-04-2011, 11:54 AM

Thanks will do! That makes sense!

**Hilde** · #8 09-04-2011, 03:55 PM

Even though they don't like temperatures close to 90°F, even in the wild they'll be faced with that. The average temperature you see for NC can be misleading, they do get hotter and cooler temperatures. The recommended 85°F is a comfortable temperature cut-off, not the lethal maximum. NC does see warmer stretches without mass wildlife die-off.

The weather here is roughly along the same lines as in Detroit (I'm about 80 miles west of Toronto). I don't have A/C, never had problems with any of the Rhacs since I started keeping them 15 years ago. They don't like it hot, but they can take it under the right conditions - hotter needs more humidity. If we're expecting temperatures close to the mid-80s I'll mist more often. Normally I do a light misting in the morning, heavier in the evening. During the summer I'll increase the morning misting to keep things more humid during the hot part of the day. If it gets closer to 90°F then I'll mist 3 times, but that extra misting is relatively light. There's no sign of heat stress with any of them, not even hatchlings, and breeding continues right through the heat waves.

Just don't keep the enclosure so wet that it grows mold. Good air circulation is mandatory. The humidity should drop between mistings as always, but the low point should be higher than it would be the rest of the year. As long as the humidity is generally higher during heat waves and they have access to drinking water if needed, they should be okay.

Yoshi'smom · #9 09-04-2011, 05:41 PM

Thanks Hilde! That's all very useful information. I know my Leo does fine with the heat I was just worried about killing my new little one not too long after I got it. Thanks again!

hexentanz · #10 09-05-2011, 04:52 AM

Here in Germany we have these great devices which switch lights, etc off when things get too warm. You simply plug it in to the wall and then plug the device you want to control in to it and set the temperature you would like the device to turn on and off at. There is usually a little reader on the side which can be placed in to the location you want to monitor. Basically its a well advanced timer which only turns on and off when it gets too warm.

http://www.tfa-dostmann.de/Produktfotos/37.3000_z.jpg

Not sure if these are available in the states, but it could help with the lack of AC issue.