Heat control day/night

[chkelly]

First post! These forums have been a great help while setting up a Leo enclosure for my son!

I am using repti heat cable under a 10 gallon enclosure with a screen lid and repti carpet .Temp as measured right over the heater on the carpet with an alcohol "floating" aquarium thermometer laid right on the ground is 90 with the warm hide a real rock cave (sterilized from the yard) I made registering 85. The Leo moves back and forth between the rock cave and a sheltered area (basically a rock overhang) where she can put her tummy right on the floor. We also have a cool hide and a moist hide that is half on the "cool" side and half over the warm which she hasn't shown any interest in yet (only had her a few days.

I know I need to get a rheostat product but want to find the one that will "do it all" or at least as well as I can find. Is there a product with a timer which can have different rheostat settings in conjunction with a timer to be used with the same heat source? ie low/off at night and medium/high day. What I am basically describing would work like the digital thermostat we use in our house for controlling the furnace-different target temps based on time of day?

I am going to try to attach a picture of our new female Leo- Freckles. Anyone know the morph, I think SHT..but not sure.

Thanks

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

What you want is a thermostat, not a rheostat. A rheostat is nothing more than a simple dimmer switch which you have to adjust yourself to the proper temperature. A thermostat regulates itself and adjusts the temp as needed. To answer your question, there are thermostats that can be set for day/night temp differences. They tend to be fairly expensive, but it's a nice feature to have. Here's a good example of one: Herp Power Digital Proportional Thermostat for Controlling Temperature In Reptile Cages

 

[bpdfs]

I still havent gotten a Thermostat yet, working on it. I got one of thoe heat guns but it keeps saying the sand is 110 or around that.. I just dont get it because I touch it and it is not that hot to touch, just warm. im confused on how it says its that Hot. since its that hot, That is why I only keep the red light on for 5 hours then shut it off 5 hours.