Che wattage?

[Embrace Calamity]

What matters is that you cared enough to do the research and make any changes that needed to be made! Now it sounds like you're an expert! (Speaking of - know anything about armpit bubbles?! Lol)

Your dad sounds great! I'd have a zoo by now if I had a dad like that!

Not even close to an expert. I've just done a lot of reading, had a lot of discussions, and absorbed a lot of information. But there is still so much more for me to know.

I already have a zoo. 4 dogs, 10 cats, 3 geckos, 1 snake, 1 rat, and a horse. XD

As far as armpit bubbles, I dunno. I've heard they're either calcium or fat deposits (depending on who you ask), but I'm not a vet (and forgot to ask my vet about it), so I'm not gonna comment on that.

~Maggot

 

[Thin Lizzy]

The basic care of a leo IS quite simple. They can be kept in as simple of a set up as a small shoebox sized rubbermaid container with paper towel substrate and a piece of 3" flexwatt heat on a thermostat. One hide and a water dish.

No offence to those that chose to do this, and I'm sure it's the only way to go as a breeder, but to me there's no sense in having a pet if it's in a shoebox somewhere. JMHO.

I'm guilty of getting sucked in by some of the cheap crap from China. More of a time issue than a budget issue.:blushing:

 

[Embrace Calamity]

No offence to those that chose to do this, and I'm sure it's the only way to go as a breeder, but to me there's no sense in having a pet if it's in a shoebox somewhere. JMHO.

I agree with you, though I don't think they're really "pets" to people who do that. They're more commodities.

~Maggot

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks! I guess I haven't got that far yet... The first 25 Posts must have tired me out. How come I could only find the articles that said how easy and simple Leo's were to care for prior to jumping in? My bad... I guess I didn't dig quite deep enough. Though I did buy a book, an app and read through numerous care sheets; noe were quite as comprehensive as the one here.

I agree!! Before getting my gecko, I borrowed about three books from the library and spent tons of time online doing research - thankfully I found this site. (FYI when I first read the caresheet I didn't realize all five pages of the thread were part of it too! :lol

:idea: Keep a print-out right next to your bed! At least the Leo Caresheet will be a good sedative :yahoo:.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Calcium / Vitamin Confusion

:idea: Keep a print-out right next to your bed! At least the Leo Caresheet will be a good sedative :yahoo:.

It's a fabulous compilation of information, the majority of which I have no problems getting through. I'm a little confused by all of the calcium and vitamin information... D3, no D3, beta carotene vs vitamin A, when to dust which combination.. it's all a little mind boggling, so many options.

My little guy came from an owner that did none of the above. She stuck a UTH on a tank with one hide and fed crickets, that's it. So I'm kind of amazed he's as healthy as he is, though I hear that problems only show up years later so we'll wait and see.

In the meantime, I have ZooMed RetiCalcium [pure calcium] which I've been offering all the time in a bowl. I haven't started dusting any of his feeders yet, but I do gut load the crickets and mealworms with Flukers High Calcium.
Now I have Exo Terra MultiVitamin & Calcium that came with a starter tank I bought, but looking at the ingredients, I think I'm gonna toss them. I also am picking up my order for Rep-Cal Ultrafine Calcium with D3 and Herpivite today, which after reading your Care Sheet I'm almost ready to return. I'm sooo confused. I just want to get it right the first time.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

The point is that there are many different correct ways to care for a leo and some are easier than others. Especially with a very hardy species like leos, you'll find a wide range of advice and care techniques because they are very versatile animals that can deal with it. In other species that are more delicate, there is often less room for variation. One certainly doesn't need to spend $370 on a leo if they want to go a more simplistic, less expensive route, but one could spend thousands if they wanted to get really fancy. Neither is necessarily more correct than the other.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Received my new 16W ZooMed UTH, CHE and other treasures yesterday. I returned my crappy EXO TERRA UTH, thankfully getting my full money back. I've kept my smaller ZooMed 8W UTH as a backup. With the UTH alone, I got my temp up to 86-88 but no higher. Which I had plugged into the HydroFarm Digital Thermostat. I added the ZooMed 100 Watt CHE and the temps quickly climbed up to my 90Deg setting plus. The HydroFarm would then shut them both down and the temps would drop to 88 before the HydroTemp would power them up again, but the temps would continue to drop and degree or two before it would come back up. Therefore I was getting a 6 degree swing as the system would cycle on and off. Not too happy with that. So I scratched my head and tried to figure out a way to dial in the temps without so much fluctuation. Since the UTH alone only brings the temp up to 86-88, I decided to plug it directly in to the wall to keep it on until I got the CHE dialed in. My ZooMed dome has a dimmer but no indicator lines. I first put a paint mark at full off and full on, then proceeded to dial in the temp until it maintained between 90 and 92, with the Thermostat set at 92. This way I have the dimmer limiting the CHE as a secondary safeguard. Glad it's a long weekend so I can monitor the temps closely. Once I've got everything dialed in, I'll plug the UTH back in to thermostat as a fail safe in case the ambient temperature start to creep as well, especially with spring coming. I also plan to shut down the CHE at night.

Whew!!! That's a lot of tweaking. Thanks fully once I get it set up there should only be minor seasonal tweaks required.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Thanks to Ethan for your solid advice.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Received my new 16W ZooMed UTH, CHE and other treasures yesterday. I returned my crappy EXO TERRA UTH, thankfully getting my full money back. I've kept my smaller ZooMed 8W UTH as a backup. With the UTH alone, I got my temp up to 86-88 but no higher. Which I had plugged into the HydroFarm Digital Thermostat. I added the ZooMed 100 Watt CHE and the temps quickly climbed up to my 90Deg setting plus. The HydroFarm would then shut them both down and the temps would drop to 88 before the HydroTemp would power them up again, but the temps would continue to drop and degree or two before it would come back up. Therefore I was getting a 6 degree swing as the system would cycle on and off. Not too happy with that. So I scratched my head and tried to figure out a way to dial in the temps without so much fluctuation. Since the UTH alone only brings the temp up to 86-88, I decided to plug it directly in to the wall to keep it on until I got the CHE dialed in. My ZooMed dome has a dimmer but no indicator lines. I first put a paint mark at full off and full on, then proceeded to dial in the temp until it maintained between 90 and 92, with the Thermostat set at 92. This way I have the dimmer limiting the CHE as a secondary safeguard. Glad it's a long weekend so I can monitor the temps closely. Once I've got everything dialed in, I'll plug the UTH back in to thermostat as a fail safe in case the ambient temperature start to creep as well, especially with spring coming. I also plan to shut down the CHE at night.

Whew!!! That's a lot of tweaking. Thanks fully once I get it set up there should only be minor seasonal tweaks required.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Thanks to Ethan for your solid advice.

Any other suggestions to handle these large temp swings? Maybe something I'm overlooking.

PS: My $6 analog thermometer is keeping pace with my digital thermostat within 1 degree. Guess it doesn't always have to be expensive to work.

 

[mecoat]

I'm getting a lower wattage CHE, as I was getting the same thing but bigger (84-100+ in about 1 min) with my 100w even on a thermostat, not good! I've ordered a 25W on the assumption that it is better on most of the time, then switching off for a little, than on for about 1 minute then off for ages while the temps drop. Much smoother temp gradient. It hasn't arrived yet, but I can let you know how it goes if you want. (BTW in case your worried for my baby, I've unplugged the CHE, better just to leave hime with the UTH on a thermostat set to 92 with slightly cold air than air so baking hot he goes down the other end of the tank then gets too cold).

 

[Thin Lizzy]

I'm getting a lower wattage CHE, as I was getting the same thing but bigger (84-100+ in about 1 min) with my 100w even on a thermostat, not good! I've ordered a 25W on the assumption that it is better on most of the time, then switching off for a little, than on for about 1 minute then off for ages while the temps drop. Much smoother temp gradient. It hasn't arrived yet, but I can let you know how it goes if you want. (BTW in case your worried for my baby, I've unplugged the CHE, better just to leave hime with the UTH on a thermostat set to 92 with slightly cold air than air so baking hot he goes down the other end of the tank then gets too cold).

Having the CHE on a dimmer really helped a lot. I was able to get the full belly heat from the UTH and restrict the CHE power so it wouldn't max out and trip the Thermostat. I would highly recommend it.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Any other suggestions to handle these large temp swings? Maybe something I'm overlooking.

PS: My $6 analog thermometer is keeping pace with my digital thermostat within 1 degree. Guess it doesn't always have to be expensive to work.

It's my understanding that new equipment can sometimes take a few days to even out. I can't personally say this is definitely true, but that's what I've been told.

Analogs are often fine for a period of time, but after a while, they start to crap out. The problem with them is that they need to be kept calibrated weekly to remain accurate (if you've ever worked in food service, you'll be familiar with this).

~Maggot

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I'm getting a lower wattage CHE, as I was getting the same thing but bigger (84-100+ in about 1 min) with my 100w even on a thermostat, not good! I've ordered a 25W on the assumption that it is better on most of the time, then switching off for a little, than on for about 1 minute then off for ages while the temps drop. Much smoother temp gradient. It hasn't arrived yet, but I can let you know how it goes if you want. (BTW in case your worried for my baby, I've unplugged the CHE, better just to leave hime with the UTH on a thermostat set to 92 with slightly cold air than air so baking hot he goes down the other end of the tank then gets too cold).

With the 6 degree plus F difference you report before the thermostat kicks in, I wonder whether your thermostat is malfunctioning. What does the fine print for your thermostat indicate?

The overhead heating/and if lighting can be set on a timer to go off at night. Just keep the UTH on 24/7.

 

[mecoat]

With the 6 degree plus F difference you report before the thermostat kicks in, I wonder whether your thermostat is malfunctioning. What does the fine print for your thermostat indicate?

The overhead heating/and if lighting can be set on a timer to go off at night. Just keep the UTH on 24/7.

I think the problem was the wattage on the CHE, it just upped the temps so quickly the thermostat didn't get a chance to react. That's why I've got a lower one on order. I will be checking closely with the new one though in case it was the thermostat. Both light and CHE are on a timer too.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

I think the problem was the wattage on the CHE, it just upped the temps so quickly the thermostat didn't get a chance to react. That's why I've got a lower one on order. I will be checking closely with the new one though in case it was the thermostat. Both light and CHE are on a timer too.

I agree, with my CHE on a dimmer I am am now able to control the temps within a couple degrees. 100 watt CHE simply increases the temps too fast.

The HydroFarm thermostat has an accuracy of +/- 2 degrees.

 

[ebross67]

The problem was that you were running the thermostat on two different heating sources. You should have a separate thermostat on each heating device. Set the UTH to 92 and set the CHE to 80. You wont have any fluctuation issues, even if you had a 200W CHE. I have the HerpKeeper from Digital Aquatics and it's the best multifunction controller out there in my opinion. I can run multiple controlled temp probes. It has a relative humidity sensor. It has a multiple light functions, but the best part is it has a day and night setting to simulate cycling temperatures.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

Just a quick update and question... I was able to stabilize my warm side ground temps withing a couple degrees by Keeping my UTH on all the time and keeping the CHE on the HydroFarm. However, with the upcoming weather changes my indoor temps will soon be fluctuating much more, so in an effort to further stabilize the air temps I have followed ebross's advice and acquired another HydroFarm thermostat for the UTH as well.

My temps are now fluctuating again. My UTH thermostat probe is located in the dry warm side hide and the CHE thermostat is about 4 inches from the ground on the warm side. It seems that the added resistance of the thermostat further restricts my UTH temperature, maxing out around 86-87 Deg. If I set me CHE thermostat at 80 my ground temps continue to increase even after my UTH thermostat has shut down. Most likely due to our cool house temperatures [65] and the fact that A CHE is radiant heat that warms objects more than it warms the air.

Does any one else have this problem? Is there a problem with me lowering the air temp thermostat to say 76?