Am I worried about the temps too much?

[Dragonemperess]

I have a tendency to be a worry wort when it comes to those under my care. It’s winter and the apartment... isn’t the best. It gets really cold and there is no heating except for turning on the stove, which is obviously not the safest thing in the world to do overnight. I’m used to this, we’ve endured for years and we are lucky we live in California. But now i have a gecko baby to worry about. I woke up to the red glow of an LED display that said 84.1 for the warm side. I immediately flipped on the CHE. I am worried about Sahyuvonnos (Sahyu for short) not getting enough belly heat to digest. What is the lowest temp that the warm side can go before it becomes a problem? Not like I intend to let it get that low, but for peace of mind. The tank is lined with slate tile and at this point I am considering removing them. (except for the poop one of course) My little Sahyu is only about 3 months old (a guess), so i want them to be able to take in all of their nutrients.

 

[acpart]

Was the 84 on the floor of the enclosure or in the air? I worry less about winter temp than other people. As long as I can get a reading on the floor in the low 90's I don't worry about the air temp. That means that on the coldest days some of the geckos may either spend most of the time inside their warm hides (which trap air that gets warmed from the cage floor) or may go to the cool side and brumate themselves (some of my geckos do this).

Aliza

 

[Dragonemperess]

It was 84 in the warm hide on the floor. Also, if i leave the CHE on, the air temps get to the lower 80s easily even if the warm floor temps are still trying to get up. For that reason, I am a bit wary of hooking my CHE up to my thermostat. Gonna try to see what happens if I lift the CHE up with some slate tile overnight (with the occasional checking of course.)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

It was 84 in the warm hide on the floor. Also, if i leave the CHE on, the air temps get to the lower 80s easily even if the warm floor temps are still trying to get up. For that reason, I am a bit wary of hooking my CHE up to my thermostat. Gonna try to see what happens if I lift the CHE up with some slate tile overnight (with the occasional checking of course.)

An overall temp drop to ~67*F at night is perfectly fine for your leo. If it's cooler than that leave your UTH on 24/7. The vivarium's warm end should reach 88-92*F during the day.

Consider a rheostat for your CHE or a second thermostat. The Lutron company makes a good one. That would be necessary, because both a UTH and the CHE are set for different temps.

 

[Dragonemperess]

Good to know that my gecko baby isn’t as fragile as I treat them. The lifting the CHE with slate worked out well for the problem. It gives it space to let some heat escape, so it doesn’t get up to 84 air on the warm side. Thank you for your assistance. I guess I should stop worrying so much.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

The tank is lined with slate tile and at this point I am considering removing them. (except for the poop one of course) My little Sahyu is only about 3 months old (a guess), so i want them to be able to take in all of their nutrients.

Good to know that my gecko baby isn’t as fragile as I treat them. The lifting the CHE with slate worked out well for the problem. It gives it space to let some heat escape, so it doesn’t get up to 84 air on the warm side. Thank you for your assistance. I guess I should stop worrying so much.

You're quite welcome!

Don't remove any slate tile substrate! What if the under tank heat mat went on the fritz? You wouldn't want to toast Sahyu's toes.

Keep the air temp no warmer than 82ish.

Last I checked Home Depot sells Lutron dimmers/rheostats.

 

[Dragonemperess]

Thank you for the assistance, I think I have a temporary bettering of the situation in place. I got an extension cord and attached it to the thermostat, so now the CHE and heat mat are both attached to the thermostat. it definitely isn’t perfect, I still have to watch the air temps with my air temp thermometer and switch the CHE off if things look to hot in there. But at least the CHE will shut off with the heat mat when it reaches the limit. That, and its great insurance incase I forget to turn the CHE off (again). I also have the CHE held up with two layers of unused slate with a space in between so that all of the air isn’t directed into the tank. That helps a lot with the air temps. I just switch it off at night since 84 at night isn’t deadly (thanks for that, btw)
So far Sahyu is healthy. Great appetite, alert and curious, normal poops, and now weighs 24 grams from the 8 grams I got them as in October. :yahoo: They even crawled up my shoulder after I played with them a bit after their weigh in! Too bad I still have to deal with the hypnotic puppy eyes that say one more cricket please. I can barely fight it off.

 

[Dragonemperess]

Thanks for the 82 air temp knowledge. I deal in solid numbers when it comes to understanding stuff and I was looking for that.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks for the 82 air temp knowledge. I deal in solid numbers when it comes to understanding stuff and I was looking for that.

You're welcome. I feel warm air space benefits leos.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

......So far Sahyu is healthy. Great appetite, alert and curious, normal poops, and now weighs 24 grams from the 8 grams I got them as in October. They even crawled up my shoulder after I played with them a bit after their weigh in! Too bad I still have to deal with the hypnotic puppy eyes that say one more cricket please. I can barely fight it off.

"I can barely fight it off." :lol:

Sahyu seems to be growing exceptionally well! :cheer:

Have you 2 leos?

 

[Dragonemperess]

Nope. Sahyuvonnos is my first and only gecko baby. I am actually a bit worried about their rate of growth. A 10 gallon was fine and I made it work since they were so... runty as I affectionately dubbed it. I’m sure that they would never catch anything in a 20 gal. But now they are over 5 inches with their tail already. They grew way faster than I expected. They can also catch crickets like they’re in the Olympics! That “what they can eat in 15 minutes" thing would have resulted in a pudgy baby. Now getting a new table that can fit them is a much higher priority. XD I am so glad that Ikea is a thing. I can’t see anything going wrong with that...

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Nope. Sahyuvonnos is my first and only gecko baby. I am actually a bit worried about their rate of growth. A 10 gallon was fine and I made it work since they were so... runty as I affectionately dubbed it. I’m sure that they would never catch anything in a 20 gal. But now they are over 5 inches with their tail already. They grew way faster than I expected. They can also catch crickets like they’re in the Olympics! That “what they can eat in 15 minutes" thing would have resulted in a pudgy baby. Now getting a new table that can fit them is a much higher priority. XD I am so glad that Ikea is a thing. I can’t see anything going wrong with that...

How come you chose Sahyuvonnos for your leo's name? I'm interested.

Have you tried sexing your leo? He/she might be ready!

Sexing Leopard Geckos Leopard geckos become sexable at about 6 months old. Males can be distinguished from females by a distinct v-shaped row of pores and by bulges right under the vent.

• Click: Sexing Leopard Geckos

Maybe your leo could get a Christmas upgrade to a 20 gallon long: 30 x 12 x 12 inches? Your leo will love all that space. Once the new enclosure is set up, I can't see why you'd need to lift it.

 

[Dragonemperess]

Sahyuvonnos is a name I came up using the Dragon naming system in Elder Scrolls Skyrim By taking 3 words that described them. Sah= Phantom(Because of their ability to disappear or teleport when I take my eyes off of them for one second, making me doubt they were ever there.) Yuvon= Golden (They are a pretty, golden color.) Nos= Strike (Sahyu is a very good hunter. I pity the prey that goes in there with them).

I actually tried checking their gender today. I wasn’t sure about what I saw, so I will try again tomorrow. Of course I may actually be in denial of Sahyu being a girl. Nothing against girls, but just the thought of egg-binding terrifies me. I have a very strong urge to get Sahyu spayed just so that it doesn’t happen. I keep a very moist humid hide, so that shouldn’t be a problem, but what-ifs always go through my mind. Also, is Eco Earth okay for the humid hide, or should I get something else? Sahyu loves digging in it, but if it can cause them health problems, then I will find something else for them.

With the 20 gallon or med low exo terra, I was planning to get it for Sahyu when we finally moved out of these crappy, hazardous apartments as a sort of symbolism. Silly me, I didn’t think Sahyu would grow THAT fast. I should have known, little human kids outgrow their clothing fast too. Unfortunately, as much as I want to (and I definitely plan to) get them a 20 gallon set up, I have to play it safe for Sahyu. The temps are currently very low in my area and we have no heating except turning on the stove, a dangerous thing to do, considering what happened to the warehouse... No portable heaters either since Dad thinks they are dangerous. I’m happy when I see temps above 86f on Sahyu’s warm side thermostat. The poor thing is on all of the time now. Even the CHE isn’t really enough anymore. A smaller enclosure is easier to heat up. So Sahyu is gonna have to wait till the temps get warmer or we finally get a new apartment. Then we shall celebrate with cake and waxworms!

Do you think I should remove the slate and wait for the temps to cool down to an acceptable level (which will happen REALLY quick) before putting Sahyu back in? At this point, I would not mind using shelf liner, as long as Sahyu gets back to being nice and toasty. I worry about their digestion at these temps.

 

[Dragonemperess]

Sahyu is a girl. I’ve come to terms with it and the fear of eggbinding. Sahyu is unfortunately still in her 10gal that she is definitely too big for now due to Layoffs. We have to make sure that we have a place to keep the heat mat running in the first place. But things have gotten a little less dire, so I hope I can finally get my baby the room she deserves. I’ve been playing with her to make up for the lack of room, but she loves climbing and exploring a little too much. She also thinks she can fly, to my heart’s detriment. Thats despite the cold making her brumate a bit. I’m getting her a leash as soon as I can, not for outside, but because she loves making a break for the unexplored parts of the apartment. There is a reason those parts are unexplored, my silly baby. :lol: Is it fine to put a piece of aluminum foil under her tank to redirect the heat? Its gotten even colder and I am back in paranoid mom mode. To top it off, the CHE takes way too long to affect the slate temps and makes the temps uncomfortably hot for my princess. I have the aluminum at the ready and am ready to put some under it if it is okay. I have a feeling that some of the heat is being absorbed by the wooden table. The Flukers heat mat is taped up against the glass. I'd put a sheet under the heat mat on the wooden table. The heat should bounce back up and make the bottom of the tank warmer. I also have a thermostat for the warm side, so it shouldn’t make it too hot. That’s my theory on it anyway... But you guys are more experienced with this. Don’t wanna cause a fire, this is pretty much the only apartment we can barely afford, after all. :lol: Thought of wrapping my blanket around the tank, but Sahyu is WAY better off than I am. I’d just freeze to death overnight. She at least has the envious gift of some warmth. How wrong is it to be jealous of your pet, anyway?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Sahyu is a girl. I’ve come to terms with it and the fear of eggbinding. Sahyu is unfortunately still in her 10gal that she is definitely too big for now due to Layoffs. We have to make sure that we have a place to keep the heat mat running in the first place. But things have gotten a little less dire, so I hope I can finally get my baby the room she deserves. I’ve been playing with her to make up for the lack of room, but she loves climbing and exploring a little too much. She also thinks she can fly, to my heart’s detriment. Thats despite the cold making her brumate a bit. I’m getting her a leash as soon as I can, not for outside, but because she loves making a break for the unexplored parts of the apartment. There is a reason those parts are unexplored, my silly baby. :lol: Is it fine to put a piece of aluminum foil under her tank to redirect the heat? Its gotten even colder and I am back in paranoid mom mode. To top it off, the CHE takes way too long to affect the slate temps and makes the temps uncomfortably hot for my princess. I have the aluminum at the ready and am ready to put some under it if it is okay. I have a feeling that some of the heat is being absorbed by the wooden table. The Flukers heat mat is taped up against the glass. I'd put a sheet under the heat mat on the wooden table. The heat should bounce back up and make the bottom of the tank warmer. I also have a thermostat for the warm side, so it shouldn’t make it too hot. That’s my theory on it anyway... But you guys are more experienced with this. Don’t wanna cause a fire, this is pretty much the only apartment we can barely afford, after all. :lol: Thought of wrapping my blanket around the tank, but Sahyu is WAY better off than I am. I’d just freeze to death overnight. She at least has the envious gift of some warmth. How wrong is it to be jealous of your pet, anyway?

How warm is your heat mat getting? What temp is the room where your enclosure sits? Heat mats can only do so much.

Sure you can place aluminum foil on the table underneath the heat mat.

You might get a dimmer/rheostat for the CHE. Home Depot carries these. They don't cost much.

 

[Dragonemperess]

:biggrin: I managed something. I brought a new pack of slate and put an extra layer up on the slate that I have holding the CHE up. The air temps are now at 78 and Sahyu is out basking in the glorious temps.:king: Lucky gal... I say that our temps are at at least 50 F since I am feeling generous. No heating except for the stove and thin walls. Thanks for letting me know that I can use those home depot dimmers, I wasn’t fully sure.