104*F help ASAP

[usarmy0101]

okay today i got a UTH and installed it well i had it on without the red light and the temp was about 90 ish. well all my gecko did today is sleep so its about 7 pm so i turned on his red light WOW he woke right up and walked under his log but here my PROMBLE the heat gauge jumped to 104
WHAT SHOULD I DO
pics

this is with only the heat pad on during the day

this is a picture after i turned the red light on

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Turn off the red light. LOL He doesn't need it. If you want to view your gecko, buy a lamp that can sit away from the tank so it won't heat up, or go florescent.

 

[usarmy0101]

so the only heat he needs will come from the hat pad

 

[Nick44]

86-88 degrees F is the ideal temp anyway with just the heatpad it is around the proper temp. The light is not needed. Geckos dont need the UV light bc they are nocternal. If you need the red light for viewing, buy one for that purpose, not a heat bulb. The flourecent coil bulbs save alot of energy too so i recommend getting 1 of those.

 

[packs_fan]

Yea if you have a local walmart nearby they usually supply party lights thats where i got mine. It rose the temp a few degrees and if you want you could put like 3 c clamps on the fixture to raise it up some. That will even reduce the heat of the bulb in the tank as well.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Turn off the red light. LOL

Agreed!

 

[usarmy0101]

when is said 105 F the themro was on the heat pad with the light on so i moved the thormo off the pad and with the light on it reads 95 on the hot side and the cool side 75

 

[Grinning Geckos]

If you have them both on you'll cook your gecko. Trust us, you don't need the light. The 90 degrees with the heat pad is perfect and all the gecko needs. Moving the location of the thermostat only changes where it was reading, not the fact that it got to 105 on the surface. That's WAY too hot!

 

[MSMD]

Keep the light off! Your temps look perfect with just the UTH. You want the thermometer probe right on top of the UTH to get an accurate reading.

105 degrees is way too warm. It could cause severe health problems with your little one....from MBD to possible death.

 

[Lep-Gecko]

i have a heat pad too but i wrapped paper towl around it so it doesnt get too warm. would you suggest me to do that ? cause with the lamp on the little plastic thermometer strip stuck to the glass on the side shows more than 86...thats the max it can show...

 

[packs_fan]

You do not need to have the lamp on turn it off. Take the paper towels off the heat pad you should not have to do that. You also need to get a thermometer that can read higher than that. Just get a digital probe. There is no need to have both on.

 

[Lep-Gecko]

so it is either the heat lamp (clearly a lot lot hotter than the heat pad) or the heat pad ?
I just dont want him to get his belly burned. he is sitting on it right now so i guess he likes it like that

 

[RepGurl]

They cant feel direct heat, only the ambient heat of the air around them. He could be burning his tummy and not know it. Lights get hotter, but they also effect more of the tank and don't give the good belly heat geckos need. It is best to use a big enough heat pad so you have a gradient from the hot to the cool side. You shouldn't have to wrap it in anything (it should be on the outside of the tank). Turn off the light.

 

[AntMan612]

I have wasted money myself on red heat lamps. Someone in your earlier post mentioned putting the red bulb on a dimmer switch to reduce the wattage.

http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=28412

That may help, but you might have a harder time if you're using it for viewing. You can buy compact fluorescent bulbs very cheaply, but you'll have to be sure to turn them off when not needed for viewing, or install a timer. If the fluorescent bulb bothers your gecko too much, another option is a low wattage colored party bulb.