Question regarding undertank heaters

[toast]

Howdy all

Well, I'm getting back into the lizard scene and have seen many suggestions as to heating sources. I run a ten gallon (soon to be 20) for my single leopard. He's moderate sized (about 73g) just to give you an idea about him. I purchased a Zoomed 10-20 gallon UTH and placed in on his hot side. Now, obviously the thermometer I mounted on the hotside won't pick up the exact temp of the cage, but is it close? It reads about 82 degrees. I worry its too cold. Now I have and over head 100 w ceramic heater on top and the gauge reads about 94 eg. Is this over kill? I notice he's on the cooler side more than ever now. Please someone tell me if the UTH is sufficient enough for him or if I need to just use the overhead. Thanks so much

Jason

 

[monkeygirl]

you should get a thermomether with probe as its probably hot enough without the lamp? try measuring the floor temp with a probe thermomiter and see what you get

 

[[Username]]

If your having problems getting an accurate temp you can buy a lazer temp gun at everythingreptilesupply.com or LLLreptiles. They're not that expensive either. If he's always on the cool side it prolly means that its too hot on the warm side but only an accurate temp reading could tell you that.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

If your wall mounted thermometer reads 94, your ground temp is probably exceeding 100. Those do not measure the correct temp at all. When my tiles reach 91, my air temp shows close to 80. There is way too big of a difference for you to use that method. The easiest and safest way to fix this problem is to get a thermostat. You can set the thermostat to a certain temp and it will regulate it on its own. At that point, a thermometer is only backup, and once it proves to work correctly, you won't need to be checking the temps constantly to make sure they are ok. I recommend the Alife or ESU (same product). It has worked great for me and many others and it is only about $25 shipped on eBay.

Please someone tell me if the UTH is sufficient enough for him or if I need to just use the overhead. Thanks so much

Jason

It is more the other way around. You need to give him belly heat. Ambient temp barely affects them at all. The belly heat is what they use to thermoregulate and digest food. It is much more important. The only reason you would NEED a overhead lamp is if the room is very cold and the UTH doesn't get high enough, or for your personal viewing. If you do use an overhead lamp, make sure it is a red, blue, or black light, because bright lights will stress your leo out. Hope that helps.

 

[ReptileMan27]

Belly heat is the most important for heating leos, it helps with digestion etc.. A UTH or heatmat is a must, nocturnal lights can be used for additional heat if needed.

 

[toast]

Wow, thanks for the help everyone. I'll make sure I probe the floor to see what its at. I'll also look into buying a thermostat. I had purchased the Zoomed rheostat but it doesn't seem to work that well. I need to step it up and buy something decent. Again, thanks to everyone who responded, I really appreciate it