Temp question and illness

[Saphira]

ok so after the other thread in GD about temps.. my mind is reeling.

Scully is still sick. She still has issue's with her eyes. She still just lays around. I am still syringe feeding her. She sheds and poops about ever other week.

I have kept her temps about 95-98 on the warm side and 80 on the cool side. She stays on the warm side almost all the time. Every once in a while she goes to the cool side. She is in a 20 gallon tank and it takes me the UTH, red bulb, & a heat lamp(no light) to keep the temps that high...

 

[LeapinLizards]

Is it possible she has very sensitive eyes, and that the red light is irritating to her? I know that back in the day when I made the mistake of getting a UV bulb for a few of my geckos tanks, they all were constantly squinting and didn't like to open their eyes. Also, what is your substrate?

 

[Saphira]

the eye problem arose in April.. She had been under the light before that for over a year with no problem.

 

[Leopardgeckosunlimited]

What are you using to take your temps w/? I recommend using a temp gun and/or a digital thermometer w/ probe to get a accurate raeding. I think the temps are just a little high. I'd recommend not using the heat bulb or just one or the other and IMO the UTH are better and safer- not that the heat bulbs can't work great when careful motering the temps, I still use one sometimes as the only source of heat though. The UTH is pletnty and doesn't really change w. air temps like the bulb. So I find w/ the UTH there's no reason to use any other source of heat- unless your room temp is very low for some reason- but the bulbs do dry out the tanks too- and the average room temp is perfect for the gecko's cool side. If the temps are really higher then you think she may also be over heated and dehydrated. Just a Thought......I keep my heat at 90-92 and cool side is room temp on average at 75 my gecko's are on the 3rd floor so it gets HOT in the summer, so to keep the room temp low I have to run the AC- and for the Incubators of coarse. They're enclosures are also set up so they get all the temps inbetween as well. Hope you find this helpful, good luck!

 

[Saphira]

I bought a probe thermometer yesterday. It says 90-92 w/o the heat lamps...and 95-97 with the heat lamps. I have it sitting right above the UTH. I also have dials on the side of the tank for temp and humidity and the sticky strips on several sides.....

She stays in the hot side of the tank so I am wonder if she prefers it... she will occasionally go to the cool side but not a lot.

 

[Saphira]

ok so I put the probe directly on top of the glass above the UTH no lights on and carpet on top of it and it reads 107.7..... WHAT?? The strips on the glass read 90 or so...

Where does the probe go??

 

[gothra]

You need to put the probe on the hottest spot of the tank floor. 107.7 is WAY TOO HOT! Turn down your heating source so the temp is not over 95.

 

[Saphira]

it isnt that hot above the carpet just below it... (scratch head)

it is 94 on top of the carpet above the UTH

also..I don't know how I can change the temp of the UTH...

 

[Saphira]

GRRR I left the lights off last night and just left the UTH on...She was cold this am when I went in there.... the probe said the temp was about 84....that wasn't directly on the uth but very close to it... she wasn't laying where it was warm. she was in her humid hide which is in-between the hot and cool side....

 

[Saphira]

I left the red light on last night and the temp said 94 this a.m....

 

[Saphira]

so after raising the tank up a few inches and leaving the AC on all night the temp read 93 this morning. As soon as I turned the AC off ( it is 61 in here this morning) the temp went back up to 110... Something seems fishy. The temps on all the other thermometers aren't reading that high and if it was that high wouldn't she be hiding at the cool end of the tank and not laying on top of it.

 

[JordanAng420]

Rachael,
Sounds like your head might soon spin around, kinda like in the movie The Exorcist...:main_laugh:

It was a good idea to raise the tank up higher.... UTH's are kinda screwy and they take some working with to get the temps correct. One of the things you might want to consider (I strongly recommend it) is a good proportional thermostat...Helix has a great one but it's expensive, and I know a few of the senior members here use a good one by Big Apple. Once you get the temperature established (I'd say 94 degrees for the hot spot, plus or minus 2 degrees)...the thermostats can take up to a week or so to really start evening things out but once it does your temperature isssue will be solved.

I was thinking the same thing Heather first mentioned as far as her eyes go...she might have just decided all of a sudden that it's too much light combined with the temp fluctuations...you've had her on the "big guns" as far as antibiotics go and your humidity doesn't seem to be a problem. If you want to continue using overhead heat in addition to the heat from the UTH, you can buy a 60 watt ceramic bulb that emits only heat, no light but I think this might just make your temps too high.

Even with her temps off as they have been, she should be at least a LITTLE bit hungry...have you tried a large variety of insects? There's all kinds of stuff out there: crickets, supers, roaches, silkworms, waxworms, butterworms (this is the new favorite at my house), Phoenixworms, tomato worms...keep trying to feed her the actual insects & make sure her cage is dark when you do...maybe she's gotten used to the syringe feeding & she's hungry for a worm or two by now? It's a long shot, but not impossible Let me know how she does:main_thumbsup:

 

[Saphira]

I did kind of make her eat a worm the other day. she didn't really want it and spit it back at me several times before she swallowed it. She would have no more after that though.

The uth seems to be doing just fine at the moment as long as I am careful to watch how warm/cold that room gets. I am only using the red bulb at night and no longer needing the ceramic heat..I had no idea at the time that the UTH was getting as hot as it is..the poor thing was probably way too warm. the temp on the top of the cage is reading several degrees below the UTH..but if the UTH is what matters the I think we are ok.... so freaking confusing. I just want my baby better.

Where is the best place to get worms? I bought some at the petstore and they are itty bitty... really pathetic.

Thanks Maia for looking.

 

[JordanAng420]

You're always welcome I gave up on Petstore worms. Cups of "500 mealworms" end up meaning 25 live worms that are dying, and 475 stiff, black dead ones. I just ordered from here http://mulberryfarms.com/index.html and I couldn't be happier... you get the amount you ask for and they're all thriving...they have a live arrival guarantee so long as you're home when your order arrives...and they have a huge selection as far as variety goes...

Let us know how she does

 

[Saphira]

So I tried to order from that website and they want me to spend at least $15 before they can complete my transaction. Are all websites like that? She hasn't been eating and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something she may not eat.... ya know...

ideas?