Advice on temperatures

Hhollylouise

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So i have a 6 month old baby hermann , i have two heat gages both electrical and very accurate at either end of my enclosure and one under the basking bulb , they all seem to work great until i noticed the one under the bask bulb says its 40 degrees celsius straight under but im currently running a temperature thermostat that turns the basking bulb off it gets over 34 which it is yet to do , should i just follow the thermostat instead of the little plastic temperature gauge as it was only cheap , ive heard people have thermostats that dim the light etc is this worth getting any advice would be great or should i just keep my thermostat which turns it on and off depending if it gets to hot , my basking bulb is 150 watts this is what i was recommend in the uk as its very cold here and the temperature for the on / off is right where the basking spot is
 
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Maggie3fan

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So i have a 6 month old baby hermann , i have two heat gages both electrical and very accurate at either end of my enclosure and one under the basking bulb , they all seem to work great until i noticed the one under the bask bulb says its 40 degrees celsius straight under but im currently running a temperature thermostat that turns the basking bulb off it gets over 34 which it is yet to do , should i just follow the thermostat instead of the little plastic temperature gauge as it was only cheap , ive heard people have thermostats that dim the light etc is this worth getting any advice would be great or should i just keep my thermostat which turns it on and off depending if it gets to hot , my basking bulb is 150 watts this is what i was recommend in the uk as its very cold here and the temperature for the on / off is right where the basking spot is
I think 40 degrees Celsius is about 103 Fahrenheit...Even under a basking bulb I'd be afraid that's too hot for a baby. He needs a closed chamber and a different basking bulb. Is that bulb a flood type? I understand about cold as I am in the PNW. That's just me...a 5 mth old basking bulb should be closer to 65 watts. I'll get corrected if I'm wrong...lol
 

Hhollylouise

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I think 40 degrees Celsius is about 103 Fahrenheit...Even under a basking bulb I'd be afraid that's too hot for a baby. He needs a closed chamber and a different basking bulb. Is that bulb a flood type? I understand about cold as I am in the PNW. That's just me...a 5 mth old basking bulb should be closer to 65 watts. I'll get corrected if I'm wrong...lol
Thank you ive just gone out and bought a 65 watt instead im hoping this helps hes in an enclosure thats have covered if that makes sense for humidity
 

Ray--Opo

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Thank you ive just gone out and bought a 65 watt instead im hoping this helps hes in an enclosure thats have covered if that makes sense for humidity
Welcome, a very handy peice of equipment is a infrared temp gun. You can check temps all around your enclosure. You can also check the temp of your torts shell. Just don't point at your eyes or anyone or any pets eyes. The gun is not expensive.
Screenshot_20201118-094349_Chrome.jpg
 

Tom

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So i have a 6 month old baby hermann , i have two heat gages both electrical and very accurate at either end of my enclosure and one under the basking bulb , they all seem to work great until i noticed the one under the bask bulb says its 40 degrees celsius straight under but im currently running a temperature thermostat that turns the basking bulb off it gets over 34 which it is yet to do , should i just follow the thermostat instead of the little plastic temperature gauge as it was only cheap , ive heard people have thermostats that dim the light etc is this worth getting any advice would be great or should i just keep my thermostat which turns it on and off depending if it gets to hot , my basking bulb is 150 watts this is what i was recommend in the uk as its very cold here and the temperature for the on / off is right where the basking spot is
You should not be using a thermostat on the basking bulb. You don't want the "sun" turning off and on all day. Thermostats are for controlling ambient heat, not the basking lamp. The heat lamp should be on a timer.

To get the correct temperature under your basking bulb, lay a digital thermometer directly under the bulb at tortoise height and let it cook for an hour or more. Raise or lower the bulb, or the wattage, to get the correct temperature under it, and set the bulb on a timer.

The reason your thermostat is not working is because of where you put the probe. If you put the probe directly under the bulb it would work, but your tortoise would move it and possibly get tangled in it. If the probe is off to the side somewhere, it is measuring the temperature over there, not under the bulb.

For a baby hermanni, you should be using some ambient heat, like a CHE or a RHP controlled by a thermostat in a large closed chamber, aka: viv. Then a relatively low wattage basking bulb can easily warm the whole enclosure in the daytime, while providing the necessary basking area.

Please read this thread, and near the bottom is a simple breakdown of all the heating and lighting, as a well as a care sheet for your species with even more explanation.
 

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