Another dilemma – please advise!

[Fiddlerchick]

Again, really sorry for the SOS while everyone’s busy with the holidays!

Now that our new “baby” Farishta is finally starting to settle in to her new residence chez theXiles (and Brenda is finally getting her habitat set up right) and is hopefully well into the transition from wind-down mode back into active mode to avoid hibernation due to insufficient information about her hibernation-readiness, we have a series of out-of-town Christmas gigs (typical for musicians this time of year)……...

I have no idea how to handle this situation:

Since we just established the pattern of leaving her UVB light on for extended hours to pull her out of “deep winter”, would it be better to leave it on the whole time we’re gone (tomorrow night through mid-afternoon or early evening Christmas day), or turn it off and leave her with natural light (which she gets a reasonable amount of, and the weather forecast looks chilly but mostly clear for the next few days).

About the red heat light and ceramic heating unit, I am concerned about leaving them on while we are not at home since I have not set up any regulatory device for them and they are not securely attached to anything. The heat light is 75 watts and the ceramic heater is 100 watts. I think we might take the cats with us so it would be safer to leave the heater/heat light on while we’re gone. My husband is worried about the cats knocking them over and starting a fire since the enclosure is directly on a hardwood floor which he nearly set on fire himself the other day when he set the heat lamp on the floor without turning it off when he took Farishta out for a walk, and is next to cotton drapes.

Should we just bring Farishta along with us as awkward as I would feel about imposing a massive obstruction in the tiny apartment of the bandleader we will be working for/staying with…….Which scenario would be less disruptive and unsettling for her???

Again, your advice is very much appreciated!!!

Happy holidays everyone,

Brenda K

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Brenda,
You need to leave her home. It would be to unsettling to bring her with you.
What you need to do is secure the lights as well as you can. You also need to put all the lights and the heat emitter on timers.
I personally couldn't live without timers. You shouldn't leave the lights on 24/7 as it would just stress her out. She needs a day/night cycle.

Danny

 

[jlyoncc1]

We also have all of our light on timers. Makes things much easier when we are gone. One less thing to worry about. You can pick them up at most home improvement type stores.

 

[Fiddlerchick]

Many, many thanks for all the hand holding for this paranoid new mom!

XXOO,

Brenda

Update with photos coming later today for remaining outstanding issues!

 

[Jacqui]

Aren't timers one of the best inventions? I really never thought I needed them until I started using them. Foolish me. Now I wonder how I lived without them.