My temps keep dropping at night

Amanda81

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I set my enclosures up differently couple days ago. I like to keep them set up around the same way, it's just easier for me that way. So I have the tube lighting that hangs over entire enclosure for UVB and I have the CHE and basking light on the right side of the enclosure. I have their humid hide in the left side. I moved their hide to the left side because I originally had them on right side and they where staying in the 90 degrees range so I figured I would put them on cool side, better nite temps, right?, wrong. Now I find that the hide temps at nite are bordering to low. Like 79-80. So I figured ok I will turn up my thermostat. The sensor to my thermostat is closer to the hide then the CHE. So I turn up my thermostat and it will eventually get the hide temps up but in the process it also raises the hot side temps up, 100-106. So my hot side is to hot and my cool side is almost to cool. I usually won't worry about 79, but after I had two of my baby's die and not real sure why, I figured nothing below 82/83 would be ok for the cool side and the hot side around 90. My basking spot is 96-98, which is recommended but I never see my baby's use their basking spot, not one time. Usually during the day the temps aren't really a problem, I guess since the basking light is one and it raises the temps. For example, right now, my leopards enclosure, hot side is 90.1, cool side is 83.3, hide is 83.7, these are great. Humidity is 99%.
The quads, hot side 94.6, cool side 89.6, hide 86.5. Humidity is 97%. These temps are slightly higher then what I'm shooting for (all the quads just laying around) but I can reduce basking bulb size and reduce these temps some. What is freaking confusingly is at night, before I raise the thermostat, the hot side will still have good temps but the cool side and hide drops below satisfactory. So how do I fix this? Put hide closer to CHE? Move thermostat probe closer to hide? Maybe put a heating cable, one those under the tank heating pad things or something in/or under the hide? I'm not sure what would be the best fix. Their hides are Tupperware shoe box with hinged lid. I cut a door toward the top of it and I sink it in the substrate some. The hide is filled with a 1-2" layer of damp Eco earth and spag moss on top the Eco earth. I cover the top of the hide with a bunch of fake plant so they feel safe but yet I can still peak in or open it as I need to.
Last night I was thinking about this, attempting to figure it out, couple things I wasn't sure about.
The room their in, it gets kinda cold in the evening cause the heat pump runs more, it's usually low 70's, upper 60's and it will stay around that until heat pump quits running so much, usually couple hours after sun set. I checked the temp this morning, heat pump hadn't been on since about midnight, it was 84 in there. I thought about taping up the duct in the room, try to keep the room temp more stable. I'm not sure how to fix this. Any advise greatly appreciated.
 

Amanda81

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So I taped two of the air ducts shut, sit and thought about this as the baby's ate this morning. I just changed their enclosures around couple days ago, so I didn't really didn't want to move anything else on them. I did some math and came up with a plan. I want their hides at 82-83, at night, 85 tops during the day and since I have already had the hides on hot side and that really didn't work, I said ok. CHE is in got side, hide on cool side, I put the thermostat sensor in their hides, if their hide is where I want it, 82-85, and the CHE is on opposite then that should work. Well, so far this has worked freaking great. Their hides are exactly where I want them, warm sides are running about 90-92. Now for the true test, tonight. Temps have held so good today. I guess cause of the basking lights being on but tonight when they go off, we will see if my theory works for me. I reduced size of basking light in sulcata enclosure, brought temps down some, they have been more active today I noticed. So if my temps hold over night tonight, I will use this set up when I do their big enclosure.
 

wellington

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I'm a little confused with the way you are saying all this. So, this is what you want. Temps 80 day and night with humidity no lower then 80%. Basking day time only 95+ Toms threads are below for the proper housing, temps, humidity for both your leopards and sulcatas. Personally, I wouldnt have your temps all over too high, as I also wouldn't want them too low.
 

Tom

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79 at night is fine. A few degrees one way or the other won't hurt anything. Just shoot for near 80 at night.
 

Amanda81

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I'm a little confused with the way you are saying all this. So, this is what you want. Temps 80 day and night with humidity no lower then 80%. Basking day time only 95+ Toms threads are below for the proper housing, temps, humidity for both your leopards and sulcatas. Personally, I wouldnt have your temps all over too high, as I also wouldn't want them too low.
Oh. Sorry, sometimes I am horrible at explaining stuff. I read toms thread about raising sulcata/leopard hatchling about every 3 days. Lol. My memory is gone so I forget things frequently. I understand what temps I need, housing, all those good things, this was just an issue I had after rearranging their enclosure. Let me try to explain more clearly.
I want the temp in their humid hide around 82-85 at night, Y these certain temps? I'm just wanting to be safe since I had 2 die, my thermostat drops 2 degrees below it's set degree before kicking on, and If they don't go in their hide at night, I put them in it. My humidity levels are fine, I'm not concerned about that. My humidity usually stays 85% or greater at all times. I'm just wanting to ensure that since their hide is so moist that temps r up enough they don't get sick.
I would like day temps not to really get any higher then 90-92. Y? because I have noticed if temps get higher then this they really aren't to active, just kinda laying around.
I think I have it figured out now, I adjusted my thermostat sensor and changed basking light size and taped off some air ducts in room and my temps have been great today. I still need to monitor them tonight, if they stay as they have today, problem solved.
 

wellington

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That's okay, Im not good at explaining either. I would still try to get their day temps down a little if it were me. I don't think having a basking temp all day with no cool side is good. At least just down to the 80-85. I get ya now though on what you meant with the night temps. Fingers crossed it works out for you tonight.
 

Amanda81

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That's okay, Im not good at explaining either. I would still try to get their day temps down a little if it were me. I don't think having a basking temp all day with no cool side is good. At least just down to the 80-85. I get ya now though on what you meant with the night temps. Fingers crossed it works out for you tonight.
Oh no no, I see what your saying now. I didn't explain that right. Lol. I meant I don't want my warm side warmer then 90-92.
Like right now, I have 97% humidity on cool side w temps of 84.4, their hide is 83.8, basking temp is 98, and warm side has humidity of 87% w temp of 92. The problem I was having was that in order to get the hide to the temp I wanted I was having to crank up the thermostat which in return was running my warm side up so hot my baby's were just laying around. Again, sorry. I am bad at explaining stuff sometimes.
 

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