Temperatures are a mess ?‍♀️

Slbrlb

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Please help me get this right before I bring a hatchling home this week. 40 gallon terrarium top is 3/4 covered with plexiglass. 125 watt incandescent bulb… basking spot it 95 but the ambient temp is only 80. I can’t lower the light anymore or the basking spot will be too hot. Trying to get humidity level up but as I spray the enclosure the humidity rises and the temperature drops. As the temp rises again the humidity drops. Also the humid hide is 65 per my infared thermometer gun?

Obviously I’m brand new and feel like I’m never young to get it he hang of this. Any help would be greatly appreciated ?
 

Slbrlb

Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Midwest United States
Please help me get this right before I bring a hatchling home this week. 40 gallon terrarium top is 3/4 covered with plexiglass. 125 watt incandescent bulb… basking spot it 95 but the ambient temp is only 80. I can’t lower the light anymore or the basking spot will be too hot. Trying to get humidity level up but as I spray the enclosure the humidity rises and the temperature drops. As the temp rises again the humidity drops. Also the humid hide is 65 per my infared thermometer gun?

Obviously I’m brand new and feel like I’m never young to get it he hang of this. Any help would be greatly appreciated ?
 

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Yvonne G

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This is way too open for a hatchling of any species. Try to figure out a way to cover it (maybe put aluminum foil around the open part around the light?). Also, the UVB light needs to point down and be inside the aquarium.

Spraying really does no good. What is needed is moist substrate. I pour water over the substrate then mix it all up with my hands to make sure every piece is moistened, then I add water to a corner of the aquarium when needed. The water flows down to the bottom, leaving the top layer fairly dry.

I think your light is too strong. I've never used more than a 100 watt bulb on enclosures the size of yours. Covering the open part near the light will stop the chimney effect.

I use a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat over one end (CHE) and the light over the other end. The CHE stays on all the time and is controlled by the thermostat, while the light is only on from 7a to 7p.

Placing a few plants around inside, with the pots sunk down into the substrate will help with humidity, and it also gives the baby a more secure/safe feeling not being quite so wide open.
 

Slbrlb

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Joined
Nov 10, 2021
Messages
85
Location (City and/or State)
Midwest United States
This is way too open for a hatchling of any species. Try to figure out a way to cover it (maybe put aluminum foil around the open part around the light?). Also, the UVB light needs to point down and be inside the aquarium.

Spraying really does no good. What is needed is moist substrate. I pour water over the substrate then mix it all up with my hands to make sure every piece is moistened, then I add water to a corner of the aquarium when needed. The water flows down to the bottom, leaving the top layer fairly dry.

I think your light is too strong. I've never used more than a 100 watt bulb on enclosures the size of yours. Covering the open part near the light will stop the chimney effect.

I use a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat over one end (CHE) and the light over the other end. The CHE stays on all the time and is controlled by the thermostat, while the light is only on from 7a to 7p.

Placing a few plants around inside, with the pots sunk down into the substrate will help with humidity, and it also gives the baby a more secure/safe feeling not being quite so wide open.
Thank you! I will get a CHE for the other side and try to cover it more. Hopefully that helps. I will be putting the uv light under the plexiglass I just haven’t done it yet. For the light being too strong why does the wattage matter as long as the temps are correct? I can adjust the light and move it closer or further away as needed.
 

Maro2Bear

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Yes - you need the CHE via a thermostat properly set. This is usually centered in an enclosure so it creates the proper ambient heat.

In one of my enclosure builds I had three sockets for bulbs - left basking, center CHE, right incandescent. Each “socket” was independently controlled & the CHE via a thermostat.
 
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