So i got my leo today, and i have him in a 20 gallon long aquarium. I use a Zoo Med heat pad and a 60w lamp to heat the warm side. When the lamp is turned off, my digital thermometer detects the surfare too be 94.5 degrees. i put the thermometer's probe inside the warm hide, and it's reading 94.4 in there, and my leo is mostly in there, so im afraid that it's too hot for him. I cut a square the size of the heat pad directly under it in my tank stand for ventilation, and my aquarium is resting on felt pads which elevate it. Im using repti-carpet as substrate, and my room temperature is about 76-80 degrees. I just bought a thermostat and put it on low setting and it's still at 94.4, so is that alright, or is there something i can do about it?
94 is a little hot for him but being a desert species he'll be fine in the short term. If he gets too hot he'll move to the cooler end (just make sure there are plenty of hides for him to feel comfortable moving). I don't understand when you say that you have a thermostat set to a low setting. You need a thermostat that you can set the temp on that will switch the heatmat on and off as needed. I recommend any of the Habistat range. If you only just got the set up in today then remember that it can take time for everything to settle in. Monitor the situation and make sure you have a good thermostat on there. Let us know how it's going.
sorry, i mixed up thermostat with rheostat. Any way, when i went to bed last night, the temperature dropped, so it was between 91.2 and 92.4. This morning it's at 94.9 with the lamp on. It probably rose because i close my door at night(my leo is in my room) or because it's hotter in the day. i have a gigantic moist hide on the cool hide, and a normal cool hide with a water dish nearby. I put his mealworms in front of the hide he is in now, incase he gets hungry because i dont think he plans to leave that cave anytime soon.hopefully he will move like you said if he's uncomfortable. I noticed that he only stays in the warm hide 24/7 and occasionaly pokes his head out, but never leaves. He even went into the bathroom there. I dont know if he is still settling down or if my thermometer is wrong and it's not hot enough?
You don't need the lamp (leos absorb heat through their bellies hence the need for the heatmat) but some people like to put them there in the winter to help keep temps up. Try putting the lamp off and see if you can settle the temp down a bit. Are you using a digital thermometer to measure the temps? Digital is the way to go when it comes to herps because you need a good degree of accuracy which you dont get off most other thermometers. Remember you only just got him - leos can take up to a week to settle in. I've had new ones move in and I didn't see them for ten days! You just need to give it time. Try as much as possibly to leave him be (not lifting hides all the time, trying to handle him, etc) until he is fully settled.
I havent touched him at all since i got him, except for when i put him in the terrarium. he walked around today and is now in the cool hide. Im using a Zilla digital thermometer, i put the probe into the warm hide. i figured: Since the warm hide was a ceramic hide and the cool hide was a wooden hide, i should switch them around since wood dosent conduct heat, and it worked! temperatures stay 92.4 - 93.8 with the lamp on. Well i guess i'll turn the lamp off since their not required, but is direct sunlight okay?(through a window)Because otherwise, the room would remain dark.
Sounds good - glad to hear he is starting to come out already. Sunlight is absolutely fine. They've not to be kept in the dark or anything I just meant that unlike some other herps, leos don't need overhead heat or UVB/UVA lighting. They need some sort of light e.g. daylight to give them a sense of day and night but they don't pull anything from it to use chemically within themselves. If you need to use the lamp then fine, but if you don't need to for extra heat then I wouldn't worry about it. Save yourself the electricity
