Substrate Temp

So my heat gun says the substrate underneath my heat lamp is 100-102. But my hide is 94 and the air is 88-90. Is this ok?

If it was a lizard ... :D

Look into belly heat, thermostat, covering the sides and most of the top.
It's possible you might need a ceramic heat emitter but that should be on a rheostat at least to control the temperature.
Any hot spot that is 100 degrees is too hot and top heat like you have will kill the humidity making for bad sheds.
Tanks can be a pain, good luck.

No, sounds like you need a dimmer or a lower watt bulb. The air temp should be 80 with a hotspot of 90 on the cage floor. You do not have any area of the cage hotter than the hotspot.

You can also use a lamp stand to raise the lamp and their reduce the heat reaching the cage floor. $20 at both big box pet stores.

I have a thermostat, CHE amd a UTH. I increases the wattage of my bulb. I gues I'll go back down thank you

I had the same exact problem just about a day ago until I got a few things. I got a dimmer for my under tank heater, and a heat lamp that actually came with a dimmer. (At first my heat lamp didn't have a dimmer, so I returned it to petco and bought the one that came with one.)

Everyone suggests a thermostat for the UTH but alot us either can't afford it or just doesn't want to spend 50+ dollars on that, so get a dimmer for your UTH (mine was only 11 bucks at home depot in the lighting isle) and measure the temps under the UTH with the temp gun. You're gonna have to play around with the dimmer though to get the UTH and substrate to reach the perfect temp. Also when you change the setting of the dimmer, give the UTH some time to cool down or heat up before measuring the temp because the pad doesn't automatically heat up or cool down. It takes time.

Good luck with what you decide to do and let me know how everything works out.
-Quinn

What substrate do you use?

Heating a tank can be a pain, that's totally true, but there are some ways to make it easier. I think sometimes people fight the thermostat of their house with the thermostat/rheostat of the tank, and you end up with an unstable environment, which is the worse kind. I asked about the substrate because some are better at holding both heat and moisture than others. If an animal doesn't burrow extensively, and there aren't other considerations, I usually use the repti-bark. It can hold plenty of moisture without molding over, and it is better at holding heat than the coco fiber because of the surface area of the chips versus the "dust" of coco fiber. But, the second best way to keep a good constant temp other than a thermostat is a large water dish. The benefit this gives is water is slow to temperature changes. That's how the Earth is habitable for life. The water keeps the globe cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter like a form of Central Air.

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Originally Posted by nachash

What substrate do you use?

Heating a tank can be a pain, that's totally true, but there are some ways to make it easier. I think sometimes people fight the thermostat of their house with the thermostat/rheostat of the tank, and you end up with an unstable environment, which is the worse kind. I asked about the substrate because some are better at holding both heat and moisture than others. If an animal doesn't burrow extensively, and there aren't other considerations, I usually use the repti-bark. It can hold plenty of moisture without molding over, and it is better at holding heat than the coco fiber because of the surface area of the chips versus the "dust" of coco fiber. But, the second best way to keep a good constant temp other than a thermostat is a large water dish. The benefit this gives is water is slow to temperature changes. That's how the Earth is habitable for life. The water keeps the globe cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter like a form of Central Air.

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I agree! The temp of my room versus the temp of my tank is usually a constant battle. But I always make it work especially because i'm obsessed with monitoring my temps in my tank.

I use repti-bark also! I think it's great - it holds the correct humidity and water and heat that I need, and also makes the tank look great. And it smells good too:D

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Originally Posted by Quinnster

I agree! The temp of my room versus the temp of my tank is usually a constant battle.

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This is why a tstat is the best option. It is the most important piece of equipment you can buy. I dimmer will work but is not ideal and can really do harm to your animal when you have a climate change outside of the cage.

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Originally Posted by KMG

This is why a tstat is the best option. It is the most important piece of equipment you can buy. I dimmer will work but is not ideal and can really do harm to your animal when you have a climate change outside of the cage.

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Well my house stays from 65-67 degrees and my tank is usually always the right temp. I always monitor it.

I use Cypress Mulch. And I have a thermostat for my UTH not my lamp. I switched it to a lower wattage and it brought my temps down to a more acceptable temperature. I use a Hydrofarm. its only $33.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...ant+thermostat