Unairconditioned cresite

I just got back to college yesterday and I'm going to pick up my new crestie today. In fact, she's already waiting at FedEx. The bad news: I've been running my air conditioner for 12 hours and my hellish apartment is still in the upper 80s. Obviously something is wrong with it. My BPs cool side is 86, warm 90. I know she'll be ok for awhile. But what about the new gecko?

She's already stressed out from the trip, I'm sure, and now I'm going to plop her into a 86* cage. I know prolonged periods of high temperatures are harmful. How prolonged? I've already called and the maintainance guys, they should be here today to fix my AC. What can I do to keep the new lizard cool until then or should I just not worry? Thanks.

I don't know how tolerant cresties are to heat....but to help cool things for her, do you have a fan you can set up? Maybe put a bucket of ice in front of the fan and have it blow over the bucket and in the general direction of the enclosure...without blowing drafty air directly on the gecko.

I don't have ice or a fan, but that's an excellent idea. I think I'll acquire the two somehow and give it a try. If it doesn't succeed in cooling things down, I think I'll just fill a small container w/ Bed-A-Beast and wet it down with cool, cool water and change it regularly to keep it cool. I'll keep it in her tank so she can cool down if she needs to.

86 is definitely too hot (especially for more than a very short period of time). anything over 82 is harmful and potentially fatal. you can bring the temps down significantly by misting often and blowing a fan across the cage--i had to do this one day last summer when my ac went out and it worked well, i just had to keep a close eye on the temps and keep misting and adjusting the fan.

Thank you both!! I thought and thought about how to improvise a fan. Then it came to me. The air filter! So, I set it up in a dresser drawer below the tank. It blows up and into it, and the temp has just fallen below 80. Hope the friggin' maintainance dude gets here soon though.... for me! :omfg:

Hope all goes well.... if it doesn't resolve itself, could you take it to a friends house till your apt. cools???

Well, I'm trying to keep the temp down. It soared again. I've got it down around 82. I've lined the outside of the tank with cold beer bottles, frozen corn on top, and a refridgerated ice pack inside in one corner in case she wants to hang out on that. The AC guy just got here. Hopefully they don't need to replace the entire unit or it won't be fixed until tomorrow. In which case my apartment manager offered to let me keep the lizard in her office overnight. We shall see...

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Originally Posted by JLC

I don't know how tolerant cresties are to heat....but to help cool things for her, do you have a fan you can set up? Maybe put a bucket of ice in front of the fan and have it blow over the bucket and in the general direction of the enclosure...without blowing drafty air directly on the gecko.

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I used an air purifier and blew it across two bottles of ice cold Skyy vodka. I think your way would have worked better, but I had to improvise. :P

Anywho, as of 5 minutes ago the AC guy went up to the roof and turned on the condenser, which, for whatever reason, was off. So it looks like everything will be a-ok. Pardon the panic, I didn't want to kill my new lizard 3 hours after I got it (actually, I never want to :)) Thanks folks.