newbie help, maintaining heat

[zenith]

Hey there,
I got my first ball a couple days ago, set him up in a tank with UTH pad.
stupidly, I kinda just assumed that (being designed for reptiles) it wouldn't get hot enough to hurt one.
so far so good, but as I have been browsing the forums its obvious that I need a thermostat.
it wont get here for at least a week, and my the guy is spending alllll his time in the warm side hide over the mat.
I'm not sure if this is because he is new, or the rest of the tank is too cold.
I'm getting super scared he will burn but my room ambient temp is pretty cold, even for me.
I have a daylight heat lamp which Ive put up for now but I don't know.
is it better to have top heat (and light) or should I just let him be cold until I can regulate the UTH ?

[tbowman]

It would help to know the temperature of the room. Either way I would unplug the UTH until you can get it under control and if you need to you can provide an overhead heat source until then.

[jclaiborne]

depending on your ambients as tbowman said you could also go to your local hardware store and get a dimmer switch to lower the temp of the heat mat until the TSTAT arrives...

[anicatgirl]

What are your room temps plz?

[zenith]

good idea on dimmer switch, didn't think of that.
my room is 70 F, which I'm pretty sure is too cold.
the heat lamp alone doesn't seem to penetrate his hide, I had it on but he was still cold to the touch even though the temp was supposedly 85F.

[JoshSloane]

Dimmer switch is all you need, with a good infrared temp gun. No need for a stat unless you can easily afford it.

[anicatgirl]

Dimmer switch is all you need, with a good infrared temp gun. No need for a stat unless you can easily afford it.

This is true so long as your room temps don't fluctuate too much.

70 is too chilly, this is true. 75 min, preferably 80 ambient if possible.

[tbowman]

Dimmer switch is all you need, with a good infrared temp gun. No need for a stat unless you can easily afford it.

Dimmers are a viable solution but require a lot more attention to detail. Thermostats are hardly expensive. If somebody cant pay 40 dollars for proper temperature regulation, they're in the wrong hobby.

[JoshSloane]

Dimmers are a viable solution but require a lot more attention to detail. Thermostats are hardly expensive. If somebody cant pay 40 dollars for proper temperature regulation, they're in the wrong hobby.

A 40$ cheap Zilla thermostat is not reliable at all. In my opinion people put too much stock into the functionality of a thermostat and just let it go unchecked, without manually checking hot spot temps with a heat gun. I find this to be especially true with new herpers, who set up the thermostat and just assume it is at the correct temps.

For a dependable thermostat you are looking at 100$ or more. I think it's a good exercise in proper husbandry to check temps daily anyways.

If you have one bp IMO there is no point in a thermostat when you can modulate your temps just fine with a dimmer and temp gun. Put the 90$ you saved into an account and use it for medical care if necessary.

As noted earlier, this all hinges on having relatively stable room temps. Major swings in ambient room temps definitely require more attention the hot spot.

[JoshSloane]

I also really dislike when people say, "If you cant pay X, you shouldn't be in this hobby." Everything that we discuss on this forum are people's opinions. There are multiple different ways to achieve the same results, with highly variable price tags. Just requires different levels of participation.