Hi.. I have recently adopted an 8 month old Uromastyx...and wooden vivarium The previous owner had him on tree bark as a substrate...with a heat mat placed under the bark. He used to dig the bark out of the way and sleep under the heat mat!! Obviously this didnt sound good for him, so i covered the heat mat in some thin board..like a false floor. But now the temperature seems too low at night for him at the cold end of the tank. His hide hole is not over the heat mat..as I didnt want his hide getting to hot during the day. I have the follwing questions: 1) How can i stop the guy from burning himself...but maximise heat output from the heat mat? 2) Where should his hide be located 3) He is currently on millet as a substrate..but this makes him pretty slow when he walks about 4) What temp should he be at night...i live in the UK so gets cold here ;-) 5) What else can i try instead of millet...at his age Thanks for your help guys... i really want to make sure he is ok
Okay well I am a beginner to but first of all the tree bark si really bad!!!!! Now I will answer your questions 1) You might not even need one if you get a night light or the correct bulb for that day time or even raise them tep in your house 2) The hides should be one in the cool end and one in the warm end 3) Millet is a awsome substrate for Uros. highley suggested he is slow cuz its a seed like thing and acutally he can eat the seed and then that will give him the nutrients he would neeed for eating lagumes or something 4) His temps should be 70-75 5) Millet fine
Re: RE: Heat mat jelp Cant really raise house temperatures at night..as i like it cold... My day light is on permanent...no need for a thermostat here. What night light should i get... should i go for a pulse thermostat too?
RE: Re: RE: Heat mat jelp hello gringosteve! When you say heatmat - do you mean a UTH (under tank heater)? A UTH is it a black heating pad that sticks to the bottom of the tank? I personally use a UTH for my uro, and it love it. It is under his night time sleeping hide, and this way it provides him with heat at night. I use tile as my flooring, this way he cannot actually get to the UTH (although it is on the bottom of the tank, so there is no way to actually touch it). You said that you have a wooden tank, in which case I am pretty sure that a UTH would not work for you - could you please explain exactly what kind of heating pad you are using. As for the substrate, millet is a very good option, but if you are looking for other ideas, I would suggest tile. My uro is a resue as well, and he has adapted to tile wonderfully. I also provide him with a sand box so he can still dig. There is a pic of my set up a few posts down if you want to see it (or I can post it here if you can't find it) Welcome to the reptile rooms, this is a great place to gather infromation!
RE: Re: RE: Heat mat jelp Do you use a digital thermometer you can pick them up in the USA for pretty cheap at a walmart or something like that........The person you might want to ask about alot of this would be a guy named "Pat" pm him he a really good source
Hi.. Yes im talking about a UTH...they get called heat mats over here in the UK. Im my wooden vivarium the UTH is inside the tank...but covered by a thin peice of board. Im not sure that this allows enough heat to be transferred..and so im considering other options. Its looking like it is not the ideal option for a wooden cage..and so i am thinking of getting a night light now... Would a night light throw enough heat out to warm the little guy up to required night time temps. My flat gets coldish at night..especially when im not home (like 16C). I suppose i could buy some slate to place the UTH under...but again im concerned this would get over warm at night?
RE: Re: RE: Heat mat jelp If you want to get rid of the seed, tile and carpet are a good option. Since I have a baby and have to upgrade his tank every few months, I'm using indoor/outdoor carpet for the time-being. I just went to Home Depot and bought enough to cover his tank twice. When he makes a mess, I just replace the carpet and wash the dirty piece in the washer. If you decide to do this, just make sure you get a low piled indoor/outdoor carpet and not the fake grass-like stuff. And don't dry it in a dryer. It causes pulls and they can get their nails stuck. For night time heat I use a UTH but like jayhay said, probably not a good idea for a wooden viv. I know they sell ceramic heat emitters, which might be an option. They don't produce any light, just heat.
I think that the tile mighte be one solution, just place it over the UTH like you said. However, you really need a digital thermometer to know if the temps are correct - do you have one? Here in canada, your temps are really cold too, and my house often goes down to 15 at night. If your UTH is working properly, and is not too hot (tile would help this) it should help. If the UTH is too hot, you can hook it up to a dimmer, but you really need to know how much heat it is giving off by using a digital thermometer. I am not sure what night time heating to use, a ceramic heat emitter would prpbably be best b/c it wouldn't mess up the day night cycle
I think that the tile mighte be one solution, just place it over the UTH like you said. However, you really need a digital thermometer to know if the temps are correct - do you have one? Here in canada, your temps are really cold too, and my house often goes down to 15 at night. If your UTH is working properly, and is not too hot (tile would help this) it should help. If the UTH is too hot, you can hook it up to a dimmer, but you really need to know how much heat it is giving off by using a digital thermometer. I am not sure what night time heating to use, a ceramic heat emitter would prpbably be best b/c it wouldn't mess up the day night cycle
Would a UTH work if i stuck it to the roof of the vivarium...do they emit heat through air ok. I was thinking it could sit on the roof and fire heat downwards???
whoops, double post...can a mod deleate one of those...also I forgot to mention that sandwiching the UTH between two tiles is another method of adapting it for a wooden tank.
not really, it is more for surface heat, it won't really do to much to the air. A ceramic heat emitter is a better option.
I dont have a digi thermometer.. im relying on two dial thermometers that came attached to the vivarium...they are meant to be decent..but doubt they are as acurate as a digital one.. will have to try and get one tomorrow. Ceramic heater sounds like a good idea.. could use it to suplement day time heat too..
I have heard of people putting them on the side of an aquarium but I don't know that it would emit high enough heat from the roof to hit the tile.
Trahs the dial thermometers. They're pretty much useless and can be anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees off. I wuld just get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer or a temp gun.
yep, you could use it for day and night suplemental heating, but it cannot replace your basking light. Yeah, get the digital thermometer for sure, when I got my very first gecko, I had a sticky on one, and I relalized that the temps were 15 degrees off when I got my digital one.
10 20 degrees out! right..will deffo get a decent digital thermo then. Thanks guys 8) Just hope he starts eating now. I think he has eaten...but hard to tell as he buries his food as he digs about :roll:
What sort of tiles are u talking about? Not sure if i have seen lizard tiles over here?? Thanks Steve
no, lol, not lizard tiles, just plain old human tiles! Just go to your local home store and get two ceramic or slate titles. Here in canada they are like a dollar each. Just make sure that they do not have sharp edges (you can file them down if they do) and that they do not have a shiney slippery surface.
Cool...and do they let enough heat through so as to warm the tank to night temps...but not over cook?
