Need help with tank set-up and lighting for 2 month old

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mshaverly

Hatchling Member
Beardie name(s)
Vhagar and Meleys
Hello,

I just acquired a two month old baby girl, Meleys. She is very tiny. I am working on getting her diet and supplements but the real frustration is coming from the 40 gallon tank she is in. In a few months I will purchase a 120 gallon tank for her but the 40 gallon will have to work for now. I have two digital probes and the lighting set up on the Herpistat thermostat. One on warm end and one on cool end. I have a 150 watt basking bulb because the 100 watt just did not seem to be enough. Plus the thermostat can regulate it. The furniture I have for her is low to the floor because I had to place the T5 HO 10.0 mounted inside the enclosure so that meant I had to have her down around 12 inches so as not to get too close to the UVB. The substrate is black plastic and tends to get hotter than her hide or rocks and limbs she crawls around on. I have a mini Habba Hut so it is just a piece of tree bark or a branch. I find it hard to get a consistent temp reading on either the wood or the rocks. Oftentimes, (on the basking side) when the wood or rock reads 109 the plastic on the floor around it will register 112-115. So, on the basking side I placed white paper towels to hopefully block some of the heat on the floor. The branch in the middle of the tank reads about 95 and the cool side rock/hide reads 88 degrees. Are these temps too hot for a two month old? And what about the hot floor? She is a zero and her skin seems so thin I am afraid she will burn. Thank you!
 

lizardmom25

Hatchling Member
You need something over the black plastic floor. What is the temp of the floor with the paper towel in place? If that doesn't do it maybe consider some light colored tile or non adhesive shelf liner. 95 is a little bit cool for the basking area. What do you have your Herpistat set to?
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
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Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
The shelf liner was what I was going to suggest also. If you can give her a branch or something angled under her basking, she'll instinctively go to the right temperature.
 

mshaverly

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Vhagar and Meleys
Herpstat is set at 114.2 and running at 62%. She basked after she ate for a bit and then moved to the center log. The paper towel is helping the floor in that area and the rest of the floor is running 100 - 102. Should I still get a shelf liner or is this ok? Her name is Meleys and she is very sweet. She ate some mustard and collard greens this morning. And also four dubious. I am thinking of feeding her every 3 or 4 hours until 5:30 pm as the lights shut off at 7:30. The lights come on at 6:30 am and go off at 7:30 pm. I will slowly scale back to going off at 6:30 pm to mimic approaching autumn. Thank you!
 

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KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Herpstat is set at 114.2 and running at 62%. She basked after she ate for a bit and then moved to the center log. The paper towel is helping the floor in that area and the rest of the floor is running 100 - 102. Should I still get a shelf liner or is this ok? Her name is Meleys and she is very sweet. She ate some mustard and collard greens this morning. And also four dubious. I am thinking of feeding her every 3 or 4 hours until 5:30 pm as the lights shut off at 7:30. The lights come on at 6:30 am and go off at 7:30 pm. I will slowly scale back to going off at 6:30 pm to mimic approaching autumn. Thank you!
Surface basking temps 105-110-- 114 is too hot
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
Herpstat is set at 114.2 and running at 62%. She basked after she ate for a bit and then moved to the center log. The paper towel is helping the floor in that area and the rest of the floor is running 100 - 102. Should I still get a shelf liner or is this ok? Her name is Meleys and she is very sweet. She ate some mustard and collard greens this morning. And also four dubious. I am thinking of feeding her every 3 or 4 hours until 5:30 pm as the lights shut off at 7:30. The lights come on at 6:30 am and go off at 7:30 pm. I will slowly scale back to going off at 6:30 pm to mimic approaching autumn. Thank you!
Oh she is precious 😍. She looks so tiny even in a 40 gallon. She reminds me of when I brought Zsa Zsa home. Zsa Zsa will out grow her 40 gallon very soon.
Enjoy her being so itty bitty while you can. They grow so fast we don't get much time to enjoy them being small.
 

mshaverly

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Vhagar and Meleys
Surface basking temps 105-110-- 114 is too hot
That is the Herpstat setting. It is running only at 62% so it is not running at 114. The surface area of the wood is running 104 -109 depending on what spot you place the probe on. The floor around the wood is running 100 - 102. She is hanging out in the middle of her vivarium. The basking wood is 104 -109 depending on where you place the probe. It is hard to get a reading on wood platforms.
 

mshaverly

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Vhagar and Meleys
Oh she is precious 😍. She looks so tiny even in a 40 gallon. She reminds me of when I brought Zsa Zsa home. Zsa Zsa will out grow her 40 gallon very soon.
Enjoy her being so itty bitty while you can. They grow so fast we don't get much time to enjoy them being small.
You need to come for a visit as she is so tiny it scares me. Today she ate 12 roaches and some greens. Is that enough? I am worried about the heat and diet. She has a cute personality. I think she is going to be a character. The breeder thought so too.
 

xp29

BD.org Addict
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Ruby, Sinatra, Zsa Zsa
It sounds like she has a good appetite. It should get better as she settles in 🙂 I think you got your basking pretty good. I'm looking forward to meeting both your guys 🙂
 

lizardmom25

Hatchling Member
That is the Herpstat setting. It is running only at 62% so it is not running at 114. The surface area of the wood is running 104 -109 depending on what spot you place the probe on. The floor around the wood is running 100 - 102. She is hanging out in the middle of her vivarium. The basking wood is 104 -109 depending on where you place the probe. It is hard to get a reading on wood platforms.
That's not how that works. Its running at 62% because that's the percentage of total power it needs to reach the temp you have it set to. Its probe is seeing 114. Using the probe of a thermometer will not read the temp of the actual surface accurately. It is reading the air temp around the surface which is actually lower than the surface temp. You need to get a temp gun to get accurate readings of the surfaces.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Digital probes are the most accurate for surface basking temps-- IR guns will not read off of certain basking materials and give a false temp -- they cannot read off of hammocks
 

lizardmom25

Hatchling Member
Digital probes are the most accurate for surface basking temps-- IR guns will not read off of certain basking materials and give a false temp -- they cannot read off of hammocks
A hammock isn't a solid surface, so no it wouldn't. What you would need to read for the hammock is the actual air temp because that's what the animal is being exposed to, but for solid surfaces like the poster is describing everything I have read in the last 10 plus years says IR is most accurate. That's what I have found in my own enclosures as well.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Slate is an example of reading in correct temps w/ a IR gun - I use all 3 gauges stick ons digital probe and IR gun
 

mshaverly

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
Vhagar and Meleys
Ok. So i am getting different temp readings depending on the type of the material the basking platform is made of. Wood reads cooler than resin/rock. So then I worry about the ambient temp being correct. I have the probe taped down on the surface of the resin/rock small hide to get a probe reading which is reading cooler than the IR gun. My IR gun cost over $100 so it isn't a real cheap one. So what type of basking surface should I get for her to bask on? And it has to be short in order to not get her too close to the UVB light since she is in a 40 gallon habitat.
 
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