At the back of my new viv, there's a thermostat... I had assumed it was a dimmer or a dimming thermostat, but no, it's an on/off thermostat. So, whenever the thermostat reaches a certain temperature, it cuts the basking lights.
So I need some advice. Should I leave it in (and he might not have a basking light throughout the day), should I leave it on and take one of the bulbs out (there's two basking lights- this would mean everything heats up slower, but the light would probably be on for longer) or replace it with a dimmer (dad adamantly doesn't want to ), or do something else?
Thanks all!
It's 120cm by 60cm by 60cm (about 4x2x2 ft I think?)
I'm so frustrated, he just keeps insisting that my beardie can bask when the lights are on. Some people can't listen :roll:
OK so standard size which is good. Should only need one basking light and one UV tube.
Perhaps the most persuasive argument is that the dragon doesn't know when the light is going on/off and explaining that they need a good hour or so basking to digest food properly.
Ok, I guess I'll take one bulb out then and hopefully it'll give him a few hours before the thermostat flicks it off, and in the meantime I'll work on dad.
The basking bulb plays a very important role in your dragons lair. It provides heat to bask and it provides UVA rays that allow him to see the same way we do
The basking or heat light needs to be on NO LESS than 12 hours a day on a steady basis. My dagons lights stay on for 14 hours a day. You can put a CHE in the thermostat controlled fixture, as it only provides heat not light.
You dad needs to understand that these are desert creatures and they needs desert conditions to survive. They require specific care.
Where is the thermostat probe? What is the temp range you can set it too? What is it set at?
Without knowing more about the setup my advice is:
1) set the stat to a "overheat" limit - 120 if the probe is on the basking site, 85-90 if it's on the cool side. My on/off stat is an emergency precaution : it is set to shut things off if the cool side gets over 85 or 90 (can't remember) to prevent overheating in the summer. It's not ideal to have everything shutoff but it's better than a cooked lizard.
2) use lower wattage bulbs so the stat isn't getting triggered.
Where is the thermostat probe? What is the temp range you can set it too? What is it set at?
Without knowing more about the setup my advice is:
1) set the stat to a "overheat" limit - 120 if the probe is on the basking site, 85-90 if it's on the cool side. My on/off stat is an emergency precaution : it is set to shut things off if the cool side gets over 85 or 90 (can't remember) to prevent overheating in the summer. It's not ideal to have everything shutoff but it's better than a cooked lizard.
2) use lower wattage bulbs so the stat isn't getting triggered.
I've set it as high as it goes, about 30°. I can't see a probe anywhere, so I assume it's just measuring the temperature of the thermostat itself. It's closer to the cool end. I've taken out one of the bulbs (the one that was closest to the thermostat) and shuffled the basking log a little so that it's under the one bulb now. I'm hoping that having only one bulb further from the thermostat will stop it from triggering.
As for putting the CHE in the socket, well, there's only 3 sockets in there (+UVB) and they're all hooked to the thermostat. I think my rank needs a complete rewire (seperate the three sockets so they aren't on the same line, add a dimmer for two sockets, have one fixture on the thermostat and replace it with ceramic instead of plastic for the CHE, change the uvb fixture to a t5... It never ends!)
Mostly for my curiosity what kind of stat is it? If you can find the probe or temp sensor you may also be able to cover it up to keep it from switching. Make sure your temps don't go over in this case since you won't have the back up.
Generally more lower wattage lights are better at making a big and uniform basking zone.
I've taken out one of the basking bulbs for now, and the thermostat isn't triggering now, but when I checked it, the basking spot wasn't warming up enough, so I'm thinking of maybe getting a lower wattage bulb for the fixture that's closer to the thermostat.
That looks like a room thermostat for a house?
Reworking the wires probably is the best bet long term. It shouldn't be too hard to take the thermostat out. You might be able to insulate it in the mean time so it doesn't switch, or mess with what lamps you use where. If you can get a good basking site with one bulb it should be ok. Some thermostats you can calibrate manually and potentially you could jam the mechanism inside so it doesn't switch off. Not sure with that one in particular though, but just a though.