I’m honestly just having a tough time figuring out whats up or whats going on with my temps!
We have a double probe thermostat for our Bearded Dragon enclosure, and the probes are leveled where the dragon typically is. One on the hot side, right at level with the basking surface, and the other level with the cool side surface. We also have two hygrometer/thermometers inside the enclosure on each side.
The hot side reads at 64 degrees fahrenheit.
The cool side reads at 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, when I temp gun the basking surface, it reads at 80 ish on the warm surface with a basking surface of 110 ish.
What’s going on with my meters + thermostat?? How can the basking surface be perfect, but the ambients SO low?
We have an Arcadia 14% UVB above mesh(inside would be too close to the dragon), a dimmer lamp with a 100w halogen, and a 100w CHE. The enclosure is a 4 x 2 x 2.
Also; we had the enclosure on a stand, and we moved it onto a large shelf literally right next to where it used to be. Same height, same room, same everything. When it was in the other spot, I had NO trouble getting an 10-84 ambient with a perfect basking spot.
Not even close lol
We keep it at around 70, but downstairs its closer to 68 ish.
I guess it Is time for new ones, but these are barely 2 months old, and they were working great right before we moved the enclosure a couple feet over.
Are they digital or are they those little dial things? I keep a painfully chilly house at 68 F in the winter and 70 in the summertime, and people who come here have to have throw blankets or they complain. Your thermometers are dead if theyre reading like that, i’m afraid.
What kind of thermostat are you using and how are the probes secured? This is most definitely an equipment issue. Photos would help, as would the type/brand of items used.
Digital! We keep it pretty chilly too, but its even colder downstairs in our reptile room. We definitly worry when any of our temps are off for that reason LOL
I’m not sure if they’re the best; when we first got our beardie, that’s just what was recommended online, so if there are better brands i’ll definitly switch over!
I’m not sure if they’re the best; when we first got our beardie, that’s just what was recommended online, so if there are better brands i’ll definitly switch over!
AND here’s a picture! The white meter is a different brand, thats ALWAYS read the ambient wrong. I think because we put it inside of that indention. The round black one is reading properly, and the probe to the thermostat is whats reading so wrong.
Yeah, the white one should not be in the recess as it’s basically in a small microclimate. As for the probes, I personally wouldn’t suggest having them dangling. A temp gun reads the surface temperature, the basking surface itself holds/radiates heat. Having the probes dangle, they’re never going to properly register the temperature of the basking area.
I’ve honestly never heard of the thermostat you’re using, and as it only has 44 reviews, it’s not one I’d be comfortable purchasing based on the listing. Might I suggest instead the product I currently use. It’s not super fancy, but it has always done the job for me. I also know that the Govee thermometers come highly recommended, though I don’t use them myself as I have whole room heat and only keep colubrids.
We’re definitly going to take down the white ones and most likely put some kind of plant there instead lol
With the probes; that’s what I was nervous about. We use the temp gun to check the temps all day, but it’s difficult to figure out what the actual ambient is.
do you have a suggestion on where to put the probes to monitor ambient?
We actually just bought a couple Govee’s! I’m not sure where to place them in the enclosure that would be out of the way…if you also have suggestions for that! I’ll include a pic of the entire enclosure!
For the thermostat; the only problem I have is that I need to do two heating lamps to keep the temps up since our reptile room is colder than the rest of the house. and I have UVB set up that the basking lamp and UVB needs to go on a day/night cycle!
the only thermostat i’ve come across that has three plugs for that is the one I linked. Everything else only has 2, or they dont do night/day cycles.
If all you want to do is monitor the ambient, then I’d just use a thermometer and not a probe. A probe is only going to measure the temperature in the spot it’s placed and isn’t really the greatest to do ambient.
You shouldn’t really be putting them “out of the way” as they need to be in the area you want to monitor because of how they work.
For this I’d say consider switching to a radiant heat panel with the size enclosure you have. It’ll likely be easier to keep the temps up and you’d no longer need a CHE & basking lamp. If that’s not an option, I’d really consider getting two single probe thermostats, one for the CHE, one for the halogen. Along with that, grab yourself one of these to plug the halogen thermostat and UVB into.
Now, do not take my word as law, this is just what I’d consider doing in your situation. Someone else may have better advice since I only really work with snakes. I do think, however, that a radiant heat panel would simplify things for you quite a bit.
Edited to add: If the top of your enclosure is screen/mesh, I’d consider putting foil to cover up some of the open space and hold in more heat.
