You need to get a thermostat which automatically turns on/off the heater to maintain a set temperature
At least for cresties 21c-23c is the sweet spot, with anything below 19c being too cold and above 27c too hot.
cresties are pretty sensitive to heatstroke, having them above 80f/27c for an extended amount of time can be quite dangerous to them, so whatever way you decide to heat its absolutely necessary to have a thermostat hooked up to control the heater, like this one .
My favorite heating source is a ceramic heat emitter, because they are super cheap, last forever, and don't emit any light so you can have them on during the night.
What temp is your room at? If your house is heated in the winter and cooled during the summer and stays around 70-72f you don't need any heating. Cresties can be really prone to heatstroke if they get above 80f for extended periods of time.
If you do need heat then I'd recommend getting a low power ceramic heat emitter (CHE) of around 15-25w. Theyre super cheap, and if you get one from a decent brand they will last forever.
however no matter what you are using to heat a tank you will need to have a thermostat. Not just a thermometer. People often get them confused, but a thermometer just tells you what temperature it is, a thermostat will turn on or off the heating element to maintain a specific temperature. Think like the thermostat on the wall of your house. You tell it a temperature and it turns on and off the heater to keep it close to that temp. they usually come something like this, you plug the CHE/heat pad into the plug on the thermostat, put the thermometer probe in the cage as close to where the heater is as possible, then plug the thermostat into the wall and tell it what temperature to keep.
Also if you do get a CHE, you need to hang it around 6 inches ontop of the cage. Again, these things get really hot and you don't want your geck getting accidentally burnt from them. You also wanna keep a little distance between the heat emitter and the screen of the cage so the screen itself dosnt get too hot
When you say thermometer, do you mean thermostat? They aren't the same thing. For heating elements you want a thermostat, which is something you plug the heating elements into and they will control the heat. So both your CHE and heat mat will need to be plugged into separate thermostats.
How do you take the temperature? I find the most accurate way is a temperature gun, that way I can read exactly what temperature the floor is. Without a thermostat I wouldn't recommend going higher wattage, because then you may risk it being too hot.
When I used to use ceramic heat emitters (I use a halogen bulb now), mine were 80 watts. But I had mine plugged into a thermostat. This is the thermostat I used, these are good for any heating elements that don't produce light.
assuming (sorry if i'm reading it wrong) you don't have a thermostat hooked up to the heating pad - they get WAY too hot.
you can grab one on amazon for ~$25 (this is the one i personally use with no issues: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=emc_b_5_t)
you'll have to tweak things a bit since you have so many layers in your tank. but you'll want the thermostat probe to read very close to the top most temperature. and combine that with a temperature gun so you can manually check and adjust as needed.
assuming all of that gets in order, is this a new gecko? every one is different, but mine spent almost the entire first week on the cold side when we were around.
so you absolutely need to have a thermostat on it to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. you plug the mat into this and it controls the temperature. their bellies can and will burn if it gets too hot. i use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_hnjGFb0KNAD3G
if the bedding is dry, i’d replace it wish some fresh stuff but corns are pretty adaptable to humidity. as long as they have plenty of water in their enclosure, they should be okay.
That looks amazing! I love the theme! Just make sure you have a probe thermostat to regulate heating (can’t see in picture so I apologize if it’s just out of frame!). Here’s the one I use incase you don’t know what I’m talking about;
It’s such a cute enclosure and I really love it! Your gecko will probably love it too :)
Younger corns burrow a lot. If you don't have one, you should get a thermostat for your heat pad (this is the one that I have), otherwise you're at risk of it getting too hot. Also I recommend getting a temperature gun, it's more accurate than the little adhesive thermometers and it's convenient.
It's on the bottom left side. Here is the Amazon link. iPower 40-108°F Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination, Reptiles and Brewing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FILvCbH72MP6H
Caution, you want to run your space heater on a low to medium setting. The thermostat can't handle anything above 10ampers
I'd say your thermostat is broken, if it goes over the set 90f you put in, it should be shutting off, not continuing to heat. Maybe try contacting the company to see if they have suggestions or if they can just replace it? I use a viviarium electronic thermostat for my rack but that would probably be overkill for you. I have used this one before for other species and it works pretty well! What do the tank temps get in the cooler side with the CHE off? does your house stay warm enough to rely on heat pad alone?
I have used the thermostat you linked for 2-ish years without a single problem. I also recently purchased this even cheaper but functionally identical thermostat, and it's been working perfectly for the last week.
What about this one that comes with a heat mat as well? Looks like a pretty good deal. I would be interested in going for the reptile heat tape, but... Amazon Prime...
Edit: mat looks too big though. It should only cover the hot side of the tank, right?
https://www.amazon.com/iPower-40-108-Degrees-Fahrenheit-Germination/dp/B01E9IO6N0/
I have one of these, it’s worked fine for about 3 years now. Currently $15.17
This is ours although this is an old picture and the stuff inside is different now. We got rid of the dig box since he never used it and the basking area/cave is a lot better now.
The wood is oak panels from Menards. They came in 2x4 sheets so it was pretty easy to build. The flooring is just 1x1 ceramic tiles, also from Menards.
We keep our house at 68 so I don't think your house is too cold. I wonder if your screen is blocking some of the heat lamp light. You could try moving the basking spot up closer to the light for now and see if it helps.
For our CHE we bought one of these from Amazon and have it set to turn the CHE on and off as needed so it's not running 24 hours a day. It only turns on when the temp gets too low.
you'll need a thermostat for your heat mat. If you're in an area where amazon is something you can use, I recommend this one.
https://www.amazon.com/iPower-40-108%C2%B0F-Thermostat-Controller-Germination/dp/B01E9IO6N0
You can get perfectly fine thermostats for less.
An on/off thermostat is fine for a heat mat - this is the one I have and it's been great: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0
If you're going to use a CHE you'll want a dimming/pulse proportional one, this is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711KV72C
Still less than $80 for two thermostats
I've found Repticarpet gets messy quickly, especially when your gecko goes for a dip in their calcium dish and tracks it everywhere. I personally use non adhesive shelf liner for the bottom of my tank and add a few stones from the pet store for texture for my little one to run around upon.
I suggest using a temperature gauge to make sure the heat mat doesn't burn them. I like to get them for cheap. I've bought 6 and have loved them all. You typically stick the probe between the mat and the glass, and set the temperature accordingly. This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ELKYDbN9JM51K is the one I use
I also use sphagnum moss in the moist hide as it holds humidity better, but paper towels will get the job done so long as you're properly moistening them.
I recommend the Flukers heat mat. It's non adhesive, so you'll want to purchase HVAC tape. This is tape that can be found at most hardware stores. It is made out of adhesive and aluminum foil, so it can easily handle the high temperatures. you can find it in the plumbing section. I've used the heat mats that come with the stickiness on them only to bend and break them when trying to deep clean the tank (I'm not gentle), so this will let you avoid having to replace them as often.
As it's winter, if you find their ambient air falling low, you can always invest in a ceramic heat emitter.
I also suggest using a digital thermometer to gauge the temperature of the air within the tank. You can find these online anywhere between 10 dollars and 100. I have a simple one and it's done the job. This has also helped me with ensuring that I have the heat mat at the right temperature, in case some heat gets lost through the glass and I have to raise the temperatures using the thermometer.
As someone else has said, it's better to avoid loose substrate when at all possible, such as sand or dirt, especially if you're just starting out. This will minimize risk of impaction.
And If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out. C:
iPower 68-108°F Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JlPeDbVGH2XAN
The heat mats work great with the on/off thermostats. https://www.amazon.com/iPower-GLHTMTCONTROL-Products/dp/B01E9IO6N0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1539300160&sr=8-5&keywords=Reptile+thermostat I use this one. And it works well for me.
Thank you all so much for the advice!
I'm really strapped for money right now, so I'm going to try and make her tank work for as long as possible. I put a little amazon shop list together with some of the recommended products - please feel free to take a look and recommend other suitable products. http://a.co/b2h5atL
In the list, I've got multiple different fake plants, some black 1 entrance hides, a complete hide with 4 sides and just a hole, multiple digital thermometers / hygrometers, a kitchen scale, coconut fiber, aspen bedding, a ceramic heat emitter with dome, and a thermostat (I had already bought this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 would it be suitable? Or should I return it to get the one on the shopping list?)
She does have one of those metal screen tops, but we put a few boxes and such on top for extra security. I may pick up some insulation pads at my local Lowes and attach them to the outsides of the tank to help keep the heat in. Thoughts on that?
Sarah is eating okay. So far we've been giving her 1 little fuzzy each Saturday. Hopefully when I get the scale I'll be able to more accurately assess the food weight vs hers.
Her shed has come completely off! I gave her a nice warm soak shortly after the photos had been taken, and it was like she just wiggled out of it. Hopefully with the substrate change and the addition to the 4 sided humid hide, I won't need to soak her and she can just do her own thing.
When it comes to the ceramic heat emitter, is 60 watts enough? I'm afraid of burning her. The cage is only about a foot tall, and it would have to be in one of those dome lamps that sit attached to the screen. I've been leaning towards getting the "Zoo Med Deluxe Porcelain Clamp Lamp" for the bulb. Has anyone had any experience with this? Will they work together?
I'm absolutely horrified of any fire risks (my house had burnt down about a year and a half ago due to faulty wiring) so are there any tips to help prevent overheating?
Again, thank you all for the amazing advice. Looking at Sarah's previous setup and then looking at everything thats been suggested breaks my heart. I wish I had known sooner that she was being treated this way... But my friend had made it clear that she was "basically an expert" and "knows what to do." Let me roll my eyes a bit harder. As soon as I had seen her bearded dragon laying in sand, I knew she didn't know anything about these poor animals. It takes a few minutes to do some decent research on an animal. Its been just a day since I've reached out to all of you, and look at all this information! You would think in the 3 or so years that my friend had Sarah, she could've taken the time just to do a basic google search... Some people really should never have animals.
Anyways, sorry for the tangent. Please let me know what you guys think of the products I'm considering! Thank you so much!