Hi, i have CHE’s for basking spots and i would like to change them as i know they heat air, i am looking for a good one at around 20-30 US dollars. I have found some but i want recommendations to be sure they are okay to use
#Good DHP recommendations:>>
alpine lantern
!shoppinglist
blissful ibexBOT
alpine lantern
There's a few on the shopping list you can look at 
There's some halogens on there too, those are more efficient at heating the basking spot (and your leo) than DHPs and also run a little cheaper.
tardy nebula
I have halogens but i need night heat too
I think
My room gets a bit under 65 at night
alpine lantern
OHH I see
CHEs are fine for night heat!
They're not great as a primary heat source for basking, but if you just need to heat the air to keep it above 65 they're recommended 
tardy nebula
I was worried theyd emit air heat though because i own a hamster and my room cant get over 77 degrees
And sometimes it gets HOT with the ches on
alpine lantern
Are your thermostats or dome dimming? They don't have to be on full blast
You just need it above 65, so they can be on minimally
No need to get to basking temperatures or anything at night
tardy nebula
Alrighty, i suppose i will switch the halogens to the basking spots :))
My questions are because i go camping
Monday through Thursday
Do i keep the ches on? Or can i turn them off? It does not get colder than 68 without my fan on at night
But i cant have the room hot because my hammy is very old and i do not want to risk heat stroke
alpine lantern
If it doesn't get lower than 68 you can keep the CHE's off at night and just have the halogens on during the day
tardy nebula
Id have to get a day night cycle for that then right
Or something
Id be able to connect two lamps to one of them right?
Because id like to since i own two geckos
alpine lantern
What do you mean?
For the day night cycle, you would just have the halogens (which produce light and heat) on during the day and then they'd turn off at night.
alpine lantern
Ohhh I see. I think the easiest thing for you to do would be to get timers for the halogens (probably cheaper than getting two DHPs too)
Are you able to get those before you go camping?
alpine lantern
Yes
tardy nebula
And idk how much they are i only have about 35 rn
alpine lantern
Well, actually some timers are dual input
tardy nebula
And thats my allowance
alpine lantern
!shoppinglist I believe has some timers
blissful ibexBOT
alpine lantern
If there isn't a dual outlet one in there, I have this one https://www.amazon.com/Century-Digital-Programmable-Packaging-Security/dp/B00MVF16JG
I do not use it for thermostats though, I use it for UVB and LED. I would double check that it can handle powering two thermostats though-- if there is any doubt, I would just get two separate light timers. They are cheap and you don't want to overload any circuits while you're away.
tardy nebula
Ill get a two pack :))
Thank you!
Ill show my dad this
And order today
wait uh
the thrive
40 gal kit
comes with halogens right bc thats what i thought it did
no i have 2 arcadia 100W basking bulbs, does that work @alpine lantern ?
tardy nebula
No as I do not know which ones to get and how many, my parents would probably say no too urg
id love one that can take both arcadia bulbs
ill take reccomendations and i can also try to buy those too :>>
alpine lantern
Okay. This changes things because for safety reasons you should not have a heat source off a thermostat, especially if you are out of town for a few days. I have a dimming thermostat I can recommend that can power bulbs for two enclosures, but since they have to be shipped out I don't know if you will get it in time
tardy nebula
we have prime
alpine lantern
Let me ask some other QA's what is safest to do here for your trip
tardy nebula
and yes, that is why I worry
alpine lantern
The thermostat is a Herpstat and they aren't on Amazon sadly
alpine lantern
Is $35 a hard budget?
alpine lantern
Because you can get two of these on-off (https://www.amazon.com/Century-Thermostat-Controller-Germination-40-108°F/dp/B01I15S6OM/) thermostats for $40
But you will still need the timer 
tardy nebula
i know
I'll ask parents since id probabl be able to buy the timers and they could get the 2 thermostats
both ship with prime
ill ask when they come in and pay half the order :>>
alpine lantern
Is your hamster able to be moved to another room? I don't think it will get above 77 but that might make it easier too
I think what I would suggest is prioritize getting the thermostats for safety reasons, and using the CHE's and not the halogens for the week you are gone. You do not have anything to dim the output of the 100W halogens, so they may be too strong. The timers can turn off the CHE at night.
tardy nebula
I will not use the halogens while i am gone
alpine lantern
I dropped a line to some other QA's too and if they have any thoughts on this too they can share as well, but I think given the constraints that is probably the safest configuration.
tardy nebula
I will immediately order this stuff though
i cannot move my hammy out as he is supposed to and has to stay in my room
alpine lantern
Alright, I think this will be fine then
To summarize:
- Get two of the thermostats I linked above
- See if you can get two timers (I do not personally know if the dual outlet timer can handle two thermostats and I think if you are out of town that's not the time to find out lol, I think there is a single outlet timer on the shopping list you can get)
- Use your CHEs during the day to get to basking temps while you are gone, and have the timer turn them off at night.
That should keep everything safe for the geckos, and cool for the hamster temporarily. Does that sound feasible?
https://www.amazon.com/Century-Indoor-24-Hour-Mechanical-Outlet/dp/B01LPSGBZS/ref=sr_1_27?crid=12AUAU38BPHER&keywords=bn+link+timer&qid=1688260134&sprefix=bn+link+ti%2Caps%2C238&sr=8-27 Here is a 2 pack timer that's of the same brand as the ones on the shopping list
tardy nebula
Does it then have those hours every day
alpine lantern
Yes
There's a video tutorial you can watch too (or your parents might have used a timer like this before, they're popular for lamps in the household) but basically you can set what hours in a day the timer is active, and what hours it shuts off. It will repeat every day with this schedule.
tardy nebula
okay, I can do those then! That would be less as well
ill buy those today, parents are cleaning the RV and will be able to in about 30, they have prime
alpine lantern
Sounds good!
tardy nebula
for the thermostats. how would those connect with the timers and heating though
alpine lantern
!setup
blissful ibexBOT
alpine lantern
CHE in dome, dome plugs into thermostat, thermostat plugs into timer
tardy nebula
ohh okay
i do not have UVBs yet and ill have to buy them another time unfortunately
but thank you so much and ill definitely get these :>>
alpine lantern
You can ignore the UVB lamp in this setup for now, this is just so you can see how a timer and a thermostat work together
tardy nebula
alright
also, what do dimmers do? I have a dimming lamp but i dont know what it does other than dim the light?..
alpine lantern
Of course, be sure to go over this and set up a bit before you leave with your parents to make sure everything is safely set up and there are no house fires while you are away 
Please do what is safest, and if anything seems off defer to them
alpine lantern
also, what do dimmers do? I have a dimming lamp but i dont know what it does oth...
Like a dimming lamp in your room?
It does what the name suggests, it will reduce the output from the bulb. If your halogen is too strong, it will dim it down. Without it, the thermostat will turn the bulb on and off if it gets too hot so the dimmer can help prolong the life of the bulb and prevent flashing
tardy nebula
ohh alright
tardy nebula
@alpine lantern they dont come until thursday. is it safe to turn heating off until i get back then, house does not get under 68 and its gets in the 72 range during day, we are gone from monday to thursday
unfortunately even with prime
my dad says we can leave the heat emiters on but im unsure especially since it will be in the 80's outside
please ping me when replying
alpine lantern
please ping me when replying
Oh man. I would probably leave the CHEs off since the house won't go below 68, and don't feed them before you leave.
alpine lantern
I feed em tonight or tmr
They need heat to digest their food
If there is no heat they will not be able to digest their food, and it will just sit in their gut and could make them sick
tardy nebula
Female is around 2 male is around 1.5 i suppose
both seperate ofc, i dont breed nor plan to
and both fed on wednesday so
i can feed them tonight since theyd have heating tomorrow and tonight
alpine lantern
You're back on Thursday you said?
They'll actually be perfectly fine if they were fed Wednesday 
Adults only eat 1-2 times a week, and yours are adults. Just feed them when you get back
tardy nebula
i fed them last wednesday, the uhh. 28th?
is it safe to give them a few mealworms tonight
alpine lantern
Oh, that's just a few days ago. They'll be fine since they are adults! I personally wouldn't risk feeding in case they get sick and aren't able to pass everything out of their system in time for the heat to shut off :[ If anything happens, no one will be home to help them so I'd err on the side of caution personally.
I feed my adult leo who is the same age (2 years old) once a week, if this makes you feel any better. She is fine with this. They store fat in their tails, and they can go a long while without eating. But if you just feed your geckos the day you return, that's not long at all.
alpine lantern
That I don't have an answer to, every gecko has a different metabolism
tardy nebula
ahh alright
but you dont think feeding then a day and a half of heat before leaving would be good?
we do not leave until monday around noon
alpine lantern
I'm personally not sure, because I don't know how fast your gecko digests food. I know mine takes a few days for food to get through her, but it's dependent on the individual. I'm just suggesting the most cautious approach