Ive been trying to find the correct place to put my heat lamp so that my gecko (coco) is comfortable. She does tend to change where she chills depending on the placement of the lamp, so I am not sure if that is because the temp is getting closer to ideal, or further from it. I just got probe thermometers yesterday so that I could better understand the temperatures, but the thermometer doesnt tell me much different of a heat compared to my old non probe thermometer. So I am not sure if the probe is actually measuring surface temp or not, because I want to make sure the surface temp is correct for her. Could anyone give me some advice on what her behavior might mean when it comes to the correct or incorrect heat and her level or comfort and happiness?
#behavior related to heating, concerned if the heat is too much or too little.
cursive star
distant wave
first off what are your temps reading? ambient and basking spot surface
the only way to properly read surface temp is with an IR heat gun
cursive star
This is the spot I am trying to measure. The probe thermometer reads 83 and my non probe reads around the same. the one in the picture is the non probe
ir heat guns are expensive, so i was hoping i could figure it out without buying one
her cold side reads about 72-78 (with the probe inside of her cold hide/cave)
i used to have her heat/light lamp directly on top of her basking spot but that got to around 95-100 ambient which means the surface probably would have burned her. and i remember when i turned off the lamp every night, she always would immedietely go to the basking spot and lay out on her stomach, which means it was probably too hot during the day
distant wave
ir heat guns are expensive, so i was hoping i could figure it out without buying...
theyre 11 bucks on amazon
cursive star
oh
dammit i just spent that money on probe thermometers to try to measure surface temp
i can buy one soon but in the meantime is it still possible to figure out the right temps due to her behavior?
distant wave
i used to have her heat/light lamp directly on top of her basking spot but that ...
but coming out at night to take in the residual heat doesnt mean it was too hot during the day, it just means they feel safer to come out in the dark
cursive star
are you sure? im worried she could have gotten burned.
but what ur saying might be the case, because when ive been experimenting with moving the heat lamp lately she has been literally just laying out in the open near the middle of her tank, and right now shes in her cave underneath the basking spot
distant wave
i can buy one soon but in the meantime is it still possible to figure out the ri...
i mean right now all you can do is make sure your ambients are right and get the basking spot right with a thermostat
wherever she sits doesnt dictate that theres anything potentially wrong with your temps, they just sit where they feel most comfortable
cursive star
alr
distant wave
are you sure? im worried she could have gotten burned.
but what ur saying migh...
if its too hot for her, she will move
a leo given the choice of a proper heat gradient wont burn themselves
honestly most of the burns ive seen so far are uv burns
cursive star
it was probably coincidences then, where she decided to sit. because it seemed like she always moved to the middle of the tank right when i changed the lamp temps
like literally against the glass lol
i guess sometimes she feels safer around me and sometimes less safe. who knows
what would you recommend the ambient temps reading in the basking area, hot side, and cold side then? until i get my IR gun. because from what ive heard if the surface temps are too hot then sometimes leos burn themselves by accident
and what is odd, is that she has just layed there basking in the open before, so im not sure why she would be uncomfortable doing it during the day
distant wave
!tempgradient
royal snowBOT
cursive star
thank you!!
cursive star
is there a way i can check surface temps without a heat gun?