Temperature

[Tera_R]

So I’m having a hard time regulating figs cage Temps as winter comes along and it gets colder I have a heater in the room that keeps the room around 70 and I have a 100watt basking bulb with a basking temp of i’m gonna say 83ish. Took him to the vet for a check up and he said it was a bit cold which is fair but I tried a 150 watt bulb and his basking spot got to 110 which is definitely not what I wanted and that was about 12 inches away too so I’m not sure if I need a wider dome to spread the heat out more or if I need a different bulb so any suggestions

This is his current basking dome

 

[MissSkittles]

A basking temp of 83 is fine. I try to keep my boys around that. Some of the older standards recommended keeping chams much hotter, but that has changed. As we are always learning more about our chams, the husbandry standards are always evolving.

 

[Tera_R]

A basking temp of 83 is fine. I try to keep my boys around that. Some of the older standards recommended keeping chams much hotter, but that has changed. As we are always learning more about our chams, the husbandry standards are always evolving.

Gotcha fig was kinda acting weird like not eating as much and not pooping like normal and being more skiddish than usual so the vet said the food thing might be because he’s cold

 

[Beman]

Is your cage all screen?

 

[Tera_R]

Is your cage all screen?

Yes but I have shower curtain on the sides of it

 

[Beman]

Yes but I have shower curtain on the sides of it

How tightly pulled is it to the frame? Do you have it on the two sides and the back?

 

[Tera_R]

How tightly pulled is it to the frame? Do you have it on the two sides and the back?

Very tight there is little to no slack and it’s on two sides but I have a background that is thicker and laminated on the back

 

[Beman]

Very tight there is little to no slack and it’s on two sides but I have a background that is thicker and laminated on the back

The reason why I am asking is this can help regulate your temps. Especially with winter. But you have this done with what your using.

So you could try a wider base dome. Looks like you have the smaller one. But honestly I would try putting the heat fixture in the back corner first. With the back and side being covered you will create a pocket of heat back there. Make sure you still have the same distance to basking though. 100 watt bulbs can produce thermal burns. I would not have it hotter than 83ish there though. But like I said it makes it warmer because there is an area of heat being trapped by the siding.

Now they do slow down in winter. This is normal even when controlling their environment. Because in all honesty the environment changes season to season no matter what we do. Ambient temps drop and if you use gas heat the air is going to be dryer. Beman will have days where he stays in his sleep spot until noon. Then he will finally get up and bask.

If you start seeing things like going off food completely, not basking at all, eyes sinking in then these would be signs for concern.

 

[Tera_R]

The reason why I am asking is this can help regulate your temps. Especially with winter. But you have this done with what your using.

So you could try a wider base dome. Looks like you have the smaller one. But honestly I would try putting the heat fixture in the back corner first. With the back and side being covered you will create a pocket of heat back there. Make sure you still have the same distance to basking though. 100 watt bulbs can produce thermal burns. I would not have it hotter than 83ish there though. But like I said it makes it warmer because there is an area of heat being trapped by the siding.

Now they do slow down in winter. This is normal even when controlling their environment. Because in all honesty the environment changes season to season no matter what we do. Ambient temps drop and if you use gas heat the air is going to be dryer. Beman will have days where he stays in his sleep spot until noon. Then he will finally get up and bask.

If you start seeing things like going off food completely, not basking at all, eyes sinking in then these would be signs for concern.

Okay gotcha I will try moving it! And that is good to know he hasn’t showed any of those signs so that makes me happy! I may end up buying a wider dome anyways to spread the heat out a bit more. I appreciate the advice thank you

 

[Tera_R]

The reason why I am asking is this can help regulate your temps. Especially with winter. But you have this done with what your using.

So you could try a wider base dome. Looks like you have the smaller one. But honestly I would try putting the heat fixture in the back corner first. With the back and side being covered you will create a pocket of heat back there. Make sure you still have the same distance to basking though. 100 watt bulbs can produce thermal burns. I would not have it hotter than 83ish there though. But like I said it makes it warmer because there is an area of heat being trapped by the siding.

Now they do slow down in winter. This is normal even when controlling their environment. Because in all honesty the environment changes season to season no matter what we do. Ambient temps drop and if you use gas heat the air is going to be dryer. Beman will have days where he stays in his sleep spot until noon. Then he will finally get up and bask.

If you start seeing things like going off food completely, not basking at all, eyes sinking in then these would be signs for concern.

So my dome broke this morning and my bulb went out so I was wondering if you have any suggestions on domes or light bulbs. I’ve heard of people using bulbs that aren’t from pet stores? If you have any links to something that I could go pick up today that would be great!!

 

[Beman]

So my dome broke this morning and my bulb went out so I was wondering if you have any suggestions on domes or light bulbs. I’ve heard of people using bulbs that aren’t from pet stores? If you have any links to something that I could go pick up today that would be great!!

You can pick up any standard incandescent bulb of equal wattage. Just make sure it is not an LED/incandescent. These are different with the heat they put out being much less.

Most people like the deep domes. I like the standard 5.5 inch dome with clamp but that is because I hook mine up to a light bracket to lift it up 4 inches off the cage.

 

[Tera_R]

You can pick up any standard incandescent bulb of equal wattage. Just make sure it is not an LED/incandescent. These are different with the heat they put out being much less.

Most people like the deep domes. I like the standard 5.5 inch dome with clamp but that is because I hook mine up to a light bracket to lift it up 4 inches off the cage.

Do you have any brand recommendations im looking for a wide dome. I saw someone else recommend the Zilla 8.5 inch

 

[Beman]

Do you have any brand recommendations im looking for a wide dome. I saw someone else recommend the Zilla 8.5 inch

So I use this one. Get one that is rated for your bulb wattage. Zilla, zoomed, and flukers makes good ones. They also have some that have a dimmer switch on them which are nice to get the sweet spot temp.

 

[Tera_R]

So I use this one. Get one that is rated for your bulb wattage. Zilla, zoomed, and flukers makes good ones. They also have some that have a dimmer switch on them which are nice to get the sweet spot temp.

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Thank you one more quick thing so you think a wide dome would be best considering my issues with keeping it warm

 

[Beman]

Thank you one more quick thing so you think a wide dome would be best considering my issues with keeping it warm

wide dome will help heat a larger area... If you are placing it on the cage. If lifting up it will do the same thing but a smaller dome is equally as effective if lifted because the heat disbursement is like a cone shape going down. Getting larger farther away from the source.