Temperature tips?

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Smidgeyy
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Temperature tips?

Postby Smidgeyy » Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:27 am

Originally I had been wanting a snake but after some consideration, I'm hoping to add a BTS to my family in the future. This will be my first reptile and I'm a little concerned about managing temperature. The room where the BTS will be staying is cold, like 60-70 degrees year round cold(sometimes colder in winter months because who doesn't like to freeze right?). My chinchilla requires cooler temperatures so warming up the room is not an option.

How hard of a time do you guys think I am going to have keeping the tank at an appropriate temperature? Meeting two requirements in the same room just has me nervous. Snake people have told me not to worry but I want to hear it from you guys as well. This is my first reptile so it's an entirely new thing for me, I want to make sure I do everything correctly from the start.

Also, tips on getting cats to leave the enclosure alone? I'll need something more enclosed with heating sources/lights built in, I'm sure. Wires outside of the enclosure need to be minimized or hidden very well, because he likes to chew them. :') I'm not that handy so if anyone has any recommendations to where to buy something like that, please let me know! I may or may not be able to bribe my brother to make me one out of wood, but I'll need some references and lay outs for him or he will just build me a box.
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splashy07
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby splashy07 » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:31 pm

I have a total of 8 cages from Animal Plastics, love them all. Different size options and sliding glass doors. I can heat a 48x24 enclosure with a 25 watt bulb. In warmer months a 7 watt warm LED works for me. You do not have to worry about room temperature with such a setup. I do not use nighttime heat in the cages and my apartment gets to 65-68 winter nights. Snakes are in thermostatically controlled racks. Being your first I'd go with a Northern, Gigas types (Indonesian) are more readily available and cheaper but 95 percent of them are imported, regardless of what the seller tells you.
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ReptiFiles
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby ReptiFiles » Fri Dec 15, 2017 9:23 am

Animal Plastics cages are really great for trapping heat (and humidity, if you choose to go the Indonesian route). Personally I recommend Northerns (T. scincoides intermedia) as the best BTS for beginners, just because they have consistently friendly dispositions and also don't have as high humidity needs, making care easier.

If you're worried about the night temps getting too low, you can place a heat mat underneath a hide on the cool end, using a thermostat (not thermometer; these are two different tools) to keep the temps between 70-75.

Blue tongue skinks make great pets. Stick around here on the forums, join Blue Tongue Skink Hobbyists on Facebook, and read through this comprehensive blue tongue skink care guide.
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Check out my research on captive husbandry for BTS: https://www.reptifiles.com/blue-tongue-skink-care-sheet/
1.0 Tiliqua gigas evanescens
1.0 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia
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Smidgeyy
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby Smidgeyy » Fri Dec 15, 2017 10:05 am

Someone also recommended Animal Plastics when I was looking into getting a snake! I definitely love the quality of those enclosures!
Chinchillas do best in low humidity so I try to keep the room relatively low, on humid days I have to lower the temperature to compensate for the higher humidity. Do you think having the enclosure in the same room will make it more difficult to keep the room cool? I'm not sure whether the enclosure emits heat on the outside or not, I just want to make sure I can comfortably keep both animals in the same room. I might be too paranoid about this but they're on opposite ends as far as requirements go so I'm in panic mode haha.

My room gets in the 50s in the winter, so I'll need something to keep night temps up as well.

I definitely want a Northern, I'm hoping to get a well socialized and friendly animal. Snakes are awesome as well but I feel like I'd get more enjoyment out of a skink. This is still new to be despite what I've learned so far. Thank you for the links! I'll definitely be reading through them. There's a lot of information online, I want to make sure I'm getting the right info. :)

Side question, how much is this tank going to add to my electric bill? Having an AC on 9 months of the year is already a heavy hitter, so I can't imagine it's going to be worse than that Lol.
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Tokkay
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby Tokkay » Fri Dec 15, 2017 2:27 pm

For heating you could also try a radiant heat panel. A bit more pricey, but guaranteed to last and should hopefully never die. They also don't get hot enough to burn reptiles and do a great job of heating the enclosure. You will need a thermostat with them, though, but that could be helpful if you want a bit of night heat as well, anyways.

I don't think you'll have a lot of issue keeping the rest of the room cool either way; the heat shouldn't be so intense that it warms the whole room. I keep my skinks in Animal Plastics cages also, and I use the radiant heat panels to warm them up. It keeps the enclosures plenty warm for my skinks, but my chameleon cages which sit 2-3 feet away do not experience any temperature effects from the skink cages as far as I can tell.

If you're concerned about regulating the rest of the room separately from your skink cage, a more enclosed cage is definitely better! I can testify that Animal Plastics makes some wonderful cages, but there are other companies as well that you could try, or even making your own. You can also use a very large tub/bin (footprint no smaller than 36x18 inches) and add air holes to create a cheap cage, though it won't look quite as pretty.
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Smidgeyy
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby Smidgeyy » Sat Dec 16, 2017 10:00 am

I want what's best for my situation, regardless of price. I'd prefer to buy supplies that's going to last rather than replacing them all the time.

The RHP just controls ambient temperatures correct? I'd still need a lamp for the hot side? Like I said, this will be my first reptile so this is all new to me. I've never had to control temps like this so I'm still learning!

How cat proof are the AP cages? He's only really in my room at night but he's pretty adamant about going after anything he can touch, he's quite destructive. I know he won't be able to get at the skink itself but I don't know if he's going to be able to mess up the lamps or anything, that's why I mentioned something more enclosed. He's my problem child Lol.
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Tokkay
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Re: Temperature tips?

Postby Tokkay » Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:01 am

RHPs actually do both! I use a Vivarium Electronics thermostat with mine and have the probe set about an inch below the RHP. Thermostat is usually set 95-100 F or so, but the basking spot 6 inches below the probe still gets to the same temp as the probe, so it works. My basking spots are also around 95-100 but my ambient temps range down into the 80s during the day. I have them set to turn off completely at night. The thermostats make the whole thing really easy, so even with a lamp it's a good idea to have one.

AP cages are pretty cat proof, I think. I believe you can get the cage doors as either sliding glass/acrylic or swing acrylic doors (I use the swing ones). I know the swing doors have four latches on each side to hold it shut, which a cat could conceivably push to the side to get a door open, but if you're concerned just ask to get door locks on your cage! AP customer service is great and they'll work with you if you want to customize things.

If you're worried about lamps being bumped then you could get everything installed inside of your cage. I only have a RHP and 18" Arcadia UVB lights in my cages and it's all I've needed for heat and lighting purposes. If you do go with AP cages and a RHP, I bought the T10 size cages and AP actually installed my RHP for free for me, I just had to have it delivered to them. They also offer a white flourescent fixture that can be installed inside the cage for an extra fee, which is what I did for my UVB lights.

If you do go with bulbs instead, you could get a taller cage and probably hook the bulbs up inside of the cage so there's nothing outside that can be knocked over. Not sure if AP cages offer that, but I've seen lots of people build custom cages with bulbs inside so it can be done!

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