Should I turn heat lamp off at night?

[Carnivale]

I -think- someone else asked a question like this, but I'm not sure. Since getting Chai, I usually do just turn the main light/heat lamp off, and leave the moonlight on during the night, which puts off enough heat just to keep the cool end of the tank at 80-ish degrees. But I do run the air conditioner a lot since I don't tolerate the Missouri humidity very well. I know that for the first couple weeks, a new BTS can be very shy and hide a lot, and I do only handle her briefly every day, so she gets a knack for a routine. But anyway, I wasn't sure if running the AC might be part of her being otherwise inactive/hiding most of the time, or if it's just typical for a new baby in a new home.

Mostly I just want to know if it's better, or worse, or doesn't matter much at all whether I keep the heat lamp on at all times, or turn it off at night so there's a clear day/night "schedule" of sorts.

All input is appreciated!

[jdheff1982]

Well, you mostly answered your questions in your post.

* A day/night schedule is preferred. It puts them on a schedule/routine.
* I run my A/C at 74 F and my guy seems good with it. I don't have any night heat. He'll go into brumation once the temps start dropping. Especially since I run my heater @ 68 F to conserve my energy bill during the winter.
* Any newly acquired pet must have an acclimation period. Some animals handle it better than others. Skinks tend to want to be left alone for the first couple weeks. It's their time to figure out if the new home is dangerous or not.

If in doubt, seek out the the detailed care sheet available here: http://www.bluetongueskinks.net/. It has every thing a new owner needs to keep a happy, healthy skink.

[Susann]

Skinks, like humans, are diurnal, which means they sleep when it's dark. Which also means, for optimal health they need it to be dark at night.
I use ceramic heat emitters, as they only put out heat, on dimmers so I can adjust or turn them off when my house is warmer at night in the summer.
Yours, if I remember correctly, is a Northern; they tolerate being cooler much better than gigas do, so as long as it doesn't get much cooler than 65 when they aren't brumating, I wouldn't worry.

[Carnivale]

Alrighty, thank you both! I just wanted to be certain. <3 I got myself a timer so that the heat lamp will turn off and on at the proper times each day/night.