Temperature Gradient

[TPceebee]

Hi all, I'm having trouble getting my temperature gradient right. My tank is a 48x16x14 (I plan on upgrading in about a year) wooden vivarium. I use a spot light and a CHE to heat the tank (just CHE at night) but I'm having trouble getting the temperatures in the cool end right. Currently I can't get the cold end above 20-21°c without making the spot directly under the two bulbs above 40°c. To be exact, spot light is at 40-45, CHE is about the same and only then can I get the cold end to be just 20-25. Middle is around 27. I don't fancy using a UTH. How hot is too hot and how cold is too cold for both a baby and adult? Are there leniencies both ways? What do you guys think?

[alichamp]

When the cool end its 20-21 what is the temp at the hot end? Temps at 20-23 and high 30s/low 40s are good so yours sound good.

Question is, what are your night temps? Want to keep above 15.

This is if you don't want the skink to go into brumation so I'm assuming this is what you are doing...?

[Richard.C]

thats a good temp gradient,uour actually offering uour skinks choices,much better then a hot box type environment

[TPceebee]

Thanks both, yes it is over 15 at night and hot end temps (not basking spot) are about 35-40. I was just concerned as I read in another thread someone recommended keeping babies' cool end at 27°c.

[Dood]

What species of skink do you have?

It's been suggested that gigas species "may" need a higher ambient temperature (but I don't think it was as high as 27'C ) to prevent the "mystery illness" ( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23041&p=425783&hilit=Mystery#p425783 ) and respiratory infections they seem to be more prone to

[alichamp]

27 is too warm for the cool end - much better 20-23. The temps you have are spot on - if the hot is up to 40ish and the cold is down to 20ish it makes it easy for it to regulate its own temp within that. You may just find he doesn't need to bask that much to get body temp up (ie. don't panic if you don't see him out much).

Temps are kept the same for babies and adults. Difference is that breeders here have suggested babies do better kept warm in first winter. That's what a number of us are doing.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=27978&hilit=first+winter+brumation

When adults though they tend to go into brumation over winter and that requires keeping the whole tank at a nice low temp if they have stopped eating for at least a week.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20337

Hope this helps Do you have a skink yet? Make sure you let us know and post pics when you do!

[alichamp]

BTW that is a good size viv. Also helps keep good temp range.

[TPceebee]

Thanks ali, that's really helpful. I'm yet to get my skink though he/she's gonna be a northern (love the meraukes but I just can't find them here!). I was planning on upgrading the width of the viv, as I think it's a little to small in that direction.

[Dood]

Ok, Northerns are pretty tough and I doubt a 20'C cool end would bother them at all

[Dakota]

You find a Northern and not a Merauke in the UK? Usually that is quite opposite. Make sure you are buying from a reputable breeder, as there are LOADS of hybrids over there. I rarely let my temperatures get below 27° on the cold side. It is very unnatural for them to experience temperature below 26°, but I keep Tiliqua gigas. Different story for the Northern.

[Richard.C]

dakota if theu neved get cooler than 27 at cool end im not suprised u havnt had any babies yet

look what the folk having some success have done,and whats triggered it

what alot of people dont realise is,and u can read wild studies to see this also is animals from very hot climates have ways to avoud extremes of weather,they often thermoregulate under cover or wait out extremes of weather,some bask very early in the day just to get up to temp and dissapear in heat of the day,and may pop out again later when temps are falling,if they do fall much of course,orhers avoud the heat of daylight and actually become active after suns gone as the day heat is just to much

in short they have choices,if they want to get to 20 degrees they easily can,heck some can even get to hot body temps in very cool climates

temp gradients of a wide amount are a good thing

[Dakota]

When Virginia bred for me, I had her in two locations: outside in South Florida and in the wood stove room in Tennessee. Both times she has access to basking light, both locations is got below 65° at night.

Room temperature in Florida is 80-82°, while in the winter in Tennessee, it is around 68°-72°. It is quite inevitable to not keep them in the low 80's, especially during the day.

That is quite the gradient if you ask me, and she likely slugged out. But now I do things quite a bit different, so we will just have to see if my females become gravid this season this way. Like you always say, there is no one way to keeping and breeding these lizards.

[Richard.C]

true that,there isnt just one way,but if u look deeply into how different people are doing it,especiallu if they are having success,theres common things occuring in majority of cases,those are the things the are bringing some some good fortune

prob is alot of folks animals are getting cooler but they dont realise this either as still have a hot basking site ,if u have a big temp gradienr to begin with,that actually gives them the option to avoid heat and go slow down and cycle properly as well,in colder climates that happens earlier because the ambients drop alot earlier, which i believe can also prolong gestation periods or possably sperm storage occurs or they just ovulate later if the breed before its at its coolest

lots of factors come into play and it differs for everyone depending on where they can keep there animals and if and how they can control temps

having a cool end that never goes below 27 degrees isnt very natural for even the most tropical of animals

[TPceebee]

Here's my new dilemma, when the light come on in the morning the ambient starts at 24 then slowly gets hotter and hotter until the end of the 12hr cycle which shuts the lights off. Is this normal for a viv? I don't use a thermostat, just dimmers so maybe this is my problem?

[Dood]

Yesssss

Remember - you are trying to mimic the sun cycle - pretty sure the temperature at sunrise doesn't jump up to 30' - it GRADUALLY gets warmer as the sunshine heats up the Earth, then GRADUALLY cools overnight

[TPceebee]

Lol, thanks dood.