BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

So I'm trying to get temps up to 35 basking and keeping the overall temp overnight over 16 but I'm struggling a little bit. I do have another lamp etc that I can use but for overnight temps I'm thinking an under tank heater.

Thoughts?

depends what bluey you have but ik shinglebacks love getting some belly heat so a heat matt might be an option, as long as you check the temp to make sure it doesn't over heat im no expert tho good luck

Easterns

Which bit are you struggling with? Keeping up the night heat?

I'm going to assume that you have a day basking globe that gives heat and light that you have on during daylight hours. You could keep the day basking and add a second lamp and globe just for overnight heat when the day one goes off - either a night globe (like the red or purple moon ones are good) or a ceramic heat emitter which gives heat but no light. Set it up to a probe on/off thermostat overnight so that if temp goes below say 16 degrees it will turn itself on.

The temps don't usually go below 16. May e 15 or 14 but that's the lowest, my main concern is the basking temp never breaks 30 should I get the next bulbs up or is 30 ok for eastern?

try move the substrate or rocks etc so its closer to the light, then measure temp again. what thermostat do you use?

SpectralChimaera wrote:So I'm trying to get temps up to 35 basking and keeping the overall temp overnight over 16 but I'm struggling a little bit. I do have another lamp etc that I can use but for overnight temps I'm thinking an under tank heater.

Thoughts?

How cold does it get in your EBTS tank overnight ?

How old / heavy is the skink ?

An adult EBTS is pretty robust and can stand cold conditions (high teens overnight no problem), a baby or juvenile needs some overnight heating if it's under 20oC overnight.

You don't want one of those INFRARED globes that give off light, it will disturb the skinks sleep.

Your best bet for keeping a BTS warm overnight is perhaps ceramic heat emitter setup with an inline switching or dimming style thermostat (probe near where BTS sleeps). Idea is to warm the air in the tank .

If this is not an option then you can sandwich a 5W or 7W film style heatpad between two layers of secondhand wall tiles with glossy sides facing in and control it with a simple inline switching thermostat (set to told about 30-34oC NO HOTTER) and place the tile sandwiched heatpad under the hide , my experience with this set up has been very successful, the BTS can chose the temperature it likes beciase not all the tiles are warmed (there is a gradient from cold to warm) and the skink will never have direct contact with the heatpad.
This is what I have in my BTS tanks https://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/vi ... 5&t=224976 .


I use $12 - $15 Ebay thermostats and they seem to be very reliable and bullet proof. Essentially rigup, set and forget. The same thermostats are sold locally for $35 !!! sorry but I wont pay $20 for the privilege of buying from a local online shop or petshop ,that's a mug's game IMO.
I live in EBTS natural range and about 3km From the ocean on the north coast of NSW , so probably don't need overnight heating , but I can't see the harm in providing a little warmth overnight especially over winter for my gang of very pampered lizards .

I honestly could not twll you the ages, one is larger than the other but they were from the same brood. The lowest the temps get down to as far as I can tell is 16 degrees, I have a heat pump that turns on at 5am so they skip the coldest part of the morning, and I turn the heat and lights on at 7am.

I got an ir temp gun and both basking rocks get to 35 by lunch time, So I'm no longer concerned about the basking temps (gradients down to 20 in the cool end).