Size-Should I be worried?

[WanderingChai]

Hey all, I had a question about Tea Cup's size.

Tea Cup turned 1 year 4 months old yesterday. She is only 11".

Should I be worried about this? I don't remember when I got her, sometime in March or April I believe. She has grown about 4 inches since then.

One other concern is that where I am it is getting into the high 80's almost everyday. My house is not air-conditioned and my fan doesn't do much. My room is always in the 80's now. This year was our coldest winter and hottest summer. Because of this I am forced to keep Tea Cup's light off 24/7. She gets outside to bask for about 10 minutes a day but sometimes less because I can't stand it very long.

I don't know how people who live in even hotter waether deal with this.

[Jeff]

Your situation is not ideal, but Teacup will be fine for awhile. Is there any chance that you could get a real low wattage bulb that would give her a warmer basking spot without heating up the cool end? The low 80's is a little warm, but not terrible for the cool end in summer. It would be good to have warmer temperatures available too though.

It's 112f here today. We deal with it with this thing called AIR CONDITIONING. It's one of the greatest inventions of all time! My skink room stays at about 80f during the summer, so I am able to give basking spots of up to 100f and it works fine. This is one of the main reasons I use heat tape instead of overhead lights for many of my skinks though. It is VERY low wattage, and doesn't heat up the rest of the enclosure. You might consider that for your basking spot in the summer?

I wouldn't worry about the slow growth. It is almost certainly healthier to grow slower than average than it is to grow too fast. You might also want to try a different radio station.

[WanderingChai]

Heat Tape is a good idea! Where would you get some?

Thank god, I was a bit worried.

P.S. HAHA Jeff.

[Anderous]

well petsmart has heat tape if you need it quick

[WanderingChai]

Thanks I'll look there.

[Spindown]

I wish we had air conditioning, but so far it hasnt gotten past mid 80s to upper 80s. I just turn off the lights when it gets really hot.

[Alioop]

I've never seen heat tape at Petsmart...

Jeff uses Flexwatt Heat Tape (as do I). I bought mine from beanfarm.com althought there are a few reptile supply websites that need it. It needs to be hooked up with a dimmer or thermostat.

[Jeff]

I've never seen heat tape at Petsmart...

Jeff uses Flexwatt Heat Tape (as do I). I bought mine from beanfarm.com althought there are a few reptile supply websites that need it. It needs to be hooked up with a dimmer or thermostat.

I have never seen it a Petsmart either, but Anderous may have been referring to heat mats which are available at Petsmart.

It's true, heat tape needs to be assembled. Since you only have one skink, it might be more practical to use a heat pad or heat cable. Some people think those are horrible products, but as long as you follow the directions for use exactly, and especially if you use a thermostat or at least a dimmer, I think they can work extremely well (and safe). They are not necessarily the best permanent solution, but in your situation they can help you provide the best possible environment for your skink while the temperatures are hot.

[WanderingChai]

I just have one problem: Tea cup's tank is on the ground, as the stand for the tank was cheap and breaking.

[critterguy]

Wonder if you could go the other way around and provide a cool spot ? I think Ray Gurgui simply turns off the heat in the summer.

A slab of granite or marble in/under the cage could provide a surface for the skink to rest that would absorb warmth. They even sell them for chinchillas as "chin-chillers".

[Coomassie]

If your tank is on the ground and you want to use a heatmat or UTH, you can put it on the side of the tank. If you choose to use a heatmat or a UTH anywhere on the tank, please remember to use a rheostat or thermostat on it. They can get VERY hot.

[WanderingChai]

Thanks Coomassie!! I'll look into it.

[Anderous]

i took a second look and what they have at petsmart is zoo med heat cable. after looking at it id just order heat tape, almost the same thing but the heat cable makes you use your own tape to fix it to the bottom of the cage.

[Fatal_S]

The heat cable doesn't heat up enough to hurt or melt anything, the heat tape does. Just something to keep in mind.

I've been using heat cable for a while. I duct tape it to wherever it's needed, and even all balled up and with no rheostat it just gets warm, never burning. Unfortunately it didn't get hot enough to heat my big 4x2 tanks, but I use it on my smaller tanks.

[WanderingChai]

Thanks Fatal, I think I'll go with that.