- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 903
hey everyone! i hope this thread gets lots of feedback. i've had an idea. here in oklahoma our humidity SUCKS, esp in the wintertime. outside of my sulcata's room the humidity on my hardwood floors is 29% right now. before i got my little guys i positioned heat lamps and checked hot spots & cold spots, and adjusted those accordingly. also for three days and nights straight the temperature on the top of the substrate just testing the heated blanket with no lights, stayed between 68-71 degrees. i have two caliber 3 temperature/humidity guages that record the highs and lows of temp and humidity. i'm telling you this to let you know the blanket never over heated their enclosures.
our house gets turned down to 65 degrees at night, so it's too cold for my torts. i have been using two ceramic heat emitters that i leave in the middle of the tub so they can keep themselves the temperature they want to be. i decided to use ceramic heat emitters because everyone says "don't rely on undertank heat emitters" and i know this, and i don't. but i'm curious, with humidity levels being so low and soaking my coconut coir/cypress bedding substrate every day just to barely make 50% humidity on the top of the substrate during the day.........
i just had an idea. last night i turned off the ceramic heat emitters, pulled the tubs apart so that a little less than half of each tub was not sitting on the heat blanket, and i turned the heat blanket on low. this morning, both my hygrometers read 67% humidity and 71 degrees on top of the substrate that was over the blanket.
could this be a good way to increase my humidity at night, to better simulate their humid burrow, and help prevent pyramiding?
i would also like to know, has anyone experienced or read of any negative effects from an "undertank heat emitter" (even though mine is actually a heated throw)? i am aware of the burning belly problem with the hot rocks, and that they "do better with heat from above to simulate their natural environment," and the "they burrow to get cooler" which is why half their tubs were not on the blanket, to allow them to find a cooler spot if they wanted it. but has heat from underneath actually caused any health problems?
please also note: i am not using this blanket as a primary source of heat. i used it last night to increase the humidity, by heating their substrate and the water in it, causing the water rise. i am still using heat lamps during the day! any thoughts on this subject would greatly be appreciated!
our house gets turned down to 65 degrees at night, so it's too cold for my torts. i have been using two ceramic heat emitters that i leave in the middle of the tub so they can keep themselves the temperature they want to be. i decided to use ceramic heat emitters because everyone says "don't rely on undertank heat emitters" and i know this, and i don't. but i'm curious, with humidity levels being so low and soaking my coconut coir/cypress bedding substrate every day just to barely make 50% humidity on the top of the substrate during the day.........
i just had an idea. last night i turned off the ceramic heat emitters, pulled the tubs apart so that a little less than half of each tub was not sitting on the heat blanket, and i turned the heat blanket on low. this morning, both my hygrometers read 67% humidity and 71 degrees on top of the substrate that was over the blanket.
could this be a good way to increase my humidity at night, to better simulate their humid burrow, and help prevent pyramiding?
i would also like to know, has anyone experienced or read of any negative effects from an "undertank heat emitter" (even though mine is actually a heated throw)? i am aware of the burning belly problem with the hot rocks, and that they "do better with heat from above to simulate their natural environment," and the "they burrow to get cooler" which is why half their tubs were not on the blanket, to allow them to find a cooler spot if they wanted it. but has heat from underneath actually caused any health problems?
please also note: i am not using this blanket as a primary source of heat. i used it last night to increase the humidity, by heating their substrate and the water in it, causing the water rise. i am still using heat lamps during the day! any thoughts on this subject would greatly be appreciated!