Is it four or three temps?

[Unique Username]

I often see threads with people encouraging monitoring of four temps ( cool side, warm side or basking light, ambient room, and nighttime low). My question is what’s the difference between cool side and ambient room temp? If basking is 95-100, and ambient is 75-85, wouldn’t the side of the enclosure without the basking light just match room temp?

 

[JoesMum]

Not necessarily. The room temperature in the room could vary by many degrees from the temperature of the enclosure depending on where it is sited and whether or not it is covered.

Any room isn't exactly the same temperature no matter where you stick a thermometer. The windows, doors, fireplace (in or out of use), radiators, height from the floor, etc all affect the temperature at any specific spot. You need to know and understand the specific temperatures in the enclosure. What's happening in the rest of the room is not accurate enough.

Get yourself a temperature gun and try it out around the room. You will be amazed by the variation

 

[Tom]

I often see threads with people encouraging monitoring of four temps ( cool side, warm side or basking light, ambient room, and nighttime low). My question is what’s the difference between cool side and ambient room temp? If basking is 95-100, and ambient is 75-85, wouldn’t the side of the enclosure without the basking light just match room temp?

Good question. I think Joe's Mum answered it well. In my words: In a large open table, yes, ambient would match the cool side in most cases, but in a closed chamber which is best for babies of any species and adults of some species, ambient would not necessarily match cool side.