habistat fluctuating

[Alex Arrigone]

quick question,

i have my basking spot set at 105-110 F. i also have a digital thermometer on the basking spot to check the temperature.

ive found that the temperature keep drifting to 100f and up to 120f (max / min recorded during the day). is this normal? how can i get it to stay more stable?

i regulate it to the right temp and it seems to stay at that temp but then it will change after a while. im using a 100 whatt heat bulb. but i bought a 75 whatt today to try and make it more stable and it wouldnt go above 98f so i changed it back to the original.

thanks

 

[BeardieBaby]

I have noticed the same thing with my basking spot. I know for me it depends on how cold it is outside because I have a slight draft in my door so I have to turn the heat up higher in my apartment which then it turn makes the basking spot hotter. Right now I am using a 50 watt Halogen bulb I got at Lowes(or you can get it at Home Depot) and it is a lot cheaper than pet store lights and it gets hotter. Sometimes if it's really cold out I put on my CHE(ceramic heat emitter) which is a 60 watt and it gets the basking spot a little warmer. I live in the North East so unfortunately with all the temperature changes that go on, it is really experimentation and trial and error. I also really recommend getting a light with a dimmer on it so that if it does happen to get too hot you can put the light darker and the temperature will go down. 120 degrees is WAY to hot for a bearded dragon, so if your temperature is going that high but also is 100 F, I would highly recommend the dimmer. This is just my advice and what I have learned so hopefully I could help!

 

[Alex Arrigone]

I've made some adjustments. I had the temp reader probe near one of 4 vents in the tank to achieve the best temp without having the probe in the way of the basking spot but it kept changing. But I've covered the vent with paper so it stays stable now

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

The probe needs to actually be attached directly to your basking spot to get accurate temps. If you are concerned that your dragon will have to lay on it believe me they don't mind it at all..lol...when a dragon decides to get comfy and picks his spot they will plop right down without hesitation onto whatever is there. And him laying on it will not hurt the probe
Glad things are going well!
Enjoy!!

 

[Alex Arrigone]

If its sitting on the probe the habistat will think its gone too cold and make the basking spot too hot wont it? And the habistat dial also only goes to 92F which, from what I've read , isn't high enough. The only way I can get the temp to 105-110F is by putting it slightly away from the basking spot. Any ideas ?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I don't use a habistat and have only basic info on them. However thermostat device in my opinion is better used in controlling CHE emitters or other heating devices like mats and not really feasible for controlling for instance a Basking Light. It's my understanding that the Habistat is made to cut of the power at a preset temp. To me that makes no sense in a reptile enclosure where your creature need that light to stay on so that it knows where to bask. If I am correct then your basking bulb would constantly be going on and off all through the daylight schedule. That would also account for your fluctuating temperature problem in your basking area.
I could see using the Habistat with an infrared heating lamp at night when one is used but those are not a good source of supplemental night heat for a lot of reptiles bearded dragons included because the night light disrupts their sleep.
I could be totally wrong on this but as I said I have not used the Habistat.
I do use a thermostat inline with the CHE emitter to cut them off at preset temps when I have to use a CHE. But with a CHE of course there is no light switching on and off so it is basically the same as central heat in a home when used like this.
My preference for a daytime basking spot setup is to experiment with different suitable basking bulbs of different wattage until I find one that will give me the desired temp range I need and then to use a simple digital thermometer with a remote probe placed directly on the basking spot to monitor the temps. Small adjustments can also be made in this type of setup by raising or lowering the basking spot.
I use standard household indoor Halogen flood lights for basking bulbs with great success. They produce a clean bright white light that dragons are attracted to and a lot more heat per watt than the reptile specific bulbs allowing you to use much lower wattage bulbs in most cases. They are also more readily available being in most home improvement and "big box" stores as well as being cheaper too.
For instance in Mungi's enclosure which is currently a 40 gallon Breeder tank setup I use a 75 watt indoor Halogen floodlight for his basking lamp. I could use a 50 watt but my lights are suspended for a custom PVC light rack above the tank. The light at present is a good 12 inches above the tank and produces enough heat at the basking spot to maintain a constant 104-105 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with the heat in our home set at 74F in winter time. That is the perfect temp for Mungi being an adult dragon.
As I said I could use a 50 watt by adjusting the rack down but last time I changed out bulbs only had the 75 watt on hand.
For your enclosure you will have to experiment a little to find the right bulb and it doesn't have to be Halogen either. Clear Incandescent bulbs will work too as long as they produce clean bright white light and sufficient heat to give you the proper temps you need. Soft White bulbs will not work.

Hope something here helps!
Enjoy!!

 

[Alex Arrigone]

That makes a lot of sense. I'll have a look this weekend as the temp is pretty stable at the momentCheers for your help

 

[sircactuscat]

Great advice! I have a habistat, but it was a higher range temp model, so it can go from 72F to 110F.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Great advice! I have a habistat, but it was a higher range temp model, so it can go from 72F to 110F.

I still do not know why you would want to have something that will cut the lights on and off during the day to maintain desired temps. That would be like someone having a switch on the Sun and us having to deal with the Sun popping on and off all day

Just my opinion!
Enjoy!!

 

[sircactuscat]

I still do not know why you would want to have something that will cut the lights on and off during the day to maintain desired temps. That would be like someone having a switch on the Sun and us having to deal with the Sun popping on and off all day

Just my opinion!
Enjoy!!

Oh that's ok, I forgot to mention that it was a dimmer switch instead of a pulse range thermometer! So it only dims the bulb to maintain temp instead of switching it on and off.

 

[Alex Arrigone]

Mines a dimmer one too but only goes to 92F. Couldn't find anything that regulated it higher but ill have another look for the higher range one as you mentioned. Cheers

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Just my opinion but having a dimmer on the basking bulb in my opinion would be an unnecessary piece of equipment to purchase when with a little bit of experimentation you can find a bulb that would not have to be regulated to get your basking temp right. If you are having to use a dimmer to cut back the power on the bulb so that it won't over-heat your enclosure then seems to me you are using a bulb that is too high wattage for your needs in the first place.
I was looking at those Habistats online and see that for instance the Habistat dimmer runs about 40GBP or roughly $60 US..that to me is a large expenditure. I'm not one to cut corners at the expense of giving the best quality care to any of the creatures that we care for anytime but I do believe in using the money that I spend on their care as efficiently as possible and not wasting money for the simple reason I have never liked throwing good money to the wind.

I'm not saying that the Habistats are a bad product at all nor am I saying that there aren't circumstances I could see where they might be very useful or in fact needed but in the instance of controlling a basking bulb for a dragon enclosure I just can't justify spending 60 bucks for a product that I can spend less than 10 bucks and get the job done just as well.

Again just my take on it!
Enjoy!!