Heat light time?

[Chamorrogirl87]

Hi all. I'm a newbie cham mom for about 2 weeks now. I have a 3 month old ambilobe male. He is currently in a small repti breeze 16×16×20 (for now).

I live in San Diego, CA where daytime temps average 70-75 as of now.

My question is.. how long is the heat lamp supposed to be on during the day? (I know its lights out at night)

The breeder I purchased from said he was using a 25watt for 3hrs a day. So that's why I've been doing. My boy seems fine, but I'm wondering if/when do I change the time on this?

Thanks!

 

[Rontti]

The lights should be on 12h and off 12h

 

[SharpShooter]

The heat lamp should be controlled by a thermostat. Without that you can't control the heat.

The probe of the thermostat should be placed at the basking spot to ensure this spot stays at the optimal basking temperature.

I also use 3 x digital combo thermometers/hydrometers, 1 at the basking spot to monitor that, 1 at mid point and 1 low down. That way I can make sure basking, ambient and cooler zones are all good.

All off at night as you mentioned, assuming your room temp doesn't drop too low. If room temp at night is an issue then a ceramic heat light, again controlled by a thermostat should be used.