beardie temp gradient

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giggle

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ok... so heres the thing... how do you achieve a temperature gradient of a cool end of 20deg or so... when the ambient temp outside the enclosure is about 30deg? I still need to maintain my hot basking spot and somehow have a low temp cool spot in there for them :| Unless I put some kind of airconditioning in that side, I cant see it happening! Currently my cool spot is on 31degC :(

Ari
 
Ok its a tough one, especially with ozzy weather.

Some people install extra air vents for circulation as well as 12v computer fans.

Other option is to transfer the enclosure to the cooler side of the house :? sorry , not much more i can think of *shrugs*
 
I was considering installing some lights myself... so I was probably going to be getting a transformer anyway... so the puter fan would plug into that easily. BUT... fans can often merely push heat around. The enclosure is well ventilated... its just that its mackay... and mackay is hot but we try to suffer through it rather than turn on some aircon... cause the power bill tends to get out of hand lol
 
Ari what's your enclosure like? You said it's well ventilated, but can u expand on that? Have u got a fish tank with hood, melamime with glass doors, etc etc. If u can elaborate on that, will help answer the question.
 
hey lollypop... I basically have a sliding front aquarium with a mesh top and vents along the sides. Very similar to the reptile enclosures from the pet shops only its home made. Its 90cmx80cmx60cm. I decided I would make an extra enclosure underneath though... it will be 90cmx40cmx60cm.... because my female beardy is missing her front foot and doesnt seem to want to climb to bask. So the height is pointless and probably more harmful than anything.
 
oh... the light set up is exoterra 10.0 compact UV and 40w halogen spotty. Basking spot is 39-42degC... the cool spot is 31degC. but seeing as the ambient temp in the loungeroom is 30degC I cant get the enclosure under that without some sort of cooling method.
 
get a "hot" water bottle or milk carton with flat sides and freeze, wrap in a old sheet and place in the cool end will give your beardie somewhere cool to lay. If you need to you can have 2-3 bottles on rotation 24hrs a day.
 
get a "hot" water bottle or milk carton with flat sides and freeze, wrap in a old sheet and place in the cool end will give your beardie somewhere cool to lay. If you need to you can have 2-3 bottles on rotation 24hrs a day.

^_^ why ... the ... hell didnt I think of this? LOL xD I used to do this for my dogs in summer and when I had puppies on hot days I would put an iceblock in one side of the whelping box under some blankets. Im sure I can rig something up :D Cheers dude, perfect solution. I wonder if it will change the air temp of the cool side... maybe I can get one of those bendable icepacks they use in flexible eskys... and make a hide type thing with a hollow wall that I can fit the icepack into ^_^ technically the air inside it would be cooler. :D

YAY!
 
Thats basically what i am making, i have a 6 pack esky lid that has clip in ice packs, am going to mount it on a melamine frame to make a "cool room" but also allow him to sit on top if he wishes and get a little bit of cooling that way
 
The only other option is to get a probe & set it so the heat light goes on & off to help regulate the temperature.
Just make sure you always have a big shallow bowl of water at the cool end so they can cool off naturally & rehydrate at will.
30C isn't too bad to be honest, so I'd save the icepacks til middle of summer when it will prob be getting a lot hotter up your way:).
 
I've been having the same issue with my enclosure. I can get the basking spot up to a nice 40 degrees Celsius, but the cool end is around 30-31 degrees.. That's with a 12v computer fan soldered to a 12V DC adapter. Although I've just ordered a higher cfm fan hoping it may improve better.

The only other option I can (realistically) see is to add shade at the cool end, as in my enclosure, it seems as though it's the light from the mercury vapor causing the cool end to reach 30-31 degrees.
 
Bit of a tricky one, and expecially with an enclosure size so small.

It would be hard to maintain the temps in something that size, probaly best option would be giving the cool pack a go..
 
Yeah, if I made the enclosure bigger I would have even more of a problem... Missing her front leg, my female tends to be a bit on the lazier side and doesnt climb or move around too much LOL her biggest thrill in life is warm baths, outside time and food. Mostly food. Thats when you see how fast she REALLY is, regardless of a missing leg!
When its mealy day you can see her excitement. I might cut back on the mealies.... its starting to show in her neck region LOLOL

But yeah, having a beardy with special needs starts to make things a little more interesting. But she is a funny one, she actually seems to enjoy coming out and being handled. Loves being splashed while in her bath. Could never part with her.
 
just made one... cool side is down to 24degC at the moment :) and guess who is a happy lil beardy.
 
it lasted 20 mins before it melted :|

I need to come up with something else. Maybe it needs to be like an entire enclosed esky type deal.
 
An enclosure with dry ice inside? that usualy lasts aaaagesss. Just make sure dragon doesnt get to physically touch it or smell the vapor :)
 
<3 Thaaaaaank you :D Putting my order in right away!! Also will redesign the thing I was putting it in as well... I think if I close it off a bit more it will last longer.
 
try and insulate the enclosure better. If it is plain glass put some 5mm thick sheets of that packaging foam stuff. take any covering off the top of the tank so the hot air can get out of there. you could put a divider in your tank with a hole cut in the bottom so your animal can shift between the hot room with the light on the one without. This segmented wall should be foam also or something that wont let heat through.
Alternatives is to instal fans but im not sure how to do that
 
hey grogshla :)

The top is entirely open mesh, the enclosure is glass all sides.

Im moving the enclosure to the 'downstairs' where the substrate will be tile and the height of the enclosure will be lower. I think with appropriate vents and perhaps the divider you suggest, this will make it much easier to keep cool. LOL
 
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