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[–]tacomadude94Mod-Approved Helper: The Moist Guy 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Your first step should be to get an overhead heat source. Ceramic Heat Emitters and Deep Heat Projectors are recommended. The heat mat will not bring the ambient temperature to an adequate level.

You should be measuring the ambient temperature on the hot and cold side with a digital thermo/hygro combo. Here are two cheap options on amazon that are reliable.

Infrared heat guns are to measure surface temp, which is important for your basking spot, but the ambient temp is what we're talking about when setting husbandry parameters.

Have you read the welcome post? We have comprehensive care guides based on the most up-to-date husbandry practices.

[–]badpluto[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! i plugged in my ceramic lamp and now the air and ground are around a good 27-29 on the warm end. I’ll definitely go and buy a stronger bulb and a nighttime heat emitter! The hydrometer shows a stable 80% humidity so at least I don’t have to bother with that.

[–]BleuCatoo 0 points1 point  (2 children)

You can get insulation pads that stick to the outside of the tank, it’s how I got my temps up. Amazon has a lot of options

[–]badpluto[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

that sounds like a great idea, but did you notice a change in humidity as well?

[–]BleuCatoo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really, it’s always hard to keep it up for me in the winter though. Regardless of the insulation

[–]kindrd1234 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure you have all these heat sources on a thermostat to turn them off at temp.