1 redfoot question and one poo question

[kimmerz]

right got my reds 2 days before xmas (xmas gifts from my mum dad and boyfriend) but i don't feel they are eating enough (they were about 9 months old then so should be about a year now), they don't seem fussed on weather they do or don't eat. i have to encourage them to eat too. this is my record of there weights (on digital scales) 26.12.07-48g and 50g 3.01.08-52g and 56g 21.01.08-54g and 60g 24.02.08-50g and 58g 1.03.08-52g and 54g 3.3.08-56g and 60g 4.3.08-58g and 58g 5.3.08-58g and 58g 6.3.08-56g and 60g 7.3.08-52g and 60g 9.3.08-52g and 60g 10.3.08-52g and 58g 11.3.08-52g and 58g 12.3.08-54g and 60g 13.3.0856g and 60g 14.3.08-54g and 62g 15.3.08-56g and 60g 16.3.08-5g g and 58g 17.3.08-54g and 62g 18.3.08-56g and 60g 19.3.08-56g and 60g 20.3.08-52g and 60g 21.3.08-56g and 60g 22.3.08-54g and 58g. do these weights seem ok? I don't feel they are putting enough weight on and you can probs tell i'm worried by the amount i've been weighing them, some of the weight drops I can think are probs because they have had a poo that day and all weights are recorded the same time every day. they have been wormed but I want to get them tested anyway to just make sure they don't have a paracite (they are UKCB so shouldn't but could) anyway i put a poo in a sterile pot a couple of days ago (maybe a week) and kept forgetting to post it, will it be ok to send this or shall i wait for the next poo?

my reds are not very active at all but by reading another post it don't seem terribly uncommon to have lazy reds. there set up is now a 100W cermaic heater and a UVB tube on and off during the day (to try replicate the sun shining and being cut off throught the trees in the rainforest) i'm so paranoid that I am going to wake up one morning and find one of my babies dead.

[chris_walton]

Kim what are the temps day and night.

how is the enclosure heated apart from the ceramic heated, it sounds to me that they aren't warm enough

D

[kimmerz]

in the basking area it's about 34.c and about 20c in the cool spot but thats just today as my boyfriend has made me turn the radiator off because apparently it was unbarebly hot in my room, but they choose to stay in the cool spot, i put them under the cermamic heater and they stay for 5 mins then walk away, I did have a basking spot light but they always seemed to have there eyes shut but that also lit up most of there enclosure. what can I use that is affordable to warm them up? as I feel i'm pushing my luck with electrical appliences abit now, and am offering to pay towards my mum and dads electric bill. and I really don't want to give them up. I did have them in a very small enclosure before I put them in there current one and it was always hot in there and they always chose to stay in the bedroom area out the way and still didn't eat.

[sarah]

Your cool spots are too cool i keep mine at 25-27c and under the lamps 35c. At night the temp does not drop below 20c

[piglet]

Sarah is correct you need an ambient air temp of 25-27 all through the day, if they can't heat up they will not feed , reds aren't the best baskers so rarely use the heat site allocated

D

[kimmerz]

So can anyone suggest an affordable way to heat up the rest of the enclosure?

[linda]

Originally Posted by kimmerz

So can anyone suggest an affordable way to heat up the rest of the enclosure?

an ordinary desk lamp with a spot bulb

you can get a 60 watt or 100 watt bulb for about £2.50 from most supermarkets etc

and see what temps you are achieving

[kimmerz]

Thats what I had, and I'm trying the ceramic heater in stead to see if they are more active, my radiator is back on so it's boiling in here, I just can't seem to get the heat to reach the other end of the enclosure, mite ask my boyfriend to put the cermaic heater towards the middle of the table and have the lamp at one end and see how that goes and how the electricity bill goes lol.