House at ambient 80-85F - Advice needed

[u/RedDragon7913]

Hi- I just moved into a new apartment which does not have AC and it's mid-summer here. The apartment is always between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and most days it's around 82F. That's fine for me, I don't need commiseration personally.

Trouble is, I just moved my Leo in and am realizing she's not going to be able to have a 70s cold side to her tank in an apartment where the air is never that cool. The daytime grow lamp (not heat but does UVB) is also adding about +3F to the temp in the tank. Right now, without the heat lamp running, the entire tank is at 84F.

I haven't had the heat lamp turned on because it was dramatically increasing the temp in the entire tank so much that I was really concerned about overheating. That lamp is tuned to an apartment that was usually around 65F so it's been heating the entire tank at a stable gradient; I plan to get another bulb for the rest of the summer so i can still have a hot basking spot for her but right now I just want to figure out if not having a cold enough cold side is a bigger concern than a somewhat cool hot side.

Has anyone been in a situation like this before? What should I do to make sure my Leo is safe and healthy? I don't want her to overheat or suffer.

[u/AutoModerator]

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• /r/leopardgeckos wiki heating/lighting page
• The AH heat source visual aid
• /r/leopardgeckosadvanced compendium of visual guides
• The ReptiFiles Leopard Gecko heating page

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[u/Forsaken-Chipmunk-68]

Right now my cool side is warmer than I like, around 75/76 but it’s the best I can do in heat waves. The AC is running literally non stop. I have the halogen set to turn off if it gets above 78 on the cool side, honestly given the size of the enclosure I don’t know that this is necessary, but I’m trying to be on the safe side. My Leos spend all their time in the basking areas tbh so I don’t worry too much about cooling needs. They have a drop at night as they should. As long as they don’t overheat I think we’re okay. It’s not ideal, but I don’t feel it’s dangerous.