UTH inside wooden vivarium (again, sorry :$)

Ok, I'm really sorry to be bringing up the same issue again, but I'm still not exactly sure what I should be doing...

The vivarium I get will be wooden and I'm wanting to place A UTH inside it, on the bottom. First off, for the people who do have wooden vivariums, which UTH's do you use that you know to be safe to use on wood?

Secondly, I hear a lot of people using ceramic tile to disperse heat...would it be ok for me to put a ceramic tile above and below the UTH, then tape the lot together to stop the snake going between them? Where would the probe be placed in this case? On top of the top ceramic tile?

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this!

if you're gonna use it in the enclosure, i'd ONLY suggest UltraTherm or Kane heatpads and both will require a rheostat at the very least. You will need to set it up a couple days ahead of time and monitor surface temperatures till you get the settings just right. An infrared heat gun would be invaluable with getting things setup.

You can use ceramic tile or, better yet, thin slate ontop of the heatpad (no reason to put between) to help absorb and insulate heat.

I will have plenty of time to get all of the equipment (I don't have a snake yet and won't have until everything is set up correctly).

I have already bought a good quality thermostat (or at least I hope it is! It was expensive, but I haven't tried it yet). I will also have a good quality digital thermometer with a probe before I actually buy the snake.

The only reason I suggested putting it between two slates was to insulate the wood from the mat.

Ok, I will check out both of those heat mat types (I had been thinking of a habistat one but if that's out of the question then I can change my mind). Thanks

my way of doing it is putting the heat mat inside the viv, wrapping i up in paper towel, taping it on, this way my snakes dont burn them seles and the viv is at the right temp, i also have a light in which helps get the tempreture, but i also use a thermostat to control the heat mat, hope this may help

i have a uth inside both my melamine tanks.I put a ceramic tile on top and it works fine

Isaac (The Nothing) - Why only Ultratherm and Kane? Whats wrong with Zoomed?

I suggested those two because they are the only two I would use. UltraTherms are much like flexwatt, but is coated with polyurethane to protect against moisture, tearing, and such abuse. They operate at a low wattage right out of the bag, and direct surface temperature usually doesn't excede 95F (most heat guns i've seen targetting UltraTherms have read a surface temp of 88F).

Kane heatpads are made with high density durable polyethylene and suitable for outdoor use (grounded plugs - and some people use these in their doghouses). They are EXTREMELY durable, and made in such a way that the heat is focused upwards.

Neither of these heatpads are adheasive. Use them and move them where you want, when you want. UltraTherms come in a wider range of sizes - I have one that heats 3 different enclosures.

The only ZooMed product i've ever recommened to anyone is their mite treatment, and certainly not their heatpads. They're unregulated, adheasive, and unprotected. Removal and subsequent re-use is rarely sucessful. ZooMed won't even warranty the pad of used on anything but glass (ie stone, plastic, wood).

btw: i didn't suggest insulating the wood, because wood itself is an insulator and will help direct heating upwards.

heat tape ...

I built a wooden viv a few months ago, and am in the process of building a second (36" long, subdivided into multiple enclosures). I put heat tape in the back of mine, along the long edge in the back. Topped that with tile, and used aquarium sealant to seal in the whole thing (don't want them making a mess that could run between the tiles!). Ran the wires out the back to a rheostat (search the forums for how to build one). Ran the setup for a couple of days, watching the temps, before I introduced my little buddies.

Works like a champ : heat tape + rheostat under sealed tile.

j