What kind of UTH should I use!?

Some heating pads (UTH) claim to be designed to heat the air rather than objects in the cage and some the objects rather than the air. Some are designed for rainforrest settings and others for desert. Some are paper thin and adhere to the bottom of the cage, while some are pads that can be placed under the substrate... WHAT SHOULD I BUY AND HOW SHOULD I USE IT!

I'll be acquiring my first corn snake in May, and this is the only thing I haven't figured out what to do about yet. Money doesn't matter (within reason) I just want to do what is best for the snake and find something that will work with a thermostat. He'll be in a 20gal L w/ aspen substrate if that helps. I Hope (I'm sure) someone out there has an answer.

Thanks in advance!

I hadn't realized there were that many different kinds. Perhaps, they're mostly the same, but the manufacturers just make these claims that they are 'desert' or 'rainforest' :shrugs:

Regardless, corns are rainforest or desert species so you wouldn't need anything special like that. I would stick to your basic UTH that goes outside the cage and can adhere to the tank (or a piece of glass/tile).

I think mine are sold with the name Nature's Heat, and are sold at my local pet store. There are several brand names that make your typical UTHs (exo-terra, reptitherm(?) among others).

I'm not really sure if that helps you out at all.

BTW, where are you finding all these specialty UTHs, if you don' t mind my asking?

Here are some of the different types of UTH devices I've come across:

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Heat_Tape_119105.html

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/ReptiTherm_UnderTank_Heater_276115.html

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=49

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=955

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=657

For all I know, they're really all the same. Claiming that the things are designed for different environments may just be a ploy. In any case, I'm not sure what I should get.

This is really a question asking for OPINION. So with keeping that in mind, my opinion is that you can go with many different brands of stick on style uth as long as you use a THERMOSTAT with it. The thermostat will help make sure that the unit turns off or down once it reaches a certain temperature.

The "rainforest" and "desert" ones you are likely talking about are the ones put out by Hagen. They are both good. Basically the rainforest pads are the same size but only half the wattage of the desert ones. Without a thermostat I found that the 8x8" desert size pad on the bottom of a twenty gallon tank would reach up to 115 degrees. With an esu thermostat I bought for $60 though it has been keeping everything perfect.

Just a note though, most people recomend putting the pad onto a ceramic tile then just keeping that under the tank or viv. This way you can move the tile to another tank easily. If it was stuck on the actual tank you aren't supposed to move it again!

Good luck and have fun with your snakes!

Rebecca

I think any of those would work. They didn't give any sort of explanation of what makes a 'desert' UTH different from a 'rainforest' UTH. They say "the power of the rainforest heat mat simulates the rainforest environment...blah blah blah" ...that doesn't make the two mats sound different, IMO.


So, I would stick with the UTHs in your 2nd or 5th link. They are your average UTH like everyone uses. Just make sure you get a size that covers 1/3 of your tank. And while your at it, I would buy a thermostat or a rheostat to control it. They say they don't get hot enough to burn reptiles, but they do. Not all reptiles can handle the same amount of heat, and most UTHs will get hot enough to harm a cornsnake.


That first link you have is for heat tape, which is more like what you would use when building a rack system.

As I said in my post the exo terra one's only difference is the wattage. Hagen does stand behind it's products though, trust me I have dealt with them for years, being in the retail pet industry. I would definitely trust hagen products in my home.... Without a thermostat though ANY heat device can mess up..

Rebecca

Ok, I think I know what I'm looking for know. Thanks. To use a UTH with a thermostat, I just put the thermostats probe... in the subtrate near the warm hide? Sound right or does it go somewhere else?

I got the ZooMed (you can find these at a PetsMart or on their website) uth and put a dimmer switch on it. It works great! Billy seems to like it anyway..

I put my temp probe on top of the glass right where the uth is and then put the aspen on top of that. This way you know how hot the floor is there and your snake won't get a belly burn.

Does the wattage of the uth matter so long as I maintain the proper temp?

No, it doesn't matter as long as you keep the temp under 90 degrees. I have mine right at 86 degrees.

Hey. I ended up going with the Exo-Tera Heatwave. I think it's the desert one, but with some help I came to the conclusion that that doesn't matter. It's the third link down on one of my earlier posts. It was one of the least expensive and the size, 10.5x11 fits my tank perfectly. Thanks for the help.

esu thermostat

Not really a reply, but another question...pgr8dlvr wrote about an "esu" thermostat. Could I have some more info on these?
I have 8 large tanks/cages that I would like to heat early and late in the year, after May first, or so, I turn the heat off and rely on ambient temps.
Right now I use Flex-Watt heat tape controlled by a dimmer switch for my youngest snakes. The problem with that set up is in the spring it gets too hot in the day and needs adjusting.
Any advice/help would be appreciated.

Bob

There are all sorts of thermostats out there. The cheap ESU and Zoo Med ones tend to fail, or so I'm told. I use the Zoo Med Reptitemp 500R, but I only have one snake, one tank and NO money. From what I've heard, you would not want to rely on one of these types of thermostats for the number of viv temps that your are trying to manage. Look into buying a Ranco or Johnson thermostat. You can find a prewired Ranco online for about $75 (http://www.mgreptiles.com/thermomain.html). By prewired, I mean that it has a power strip so you can use it for several heating devices. Everyone tells me it's worth the investment. I know that when I have the money, I'll probably pick up a more reliable thermostat like a Ranco myself. Also, you may want to log onto faunaclassifieds.com, where you can find all sorts of reviews and the like of different types of thermostats. Good luck finding something that works for you.