heating frustrations

I am setting up my tank for the two corns I am getting this summer, and was testing out temperatures and stuff. I have a light and an under the tank heating mat. (specificaly for reptile stuff it's not like a heating pad for when you have a cough or somehting) I stuck the pad to the bottom of the tank (ten gallon) and it covers about a third of the tank. I also have a shop light. So I was checking the temp with some thermometers on and in hte substrate (reptile bark) and in the hiding cave and all over the tank (I am trying to be cautious and prepared, I am also a bit antsy and impatient about waiting for the corns to hatch) So my problem is that when I test the temp above the heating mat but under the substrate it's really hot, just above a hundred degrees. Which confuses the bejeezes out of me because every shop in town sells them and in all different sizes so I imagine that people are using them. The temp above the substrate over the mat is around ninety degrees, and the rest of the tank stays between 70 and 80/85 degrees. I tested with and without the light over the tank and this seems to make little affect on the heating mat. And the heating mat doesn't have a thermostat, which I cannot find around town, and can't afford to spend a weeks worth of groceries to buy.

I would appreciate any advice. If I use only a light to heat my tank, what do you sugguest at night which won't be a nuissance for me and my hubby while we are sleeping (we will be sharring the room with our new snake friends) and is somewhat cat friendly (she is young and curious I don't suspect any trouble but it is something to keep in mind, I don't want her walking on any part of the heating mat which might stick out from under the tank)
Do you guys use heating mats? If not what? any advice is welcome, I can still return the darned mat sometime this week if need be.

Thanks
somewhat overly protective and worriesome Missy

First off, not all heat pads produce the same amount of heat. If the brand you're using is making it too hot, look for another one. Some advertise that they raise the temperature 5-10 degrees above room temperature, other say 20. Others mention a specific temperature, such as 90.

Another solution is to add more substrate. The more substrate between the heat pad and the surface, the cooler it will be. How deep is your substrate now? Adding more is a simple way of decreasing the temperature there.

K

I'm worried that the snakes will crawl under the substrate, I could lay down a snake carpet or something, but I've got all this reptile bark.
This reptile mat is the only kind I can find in central WI so I'm kind screwed in that area.
My bark is about 1 and a half inches deap maybe a little bit less, the temp is around 90 ontop of the bark, but under is like a little oven, and I don't like baked snake.

Try looking online for a different brand of heat mat. There are lots of them. Just search for "reptile supplies" in Google or another search engine, and you should find tons of places to shop. I've used LLLReptile; they seem to have a large inventory with a lot of variety. (http://www.lllreptile.com)

ZooMed makes under tank heaters in four different sizes that are supposed to raise the ambient air temperature in the tank a minimum 5-10 degrees. You can also buy a thermostat/rheostat to control how hot a heating mat gets. You can usually plug a heat pad and a light into one of these.

Um. . . I suppose you could try putting a carpet type thing underneath your bark? I don't know how much of a difference that would make. Has anyone here ever had a problem with their snakes baking themselves?

Good luck,
K

sizzle sizzle sizzle

http://www.lllreptile.com/heating.html
the second heating mat on this page is the one I have (they sell this brand all over the place here in central WI so I figured it would work) (reptitherm) is that the type that you have? have you ever checked the temp at the bottom of your tank? is it as hot as mine is?

Yeah, Fluker's is sold in a lot of places. But not all reptiles need temperatures so high. Maybe you want to try the next one on the list, ZooMed.

K

Try a layer of news print between the bottom of the tank and your substrat. Another choice is astroturf at your local Wal-Mart or K-Mart.

Oops

Sorry, I was confused. ReptiTherm and ZooMed are the same ones. I don't think that the temperature at the bottom will be much of a problem. I've always heard that corns will seek out a cooler place if they are too hot and a warmer place if they're too cool, so I don't think that they'll bake themselves. Anyone else have any idea?

Anyway, if you really want to control the temperature, get a rheostat/thermostat. They're not that expensive.

K

I was told not to use my heat rock because it would get to hot and the snakes wouldn't know any better than to move, so they would sit there and get to hot and do damage. I wasn't to sure if an under the tank thing would pose the same problem. But I think I will go find a thermo/retro stat and play it by ear. Hopefully all will go well.

Thanks for all the advice/info. you guys are a great help Thanks
Missy

Hey..um seems like the discussion is kind of over already...but anyway, this is what I did with my too-hot heat pad till i got a better one. I took a dish towel and put it inbetween the heating pad and the bottom of the tank. That way, it didn't block all the heat but it absorbed some of it. It worked pretty well for me...but now i have a slightly smaller and much better heating pad.

I was thinking of doing that too. I just wasn't sure if that would work or not.

I had the same problem and I bought one of those little $15 rheostats. It worked out great.

What I did is to buy a ceramic tile from the hardware store. Get one that is a bit larger than your heat mat. Stick the mat directly to the tile. Then you put the tank up on wooden blocks so it is raised off the shelf, which is a good idea anyway to minimize the risk of the shelf catching on fire. Put the heat mat/tile on blocks also. Now you can increase or decrease the height of the blocks and increase or decrease the distance of the tile/heat mat from the bottom of the tank to increase or decrease the temp of the glass. Another benefit of this is that when you change tanks, you just move the tile/heat mat instead of trying to peel the heat mat off the old tank. But honestly, the snake will move off the heat if he gets too hot. The heat rocks don't work as well because a lot of times they REALLY malfunction and can get REALLY hot and they don't raise the temp of the tank at all, just the heat rock stays hot, so the snake will hog the heat rock and not move. I think (and I may be wrong) snakes and lizards don't have heat sensors on their bellies and that is why they get burned.
sue frederick

does anybody know where I could get a thermostat? the hardware stores here all think I'm trying to heat my house so they aren't much help....

Try looking for a rheostat at a pet store or a pet supply store. If none around you have them, you can try any of the decent reptile supply stores online. Most of them carry rheostats for around $15, give or take.

K