homemade uth?

[nancyg]

Most every pet shop that sells any reptile supplies will sell UTH pads.

When I look in local pet stores, I have NOT seen thermostats being sold with the UTHs. I even asked and got blank looks. Perhaps a pet store that specializes in reptiles will be better, but the standard Petsmart types around here do not have them (thermostats for UTHS)

 

[MysticExotics]

I've never heard of using two thermostats with one heater. I have two thermometers on my 20 gallon tank that houses my Calabars, but that's because my ambient room temp is low enough that I wanted a second UTH to regulate the cool side temps.

Two thermometers - one for the warm side and one for the cool side - makes sense, but the only time you'd need multiple thermostats would be if you had multiple heat sources, as far as I know. I would think that having two thermostats plugged into one heat source would just cause confusion.

I started using the piggyback t-stat after seeing a number of people who have had failures that left the heater running, causing the temps to excess safe levels, and nearly entire collections have been lost. There are a few of those situations on iHerp, in blogs.

Herpstat is the best, from several people I have talked to. I do not ahve any, but will be ordering that brand. I set up my piggyback t-stats before. I have a Johnson Control and Ranco t-stats, that I bought from Reptile Basics a while back.

I'm sorry, but nothing about the issues you've described (in this thread or others) implies that the problem was an illness that spread through lack of proper quarantine/hygiene procedures.

I asked if they had been housed in the same enclosure, in the event that the first one that died had something that may have transmitted to the next one put in the same enclosure.
It is a valid question.

When I look in local pet stores, I have NOT seen thermostats being sold with the UTHs. I even asked and got blank looks. Perhaps a pet store that specializes in reptiles will be better, but the standard Petsmart types around here do not have them (thermostats for UTHS)

The t-stats I have seen in petstores are not the best quality, but I have seen them.

 

[MysticExotics]

I don't use heat lamps for any of my snakes, but we do for our bearded dragon. I bought a lamp dimmer switch - they're about $10 at WalMart or Lowes - and plugged the heat lamp into it so I can control the heat output on it just like I can my snakes' UTH.

You can also wire a dimmer switch made for controlling house lights directly into the wiring for the lamp. I've done that with most of my UTH's. They work really well combined with a good thermometer.

The thing I do not like about the dimmers, is if the temps get too hot or too cold, and you're not home, they don't get adjusted appropriately.
It is a cheaper fix, and if you're able to adjust the temps as needed, it could work, but the t-stat will make those adjustments for you. It's worth the added money, in my book.

ive always used the heat lamps, the only reason i asked about make a uth is because one day i had a random though of a heat blanket being converted into a uth and i didnt think it would be safe. The main reason i dont have a uth is because i dont feel comfortably purchasing thing online(not even ebay) and i dont know where else to find one. since my corns died we have sanitized the tanks and moved them into the warmest part of the house. Them dying was my fault and i am willing to admit that, i didnt quarantine the hatchling and i made the awfull mistake of handling one snake right after the other. now i wash my hands before and handling every single pet i own

Quarentine is important, even with hatchlings.
There's a number of people who had unexplained deaths from a particular breeder, and it still hasn't been proven what caused it.

It's good that you are now taking more precautions.

 

[backafter30]

My apologies for suggesting a wiring project earlier. I did not notice that the original poster was a minor (no offense, we were all there once). I am 50, but I just restarted this hobby again last year, after dropping it 30 years ago (hence my userid). However, if it had not been for other local keepers/breeders (John, John, and Sean!) to mentor me and get me started on the right path, I am not sure where I'd be now. This is what our young friend needs, a mentor. I mean, this forum is a great start, but surely there is someone local to help him (her?) out. Arizona is a great place for a reptile hobby, even out in Thatcher, which seems a bit remote. Please keep in touch here online, but seek out locals you can share with in person and learn from. I'd love to help someone else out, give them a head start in the hobby, just as I was given, and I'm sure many others would feel the same way.

 

[gocamels]

I started using the piggyback t-stat after seeing a number of people who have had failures that left the heater running, causing the temps to excess safe levels, and nearly entire collections have been lost. There are a few of those situations on iHerp, in blogs.

Thanks for the info. Most of my reptile experience has been with sand boas, and on sand boa forums. If anyone piggybacks stats there, nobody has ever mentioned it. But I can see the point when you have multiple thousands of dollars invested in snakes.

If I ever get to the point that I have more snake racks than I can manage manually, I'll definitely move up to thermostats. As things are now, my collection is small enough to easily manage with a dimmer switch and a good thermometer, plus a temp gun to occasionally verify that the thermometer is accurate.

 

[Phruit Dish]

This is what our young friend needs, a mentor. I mean, this forum is a great start, but surely there is someone local to help him (her?) out.

I love this idea! Maybe a forum mentor AND a local offline mentor? (Honestly, I wouldn't mind that myself. I'm still only a few months in with my one snake). IMO, support from experts is invaluable while gaining experience, especially where living creatures, scaly or otherwise, are concerned.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

 

[anerythristic/okeete]

The closest to amentor that i have found localy is my great grandpa he knows a lot about snakes but i dont think hes ever kept them, if it wasnt for me he would have killed quite a few king snakes that were eating his eggs in times past

 

[backafter30]

Have you tried checking a local Craigslist, Herp Society, 4-H, Boy Scouts, FFA, etc. for a contact? How about a high school science teacher? I have seen several breeders selling snakes online from Phoenix, Mesa, and Apache Junction. Check for breeder contacts on a website that advertises the Phoenix Reptile Expo, or Phoenix Repticon. I do see an Arizona Herp Society listed there. You could have a breeder right down the street and not know it, but many people do not come right out and tell others that they have a basement full of snakes. I don't. I have also heard of Arizona Reptile Rescue groups that help to re-home animals that others could not or would not take care of. This hobby is not in the closet like it used to be when everyone thought you had mental issues if you kept snakes. It's kinda mainstream now, and a bit of effort on your part should pay off nicely. Good luck!

 

[anerythristic/okeete]

I didnt think of all of that.....

 

[smigon]

Whew -great! Thanks for the info. And I will definitely be upgrading my UTH with the new viv. The existing UTH wouldn't be large enough.

When does a second/backup thermostat become advisable?

If you go for a 20L or a 29H the UTH should work, if it is a 10-20 gallon UTH. You may have to crank the heat up a bit more, but see if it works out before getting a new UTH.

I only use one thermostat, maybe someone else can chime in here on the reasons for multiple thermostats.

 

[Nythain]

A backup thermostat becomes advisable as soon as you can afford a backup thermostat. Many members don't use backup thermostats. But those that do, do for a reason. There's always that chance a thermostat will go out, and that chance it will be stuck in the "on" position. So just about anyone who can afford it, and loves their snakes, really should consider it.

 

[Chip]

If you already have one thermostat, buying a second is a good idea. But if shopping for your first, buy the best your budget will allow. Since joining these forums, I have thrown a lot of dead 'stats in the trash. I average 5-7 years out of a Johnson, Ranco, or sub $100 stat. I can't tell you how long on a premium, because I have only ever had one fail. In my opinion, one premium thermostat > two not so great ones. I have my palmetto, scaleless, and most prized animals on one Herpstat. I even have a spare Ranco laying around that I'm not tying in -but the snakes are in a rack where they will be okay if the heat tape runs wide open. I haven't heard of a Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics fail in the on position. Just food for thought.