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Another New One

chris48559

New member
Hey guys, my name is Chris (obviously). I just picked up my first corn on Friday. Everything is going good, but I do have one problem, I have an UTH and it doesnt seem to be getting warm enough. From what I have read the inverse is usually the problem, I have not gotten a probe thermometer. Went to lowes and walmart with no luck. I do Have a lamp dimmer, but without a probe thermometer that wont do me much good lol. I'm sure I will have more questions, just as well feel free to ask any of me :cheers:

Just some pics (cell phone and webcam pics all I have atm)
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Photo190.jpg
 
Welcome to the forum, Chris

There are a lot of cool people here,....with an immense sum of knowledge. Enjoy yourself.
 
Hi Chris :wavey: welcome to the forum!

Your snake is very cute.

Also try looking at Target for the thermometer. The one near me has plenty in stock.
 
Hi Chris! Welcome to the forum!! You've got a cute baby there!!

When you say it doesn't get warm enough, what are you basing that on? It should not feel too hot to you.

You really do need a probe thermometer but in the meantime, a regular dial thermometer from a petstore or walmart will work if you place it right on top of the substrate over the UTH side. But this should only be used temporarily until you can get a probe. Where in Walmart did you look? I've usually found them in the pet section right around the fish decorations (I'm basing this statement on two separate walmarts in my area)... They're $8 at my local walmart.

I'm not sure about the lamp dimmer... Ultimately a rheostat or a thermostat (the recommended and preferred but somewhat more expensive method) is your best bet for controlling the heat.

Anyway, good luck with your baby and again, welcome to the site!!
 
Welcome to the forum! I've also seen the probe thermometer in my wal-mart as well..it's in the fish supply isle..So ya might want to look there..Also any petco or petsmart also sells them or ya can even check ebay..but I would really suggest getting some kind of thermometer to tell you the temp..cause right now your uth could be a lot hotter then you think it is and you have no way of knowing..Best of luck to you on your search..

Oh and you have a very cool looking amel corn :0)
 
I have a thermostat from petco, the dial kind, and its reading 75 sitting on top of the substrate. I just ordered a thermostat from Ranco, which should be here in the next week. Yesterday the glass directly above the UTH was very hot to the touch so I immediately went to purchase a dimmer just to regulate the temp until I could get a thermostat. However, now the UTH doesnt warm up at all. Another concern I have is over-handling, I know not to handle after eating etc. but on a daily basis I take her out about three separate times for about 15 minutes. She doesnt seem to mind at all and will just wrap around my fingers and sit there or slowly move through them. If she seems to be getting upset I put her back immediately. Is this a problem at all, I would assume no, but I would just like to be sure.

Here is a picture of the setup: (comments or recommendations are welcome)
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This may be a dumb question (we're allowed a few of those as newbies though right?:crazy01:), I did a search but could find any specific answer. The thermometer probe goes inside the tank under the substrate on top of the UTH, so does the cord just run up a corner or something? Again, I know its probably been asked, and most likely a silly question, but I can't seem find the answer anywhere.
 
Hi, Chris! Welcome to the forum! Love the little amel you've got! Congrats on your new friend.

I would take the temperature where your snake hides on the warm end. If it hides right above the UTH under the substrate, that's where I would have the thermometer. If it hides under a hide, above the UTH, I'd have the thermometer right there. Your goal is between 80° - 85° right there and between 70° & 75° elsewhere (ie. cool side).

I don't think the handling is a problem... I'd probably limit it to two times a day as it is just a baby. I'd probably make sure it eats well first then, after 48 hours or so, handle it. If you find that it doesn't eat well, eliminate the handling altogether until it does.

Hope everything works out and again, WELCOME!
 
Hey Chris, welcome.
That's the only thing you can do with that cord. Maybe a fake plant could hide it.
Do you have an extension cord on your dimmer/UTH combo?
 
Hi, Chris! Welcome to the forum! Love the little amel you've got! Congrats on your new friend.

I would take the temperature where your snake hides on the warm end. If it hides right above the UTH under the substrate, that's where I would have the thermometer. If it hides under a hide, above the UTH, I'd have the thermometer right there. Your goal is between 80° - 85° right there and between 70° & 75° elsewhere (ie. cool side).

I don't think the handling is a problem... I'd probably limit it to two times a day as it is just a baby. I'd probably make sure it eats well first then, after 48 hours or so, handle it. If you find that it doesn't eat well, eliminate the handling altogether until it does.

Hope everything works out and again, WELCOME!

She tends to hide in the log to the right (in the above picture) and directly above the UTH on top of the substrate, I was just concerned that if i raise the temp to ~85˚F at the substrate level she could decided to dive down one day and end up on the glass, which would be above the surface temp, and possibly harm her? Maybe an irrational fear though lol. As far as handling I will restrict it some until her first feed this upcoming week. Thank you very much for the help.

Hey Chris, welcome.
That's the only thing you can do with that cord. Maybe a fake plant could hide it.
Do you have an extension cord on your dimmer/UTH combo?

It does come with an extension cord, I will probably use a plant to cover it a little, wont the cord keep the top from closing completely though? Here is a link to the exact thermometer: http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc11....html?osCsid=dd2f54789441c96ad622bf3db45c9dee

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and a warm welcome :D
 
I actually meant the power cord on your heater. Do you have the rheostat plugged in to an extension cord?

For the thermometer wire on a viv like that I put a tiny notch in the plastic top and the rim it slid into.
 
She tends to hide in the log to the right (in the above picture) and directly above the UTH on top of the substrate, I was just concerned that if i raise the temp to ~85˚F at the substrate level she could decided to dive down one day and end up on the glass, which would be above the surface temp, and possibly harm her? Maybe an irrational fear though lol. As far as handling I will restrict it some until her first feed this upcoming week. Thank you very much for the help.

That is a concern... but what kind of temps are you getting against the glass? If you're getting something against the glass along the lines of 90° I don't think you'd have to worry much... the snake will move or avoid the higher temp area, but if you're approaching 100° then dial it down to about 90° or so and the snake should be fine and cozy in its hide.
 
I actually meant the power cord on your heater. Do you have the rheostat plugged in to an extension cord?

For the thermometer wire on a viv like that I put a tiny notch in the plastic top and the rim it slid into.

The power cord on the heater was plugged directly into the wall, as far as the rheostat, I had it plugged into a surge protector (power strip type) then tried it directly plugged into the wall, neither worked. Could be a faulty rheostat I guess.

That is a concern... but what kind of temps are you getting against the glass? If you're getting something against the glass along the lines of 90° I don't think you'd have to worry much... the snake will move or avoid the higher temp area, but if you're approaching 100° then dial it down to about 90° or so and the snake should be fine and cozy in its hide.

Not sure on the glass temp yet. I'm going back to walmart sometime tomorrow to buy a temp probe. I asked someone at walmart today if they carried anything like that all they mentioned was they had cooking thermometers non of which had a detachable probe. I would go somewhere else but I go to school in a pretty small town and as far as pet supply we have a walmart and petco lol.

Again thank you both for the help, sorry for all of the concerns, just a bit nervous I guess.
 
Could be a faulty rheostat I guess.

Guess that might be. I was trying to help someone once and was left with no other answer. A more knowledgeable member came in and said that particular rheostat was known to have problems. I was trying to find the thread but haven't been able to.
A thermostat is a much easier way to go.
I set my temp like Fred said. The temp directly above the hottest part of the heater is about 88°F. When I set it up I put the probe in her warm hide and adjusted for the right temp. When I put the probe back over the UTH it was 88.5°F.
 
Guess that might be. I was trying to help someone once and was left with no other answer. A more knowledgeable member came in and said that particular rheostat was known to have problems. I was trying to find the thread but haven't been able to.
A thermostat is a much easier way to go.
I set my temp like Fred said. The temp directly above the hottest part of the heater is about 88°F. When I set it up I put the probe in her warm hide and adjusted for the right temp. When I put the probe back over the UTH it was 88.5°F.

Sounds good to me. Hopefully the thermostat should be here in the next week. Until then I'll try to find a probe thermometer from walmart and just keep an eye out.

Hey! Another newb snake person from Oklahoma! :)

Haha yah man, I go to Oklahoma State University, orignially from Dallas. I have actually met a ton of people from Tulsa. What kind of corn do you have?
 
Haha yah man, I go to Oklahoma State University, orignially from Dallas. I have actually met a ton of people from Tulsa. What kind of corn do you have?


OSU in Stillwater? I went there my freshman year! Lived in Zink :) I'm originally from Houston, as well. Just moved to Tulsa 6 months ago. I'm getting an Okeetee and Creamsicle. I really wanted a sunkissed and bloodred. I like the morphs with bright colors.
 
OSU in Stillwater? I went there my freshman year! Lived in Zink :) I'm originally from Houston, as well. Just moved to Tulsa 6 months ago. I'm getting an Okeetee and Creamsicle. I really wanted a sunkissed and bloodred. I like the morphs with bright colors.

Yup, Stillwater. I live in the new dorms, no snakes allowed, got one anyways :uhoh: haha. What made you want to move to tulsa? Great choice on the morphs, I love the colors too. The only place I could find around here for a snake it petco so I had to settle for that, so not a huge selection in morphs lol. When I saw this one and just had to have it, I love the color and shes so calm for a little one.
 
They built new dorms? Are those the ones they were building by Kerr and Drummond? It's been a few years since I've been in Stillwater... I had pet rats in my dorm... and got caught when the maintenance guys dropped in while I wasn't there to check the fire alarms in our rooms. Not fun... I had to write a huge letter of apology and go to a "hearing" haha. So don't get caught! I don't even remember them having a petco when I lived there... the only place they had for animals was this little ghetto pet store.. don't remember where exactly it is. Is this your first year there? I really loved it, but my parents decided they didn't want to pay out-of-state tuition for a year of partying :rolleyes:
 
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