problems with rubbermaid heating

i'm planning on aquiring my first corn shortly and thought it logical to set up its home to fix any of the kinks b4 i got the snake. I Have a heating pad setup with a rheostat. I have a tile that is about as thick as a pencil between the UTh and the rubbermaid. After having the heating pad on for a few hours i checked the thermometers (have 2 of them placed on opposite ends of the tank, they are as low as they can go without laying on the bottom) and there was no temp change. The bottom of the container directly above the heating pad is definately warm, but no change whatsoever in ambient temp. I then tried turning the rheostat up to medium, no change. The rubbermaid is empty besides the thermometers and newspaper. I have several holes (1/8 inch drill bit) for ventilation.

Temperatures in wisconsin have been fluctuating btween 60-80F when i've tried this.

any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks,
travis

Hey. I'm not expert on this, but it sounds as if the tile is absorbing the heat or is a barrier. I'm sure there are others who will read this that can help you. What size is your container, and what size snake will you be getting?

yes, u are right about the tile, that was the whole point of me having it. I didnt want the heater in direct contact with the plastic. Snake is a hatchling and the container is 30 quarts (large surface area/not very tall)


Well, i put one of the thermometers on the newspaper and got a temp of 92F (its 65 in my place) so i guess it's working (have to turn it down i know) However the only good i'll get out of the thermometers is if i leave them directly on the substrate.........?

You always want to take the reading on the substrate surface. Measuring the ambient air temperature serves no real purpose and is dangerous for the snake. The surface temp may be as much as 10-15 degrees hotter than the surrounding air temp.

BTW, this is a prime example as to why one shouldn't use the little colored stick-on thermostats sold in pet stores.

Welcome to the new world of corn snakes. I suggest that you be careful about putting a hatchling in a 30 qt. rubbermaid container because the little guys can squeeze out of the containers around the lid. You might want to consider a smaller enclosure for awhile while the snake grows. A good choice in a smaller container that is virtually escape proof is the hard plastic reptile cage (the ones with colored lids) that they sell at Walmart for about 8 dollars. Another good choice is an aquarium with a good screen lid made for reptiles. Remember, that a hatchling can escape through an opening about the size of a pea or smaller.

Your heating system sounds OK to me. The standard people type heating pads will work OK for a while, but in my experience they don't seem to last as long as the heating pads made specially for the purpose. As long as you use one with a rheostat or dimmer switch, it should last longer than with just a thermostat.

Mark

My recommendation would be to buy the little rubber feet they use to protect floors from furniture, and stick them on all 4 corners of your container. That will lift it by 1/2 inch or so, and then you just slip the heating pad under the container. No tile to dissipate the heat, and the container is not in direct contact with the pad. Much safer.

Also consider that if you have your pad putting out the right amount of heat, it is NOT going to harm the rubbermaid anyhow. I've stuck UTH on those things without any harm or discoloration whatsoever, and those things can get over 100 F.

morereptiles,
the heating pad is one designed for reptiles, not people. Second, there are no gaps around the cover of the container, there is a lip going all the way around the exterior...not really sure where it would escape. I avoided the glass equarium for ventilation purposes.
What size are these small containers from walmart, wondering if i would have to buy a smaller uth if i go with it...?

WingedWolfe,
not sure you can convince me that a tile btween the uth and the rubbermaid isn't already safe... that was the whole point of adding the tile. Right on my heating pad it says not to place plastic containers on it, so I really don't think the risk/reward payoff is there.

Progress: after having the rheostat set at low for quite a few hours now the temp is bout 84-85

I have had hatchlings excape by pressing between the top lip of the rubbermaid container and the cover. They are quite strong, and they can force the lid away just enough to crawl through and escape. I use 28 quart sterilite containers in a rack for the snakes after they get about 24 inches long, but I stick with the either the Walmart type containers for hatchlings, or else my shoebox rack system where containers fit tightly into the rack, with no more than 1/16th inch space at the top. Maybe I am a bit overcautious, but I prefer not to spend my nights searching for snakes on the loose.

I don't have one in front of me right now, but the walmart containers are around 8 inches wide, 6 inches high, and maybe 13 inches long. For heating, I use 11 inch wide heat tape with tiles on top of the tape to distribute the heat. I then have the containers sitting end to end so that about 5 or 6 inches of the container is over a heated surface. I use an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer and use the outdoor probe in the container. I like the surface temperature on the warm side in the container to be in the range of 86-90 degrees F.

I hope this helps.
Mark

morereptiles,
thanks 4 the info on the containers, just one more thing to worry about . Guess i'll be making a walmart run.....
thanks,
travis