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A couple quick questions

D

defiant14

New member
Hi guys, I am pretty new to the corns. I have a couple questions about my new corn. First off let me give you the details:

He is a baby (or juvenile) Amel het snow at about 13".

I have had him since Saturday 12/2/06 where I picked him up at an expo.

He is in a 5.5 gallon "All-Glass" critter cage

He has two hides, a card board box on hot side, and a toilet paper tube on the cold side.

Water dish towards the cold side.

I have three thermometers right now. (two are the useless ones that stick to the tank -- one on cold side, one on hot side) and an indoor/outdoor thermometer with a wireless sending unit probe for "outdoor" temps. The outdoor sending unit is sitting on the hot side.

I have a UTH under the hot side which doesn't seem to help much, and a OT dome light with a 50 watt bulb.

I do not have thermostats yet. :sidestep:

Hot side is typically around 85 but gets colder at night and I have to leave the light on 24 hours a day, except occasionally during the day I need to turn the light off to cool it off once and awhile when tank temps reach up to 87/88 on the hot side. My house gets cold at night and the UTH just cant seem to handle it. I have been leaving a cloth towel covering the most of the screen where the light doesn't sit, in order to keep some heat in.

Fang's (yes, it is an ironic name for a non-hot snake) :grin01: first feeding was a pinky on 12/4. His behavior prior to feeding was very active and curious. He would watch me type on my laptop as if he was hunting my fingers (I work from a home office!). After feeding he went into hiding under his newspaper bedding. Fang has stayed under those papers (at least during the day) until today 12/6 when I finally got cypress mulch substrate to replace the ugly newspaper. (I kept handling a minimum as to not stress him since feeding just 2 days ago and he has not defecated yet)

Fang loved it at first, and explored all around the mulch until he realized he could borrow and now will not come out. I can hardly tell where he is which makes me nervous that one day he would have a head start on an escape.

My main questions are,

1. Is it dangerous that he is borrowing under the substrate and could be resting above where the UTH heater is located?

2. Is the behavior change normal after feeding or possible indication of going blue, or some other issue?

3. While I know it is not natural, is it acceptable to use the lamp basically 24 hours a day with out giving Fang a "night time"? If not, how else can I regulate night time temperatures without the lamp if the UTH is not adequate to keep the cage warm?

Fang, as seen below, and I both thank you for your help!


Fang3.jpg
 
It's rare that a UTH is too cold. Mostly they are far too hot. Are you measuring the temp directly on the glass over the UTH, under the substrate?
 
Flagg said:
It's rare that a UTH is too cold. Mostly they are far too hot. Are you measuring the temp directly on the glass over the UTH, under the substrate?
Click to expand...

No, It wasn't under the substrate, but I just put it there now and will monitor the temperature for a few a while. Unfortunately it doesn't have a "classic" probe like the other thermometers, this is about the size of one and a half 9 volt batteries. So it may not get exact readings at the glass. Not sure yet. I know I need the normal probe, especially since my wife wants her thermometer back! :)
 
Sounds like none of your thermometers will really do what you need. You need one with a wired probe that you can stick directly to the glass right above the uth under the substrate. That is the hottest point the snake can reach,and should not be hotter than 85-86 degrees.

If the wireless thermometer you are using doesn't have an actual temperature probe on a wire, then it could be measuring the temp anywhere in the sending unit, possibly inches above the substrate. The UTH is probably plenty hot, probably too hot if it isn't regulated.
 
Flagg said:
Sounds like none of your thermometers will really do what you need. You need one with a wired probe that you can stick directly to the glass right above the uth under the substrate. That is the hottest point the snake can reach,and should not be hotter than 85-86 degrees.

If the wireless thermometer you are using doesn't have an actual temperature probe on a wire, then it could be measuring the temp anywhere in the sending unit, possibly inches above the substrate. The UTH is probably plenty hot, probably too hot if it isn't regulated.
Click to expand...

Ok, I am currently reading 85.5. Your right, I believe I do need a probe. For safety's sake would it be a good idea to turn off the UTH and let the OT lamp run over night until I can get a probe and thermostat on the glass tomorrow?
 
If the 85.5 is right over the UTH it may be ok to leave it on, or if you think the lamp will keep it warm enough you could go with the lamp. I don't know how it will affect the snake long term to have no day-night cycle but one day probably won't hurt it.

If the snake is burrowing then it might go to the hot side right on the glass which could be too hot. Hard to tell without the right kind of probe.

If it's a ZooMed UTH then it might be as hot as 110-120. I'm not familiar with other brands
 
One more thing, when you get your new thermometer you might want to grab a plug in lamp dimmer to control the UTH. Both items are about $9 each at Walmart
 
Well, since I posted that it went up to 86.2 where it seems steady (for now). That is with the lamp off. It is a small zoo med... About 4" wide, and maybe 6" long. Made for 5 to 10 gallon tanks I believe. Yeah I imagine the Day/night cycles are really important, but I guess until I have the right probe in there I wont know if the lamp is neccesary or not. I know the cold side (according to the stick on thermometers) gets too cold without the lamp.. it is at about 68 right now. That is stuck about level to the top of the substrate. I know it isn't measuring in the right place but as a general idea it seems too cold. BTW, thank you for your help!
 
Darn no editing function...

Sorry I missed the thermostat mention. that would of course be a better option, though they are cheaper online than in pet stores. The only reptile thermostat I've seen for sale in a pet store was a ZooMed 500R for 39.99 and up. I buy the same one at reptiledirect.com for 22.99 plus shipping. Though of course if you are in a hurry then it might be worth spending the 10-15 bucks more to get it right away.
 
When you do get the thermometer, get an "Indoor/outdoor" thermometer with a probe so you can measure 2 temps. I like the dual display ones. Put the unit sitting right on the substrate on the cool side and the probe under the substrate right over the uth. That way you can check both temps at the proper location with a glance. The stick on ones are worthless. they measure the glass temp way up the side of the tank, not the substrate level where the snake lives. If the stick on reads 68 the substrate is probalbly warmer. 68 cool side is ok in the winter, as long as it doesn't much drop below that. Mine are usually 70-72 with the dual display thermometer set up as described above. warm side on the glass over UTH ranges from 81-86 as the thermostat cycles on and off.
 
Oh man, I got the indoor/outdoor thermometer with the probe today. Put it in, and I am 102 on the glass under the substrate! :headbang: I am going to have to have my wife watch monitor the temp for this evening, and on my way to night classes tonight I am going to pick up a thermostat... Yikes. I can't believe how far off the other 3 were. Thanks again! Once I get this tempature figured out I'll probally be back with more pesky questions if I can't find answers in search!

Thanks Flagg, you rock! :cheers:
 
You're welcome. I'm glad you got it measured correctly. I see it SO often here that it was pretty obvious. =)

You can probably get rid of the lamp entirely. the UTH should be enough for that small of a tank, once it's properly regulated.

If you have trouble finding a thermostat, a lamp dimmer will work as long as you check it frequently.
 
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