• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Heat lamps vs UTH

B

becca anderson

New member
Hi, I've had my 7 week old snake for a few days and it is in a 42 gallon viv (lots of hiding places though) It has a heat lamp in it which turns on and off quite a lot. Would this disturb the snake, especially during the night. What are the pros and cons of heat lamps compared to UTHs? Thanks.
 
Heat mats, commonly known as UTH's (Under tank heaters), are in my mind better. They don't dry out the atmosphere as much, are easier to create thermal gradients with, and provide belly heat for the snake, which can aid digestion. Also, the light may well disturb or frighten the snake. Just make sure if you do get a UTH that you check the temperature on the heat mat itself, or on the glass above it if it is outside the viv. Make sure the snake cannot get burnt.
 
becca anderson said:
Hi, I've had my 7 week old snake for a few days and it is in a 42 gallon viv (lots of hiding places though) It has a heat lamp in it which turns on and off quite a lot. Would this disturb the snake, especially during the night. What are the pros and cons of heat lamps compared to UTHs? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would have been more likely to use a dimmer thermostat on the lamp instead of an on-off stat (if it's going on and off a lot, you're not using a dimmer) - I use a dimmer on my display viv's lamp, and the change between light and dark is gradual and doesn't appear to disturb Jasper at all.

I have two juvenile corns and a Texas rat, however, who have heat cable and an on-off stat in a rack, and they're equally happy, eating and growing.
 
Yes, the light will disturb your snake. They need a night time, too, just like you do. Although some people use heat lamps successfully, the general concensus is that UTHs are better for several reasons which were already listed by Paradox.
 
Just to note: Though Jasper's enclosure is heated by a lamp, the light is off at night. All of my temperate and desert animals are unheated at night, and it seems to suit them and their digestion.
 
Ok, but I've heard that in the winter heat pads are not powerful enough to keep the snake warm as they only go up to 10-20 watts- is this true?
 
I did not chose the UTH because (call me paranoid if you want) but I didn't want to risk that my little diggers would hurt themself therefore I cannot myself answer your question about UTH at winter time.

I use a ceramic bulb which does not disturb the snake with the light but I make sure that they have day-light (and not sun-light) so that they have their day/night time.
I also use a thermoregulator that will switch it on when needs be which indeed in the winter is on quite a lot but it keeps the temperatures the way I want them.

They are digesting just fine, almost like clockwork and the humidity is fine, they shed in one piece but I also place an additional bowl of water on the hot side when they are in blue to up the humidity.

I hope this helped ;)
 
Ive had no problems with my UTHs being warm enough in the winter. They're all far TOO warm actually, they need thermostats to regulate them even in the coldest part of winter.

Theyre also safe for burrowers if you use a thermostat or rheostat to keep them within safe temps.
 
I found an inline rheostat at Home Depot for $16.00 (cdn), and it works very well.
If you live in a cold winter climate, you might consider setting up your viv against and inside wall. Temps where I live can drop to -40C, and the outer walls of the house feel somewhat cooler than the interior walls.
 
becca anderson said:
Ok, do thermostats usually come with the uth, or do you have to buy them separatly. If so, around how much do they cost?
Click to expand...

They're separate. Best deal I've found is 22.99 plus shipping for the ZooMed 500R at reptiledirect.com. Same one goes for 39.99 at Petco if they ever stock it.
 
A UTH is by far the best way to go if you are going to pick one or the other. As others have said, it gets plenty hot (well over 100 F0 and needs to be regulated. I am one who uses a heat lamp during the day because the basement gets too cold in the winter. I would not be heating with the lamp alone. Corns need belly heat, so the UTH suits them more.
 
Ok then- how does this sound: I get a UTH, and take the heat lamp off in summer. Then, in winter, I put the heat lamp on and set it to a good winter temp. Then, if the heat pad is too cool, the sensor will put the lamp on, and if the UTH is warm enough, the lamp will stay off. Are there any flaws in this or is it good?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top