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heating issues

D

dakota11

New member
I live in Northern Ontario where thetemp gets very cold.We heat with wood and Im having some issues with my snake enclosure. I have a thermomiter with a probe. Currently I use a heat light and have a heat mat and a heat cave. The problem is that the temperature of the zoomed mat and cave both gets over 100f therefore I havent used it much in the concern of burning the snakes. With the heat light the temp fluctuates from 72f to 80f. Ive had 2 thermostat plug in but they dont work and there isntmuch in the way of reptile shops around here. I have not as of yet had issues with any regurg but all the books say that they need an 80f basking spot. Im thinking the wood stove heat is partofthe issue with the thermostats but IDK So basically my questions are
IfI have the mat on and it gets over 100 will the snakes knowto moveover instead of getting burned?
Should I just continue with the heat lamp and leave things alone?
Any suggestions?
 
dakota11 said:
. Currently I use a heat light and have a heat mat and a heat cave. The problem is that the temperature of the zoomed mat and cave both gets over 100f therefore I havent used it much in the concern of burning the snakes.
Click to expand...
First off, I would say ditch the heat cave- I'm not quite sure what it is but it sounds like there may be a danger of your snake getting burned with it and so I would take it out completely.

dakota11 said:
.
With the heat light the temp fluctuates from 72f to 80f. Ive had 2 thermostat plug in but they dont work and there isntmuch in the way of reptile shops around here. I have not as of yet had issues with any regurg but all the books say that they need an 80f basking spot.
Click to expand...

Second, you really should get a working thermostat. You can find them online at most reptile stores (for example: http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=7976333.18591&product=Temperature_Control&xm=on)

dakota11 said:
.
IfI have the mat on and it gets over 100 will the snakes knowto moveover instead of getting burned?
Should I just continue with the heat lamp and leave things alone?
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Your snake will not necessarily change sides if it gets too hot so it's up to you to control the temperature and keep it at mid 70's on the cool side and mid 80's on the warm side...100 is way too hot.

Corns don't necessarily bask but do need underbelly heat to properly digest so I would recommend just using the heating pad connected to a thermostat and you should be all set.

Good luck!
 
i have a heating pad it does get to temperatures that are way to hot but what do you suggest i do when i'm not home
somebody told me that the heating pad will adjust to how warm the tank is but i find that so hard to believe
 
The warm end needs to be in the mid to high 80s - higher than the 80 degrees you've been told. Corns don't bask, so you can safely ditch the light.

Get the heat mat on a thermostat and ditch the light and cave. Mats without thermostats will get over 100 degrees. If you attach it to a stat, with the probe in the tank, immediately above the position of the mat, you should be able to get it to a safe temperature. Ambient temperature shouldn't affect a stat if the stat's probe is in the right position.
 
Thank you all but what about the thermostats that I already have or is there a way to build one so I dont have a third sitting in the closet?? I'm seriously thinking that heating the house with wood is a big part of the problem but I'm not going to be changing that anytime soon $$$$. The house can get real warm when the stove is high then when were gone all day it dies down till the evening. I'm thinking that that's why the thermostats are confused but Im no electrician Oh and misting the viv since the house is dry. btw I have not used the heat cave just had it sitting around. Do any of you all live in very cold temperatures and heat with wood? If I have confused you all well Im confused that's all I just want the stuff that I have to work and not have these issues, or I could move back to sunny Florida.
 
hello everybody,just bought my first corn snake,and all ive got is a heat mat up one end of the plastic tank and a cooler end with the water bowl.Your all talking about thermostats and stuff,i was told this heat mat would be adequate,until it was bigger and went into a 3ft glass viv.Is this right? Anybody????
 
The house can get real warm when the stove is high then when were gone all day it dies down till the evening. I'm thinking that that's why the thermostats are confused but Im no electrician
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That's exactly the sort of situation the thermostat is designed to deal with. When the inside of the tank reaches the maximum that you've set, then it turns the mat down. When the temp inside the tank drops below the temp you've set, then the stat turns the mat back on. Unless the ambient temp in your home gets above 85 degrees, then I don't see how it can be affecting what the stats do.

You need a stat that's designed to work with a heat mat. If you're trying to use anything else with it, then it won't work. What other stats do you already have?


Your all talking about thermostats and stuff,i was told this heat mat would be adequate,until it was bigger and went into a 3ft glass viv.Is this right? Anybody????
Click to expand...

A heat mat without a thermostat will get over 100 degrees, which is dangerous for a Corn. A stat will control the mat and make sure that it doesn't go over a set temperature. I'd recommend getting one. You'll need one for the glass viv in future anyway, as an overheating mat can crack the glass on the bottom.
 
thanks bitsy for getting back to me so quick,really appreciate it,will check out thermostates tomorrow,cheers.
 
bitsy said:
That's exactly the sort of situation the thermostat is designed to deal with. When the inside of the tank reaches the maximum that you've set, then it turns the mat down. When the temp inside the tank drops below the temp you've set, then the stat turns the mat back on. Unless the ambient temp in your home gets above 85 degrees, then I don't see how it can be affecting what the stats do.

You need a stat that's designed to work with a heat mat. If you're trying to use anything else with it, then it won't work. What other stats do you already have?
That sounds like your problem there. Not the house heat but the thermostate.

I have two probes hot glued above the flexwatt I using. One is the thermostate and the other is the themometer. Is that how your set up is??
And again..what type of thermostate are you using??
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I have two probes hot glued above the flexwatt I using. One is the thermostate and the other is the themometer. Is that how your set up is??
And again..what type of thermostate are you using??
Click to expand...

I use Habistat Mat Stats from Living Earth Electronics. My heat mats are specifically designed for use with reptiles and are mainly from Ultratherm.

My Mat Stats only have one probe. I have the probe inside the viv, on the floor, immediately above the position of the heat mat.

My thermometer is a hand-held infra-red gadget, so that isn't fixed into the vivs at all.
 
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