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heating problems

F

frankie_b

New member
when i got my corn i was told by the pet shop to put the heat mat on the back of the viv i found this weird but hav tired it for three days and still not convinced i cant get the temp to stay regular through the day i also hav a 60 watt bulb which is in the day as the heat mat only kicks in when the temp goes below 70 and i have the thermostat set to 85 so when it reaches that it goes off. im at college tomorrow it will be the frist time im out all day so wont to be able to keep an eye on the temp what do you suggest i do,if i leave the light on it goes above 90 at least it will be controlled. i really dnt know what to do please help!!!
 
So is the mat controlled by anything? I didn't completely understand the thermostat reference.

Also, the UTH should probably go under the tank. If it's not controlled by anything I would look into a rheostat or thermostat.
 
yeh i have a microclimate thermostat which onlt turns on the mat when it goes below what i set it to, it has a probe which goes inside the tank so whenit reaches the desired temp it shuts off again to stop it getting to hot
im jus debating wheater to change it in the morning so it is under the tank and not turn the light on
 
Personally, I would move the Under Tank Heater to under the tank! :) I imagine it must be fairly ineffective on the back of the tank and belly heat is very beneficial for the snake anyway.
You might try setting the thermostat to something around 80 or so for tomorrow while you're gone. That way there shouldn't be too much worry that it is going to get too hot or too cold. Then when you're home you can play with it and adjust it while you're there to watch how hot it is really getting.
 
thanks so much it jus want to get it sorted so lil geramey(well not so little 2ft long ) is happy. ive not tried to get him out yet which should be fun as he just hides when i put my hand in the tank! hope he gets to like me soon as i jus love the little critters! as long as he feeds ok and dosent regurge i will be happy
 
No problem. I know how I was the first few times I had to leave my apartment. I was always going crazy wondering if the temps were okay. Before long, with some fine tuning and keeping an eye on it while I was home, I got the hang of what settings to use and didn't worry anymore when I had to leave (or not nearly as much anyways :rolleyes: ).
 
i dnt think it is a u.t.h from pics ive seen of them they seem thicker and black the one i have is clear and thin its deffinately for reptiles
 
What is your cage made of and what kind is it? It is recomended by Zoo Med to only use their mini's on plastic critter cage type cages, and only on the back, not the bottom. So if you have one of those instead of an aquarium, or something like it, maybe that is why they told you to put it on the back. Or maybe they don't know what they're doing because A LOT of that goes around in pet shops. :rolleyes:
 
Or maybe they don't know what they're doing because A LOT of that goes around in pet shops.
Click to expand...

thats what i was thinking so im going on wednesday to have it out with them its about a 30 gal viv i think. its a big mat as long as the viv
 
Oh geez! They sold you one too big. :twoguns: Bad, bad sales man, putting profits before critters! A uth should only cover about a third of your tank.
 
im so annoyed with this place (the shop) im not a happy bunny id be better of jus starting again and getting all new stuff from a different place but i dnt think the snake will be to happy bout that hes shy as it is
 
well for substarte they told me to use a grass mat like astro turf bearing in mind this is my first snake, for hides ive got one big log type thing which works quite well he can go to the hot bit or the cold as its in the middle , im using papre towls at the minute but looking into getting some aspen, i have got to branches and some plastic plants which they also chose for me,and for food hes on adult mice hes bout 2 years old and 2 ft long
 
Astroturf and reptile carpet are not that good. It retains moisture and bacteria can build up under it. I used it for a chinese water dragon years ago and it got stinky and had to be cleaned all of the time, even though I kept the cage really clean. Aspen is really good. Some people use papertowels, but I like to see them burrow. :) I am trying out Care Fresh bedding (Ultra only!) right now. I have a post here on it, and I'm seeing how it goes.
 
Oh yea, one more tip... I put a page of newsprint over the UTH area, but under the substrate, so that when they burrow and lay on it, they don't burn their bellys.
 
yeh i saw that post was wondering if i could get it here in the uk? the paper towls are ok but its a bit of a pain to clean out as i have to take all of the decoration out if he poos which he has done twice since i had him! he didnt like being moved!
 
hmm, news paper under substrate.. that probly makes cleaning the tank easier, hehe

how much heat does it absorb though ?
 
Yeah, I wondered about heat absorbtion, but I only put a single sheet down so I figure it should be okay. It is not too hot though.
 
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