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question on heat mat

A

armbarvictim

New member
Hey guys, I have the type of heating mat that has an adhesive and is stuck to the underside of the viv on 1 half of the tank, Now I also have a 75 watt heating lamp that is a good 8 inches from the tank. My digital thermometer reads around 78.8- 81.0F

Normally I shut off the heating lamp at night and the temp drops to about 75-76F.

My concern is that my heating mat or whatever you want to call it has no temp control and when I went to grab my snake today I held him in one hand and with my other hand moved some substrate to feel how hot the bottom of the viv was getting. It felt quite hot and made me a bit worried seeing as Diablo is always burrowing himself under the substrate. I don't want him to get burned if he goes to far in.

Should I unplug this mat and just keep the heat lamp on, I heard the mat is good for digesting food?
 
You MUST use a rheostat (dimmer) or a thermostat with your heat mat or it will burn your snake. Secondly, you need to use a thermometer with a probe which you put under the substrate directly above the heat mat. This is the spot where your snake can get closest to the mat and this is the temp that matters the most. And yes, belly heat is very good for digestion.
 
Do you have a thermostat or rheostat controling the temps on the heat mat? If not then yes it is going to get hot enough to burn the snake so getting one of those two items is needed. The heat lamp will dry your cage out and doesn't provide belly heat which is good for digestion, but until you get a thermostat or rheostat it will do. Also, your probe should be under the substrate in the center of the heat mat when measuring temps and not on top:)
 
are you guys suggesting I turn it off until I can go out and buy this thermometer with a probe? it may be a couple days and he is due to eat tomorrow
 
How hot is the UTH? Most go well over 100 uncontroled so I would just use the lamp until you can properly control the temps.
 
ahhhh well I couldnt tell you how hot for certain but it felt pretty damn hot thats for sure, not like instant burn hot but like uncomfortable to the touch hot.
 
I just want to be sure that just a lamp will be efficient until I figure something out. what is this about a dimmer to control the heat though?
 
armbarvictim said:
I just want to be sure that just a lamp will be efficient until I figure something out. what is this about a dimmer to control the heat though?
Click to expand...

Should be! I used one during the winter when my UTH burned out. Kept the temps fine. Not to mention that this time a year, they don't need the heat as much.

Wayne
 
You can buy a rheostat or even better a thermostat you plug your under the tank heater into and then plug into the wall. If the UTH feels hot to you then it is scalding to your snake who's body temps are a lot lower. Without this your snake can burn, dehydrate, regurge, and feel quite stressed so for now the lamp is fine and safer. Do you have a thermometer? That can measure the temps on the UTH, but not control it;(
 
armbarvictim said:
I just want to be sure that just a lamp will be efficient until I figure something out. what is this about a dimmer to control the heat though?
Click to expand...

Like a light dimmer. It reduces the voltage to the heat mat thereby reducing it's heat ouput. There are various varieties. This is the one I use:

027557390927md.jpg

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=70717-000000539-TT300NLH-WH&lpage=none
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, he just ate a couple of hours ago so I plugged it in for a couple hours justy for good measure and have just unplugged it again, hopefully he digests properly.
 
Sorry if I'm being rude, but this is just for the safety of your snake.
But always make sure to have the tank ready before you buy the snake. You wouldn't want to bake them alive would you?
Remember a snakes body temperature is lower than yours; if it feels hot to you, it must be hell for your snake.

Hurry!
 
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