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Safe adhesive for thermometer/thermostat probes

Glenaerie

Glenaerie

Member
Hi, everyone... I'm the proud owner of a new baby corn snake, and have need of your advice. I want to get more control over temperature regulation, and would like (as I have seen advised here) to stick probes directly to the glass. The problem is that the snake is already in residence, and I want to use a product or method that would be safe right away. Aquarium silicone is recommended by many folks here, but unfortunately it needs 24 hours to cure, and apparently until then it remains an eye and skin irritant and releases fumes (according to its literature). Sticky tack has been mentioned here as well, and I can't find much info online about its safety, except that it is a choking hazard. Has anyone had any problem with using it with their snakes? Does it need a "waiting period" to be safe? Has anyone found another safe product or method that can be used right away with the snake in residence? I know (from reading here) that tape can end up being hazardous. Thanks, because I probably would have used it :).
 
I asked this question before, and sticky tack was recommended. I wound up buying two products, the 3M adhesive putty (is this sticky tack?) and something called StikkiWax.

I wound up using StikkiWax, because it was wax based, but I still am not sure if it will be safe for my snake. So far, no problems, although the thought has crossed my mind that it may be a poor choice, as heat and wax generally don't mix. I am assuming that this wax will hold up, as 85 degrees isn't all that hot.

I guess I will follow this thread to see if 3M adhesive putty is safe, and monitor that wax product as well.
 
What I use to keep my thermometer probe in place is velcro. There's no sticky stuff for the snake to get at, because the one side that isn't adhered to the glass I adhered to a piece of fabric first.
It works well and is relatively cheep(was free for me because I brought about a 3 in strip home from work).
 
Thanks! I've never run in to StikkiWax, so I'll be interested in learning more about that as well. And as far as "sticky tack" goes, I was assuming (and I probably shouldn't) that it is sort of a generic name for what I think is the adhesive putty that you can use to temporarily hang posters, etc., which sounds like your 3M product. There seem to be a number of sticky putty type brands, but now I'm wondering if they are all alike in their formulation, and safe for little corn snakes (as I doubt the issue of reptile safety comes up often in their research labs).
 
Ooh, velcro... that's interesting! So (trying to see if I understand how you did it), you took a strip of one "aspect" of the velcro (hooks or fuzzy), and peeled off the backing and stuck it right on the glass using its own self-adhesive. Then you peeled off the backing of the other piece and stuck that to a strip of cloth. Then you put your probe down and sandwiched it between the velcro strips? That sounds great. If I have this right though, and you used the self-adhesive type of velcro, might it not be possible that eventually it might have the same potential problems as tape would? And are you able to get the tip of the probe to really stay right on the glass? It's a neat idea, and certainly non-toxic. :)
 
You got it exactly right. Just make sure the fabric you use on the side that is not adhered to the glass is stuck very well to the adhesive of the velcro. I've not had any problems with mine.
ONe thing I may mention is to make sure the probe is on the glass, all you have to do is have the wire of the probe a little further from the velctro. You'll understand if you decide to use that method.
 
If you're worried about putting tape in your viv there's another way.I didn't try this but I saw it posted here, sounds good to me. Use aquarium sealant and make a ball on the glass. When it hardens slice it with a razor blade, put the wires in the slice.
 
Thanks, Alan! I was avoiding using silicone aquarium sealant because of the fact that the snake is already in the viv, and apparently the sealant would be irritating or toxic to the snake for 24 hours until the sealant had cured.
 
The StikkiWax website makes some nice arguments for their product. They compare it to the plastic based removable adhesive putties, and say that the plastic based ones (which I guess are the sticky tack type) dry out and lose their sticking power, have a chemical smell, and leave a residue behind when removed. They say StikkiWax is completely non-toxic and remains pliable and sticky, without drying out.

Remaining "pliable and sticky" may or may not be a good thing, now that I think about it. Elipsis1, in your estimation, is yours sticky enough that it could cause problems for a baby snake who might press up against it? Thanks!
 
Glenaerie said:
Thanks, Alan! I was avoiding using silicone aquarium sealant because of the fact that the snake is already in the viv, and apparently the sealant would be irritating or toxic to the snake for 24 hours until the sealant had cured.
Click to expand...

Yes, I don't know if that's true but I wouldn't put my snake in with anything like that if it's not cured or dry. Some things give off gases as the solvents evaporate, some things have chemicals that are only inert after the mixture is cured.
Better to be cautious.
 
Do you have a glue gun? I've always used hot glue to attach the thermostat probe to the bottom of the tank. It's safe and cheap, it dries super fast, and it's easy to pull off and re-attach later when you're cleaning the viv.
 
Thanks for the idea about the glue gun! Apparently though (from what I've read), the glue gives off fumes and vapors when it's in its hot liquid form, although it is non-toxic and fume-free when solid. Again, because I am trying to secure the probes while the snake is still in the aquarium, I'm a little hesitant to use something that gives off fumes. I realize, though, that it will only be hot for a very short time, so maybe it's not much of an issue.

I'm trying to keep things as peaceful as possible for new little snake at the moment (regurge protocol, unfortunately), so don't really want to take her out and handle her or put her in another container temporarily if I can avoid it. I'm hoping to just glide in, quietly secure the probes, and withdraw.
 
I use hot glue for my probes. It solidifies in minutes, and once it's hard I put the tank back together and pop Cornwallis back inside. I've never had an issue; it doesn't seem to bother him.
 
I thought about using hot glue, but wasn't sure how well it would stick to glass. I should try it sometime, it would cure very quickly, and the snake could go back in the viv.
 
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