Same Old Questions

[KornKrazyKrissi]

Okay...this is driving me crazy so I am going to ask for advice. I bought a digital thermo/humidity meter today at Walmart. At the store I thought it had a probe on the end, but when I got it home I realized that the probe was meant to be stuck on. What should I do? Should I attach it somewhere in the tank, or should I just leave it mobile so I can measure the temps in other areas? If I should attach it, then where would be the best spot? If I shouldn't, then should I take it out when I'm not checking temps, or should I just leave it in the tank at all times? Also, the temps on the warm side (on top of the substrate) are 82-84 degrees, which I know is fine, but under the substrate they are over 100 degrees. I know that this is too hot and could cause burns, but I have never seen Lola burrow. She goes back and forth between the warm and cold sides as she sees fit, so I believe that she understands her options for temperature control. Should I wait until I see her burrowing before I adjust the temperatures since she seems to be comfortable with her current enviroment? I just don't want any accidents! I knew there were no better people to ask! Thanks a bunch!

 

[zwyatt]

Would you wait to put sunscreen on after you've got the sunburn? :grin01:

Seriously, any potential hazards should be corrected as quickly as possible. Waiting until you actually see her burrowing is too late to fix a problem that could cause her harm. You can try using a thinner layer of aspen. For my 20 gallon viv I have the thermometer probe under the aspen under the warm-side hide. I have the UTH on a rheostat and never let the temp go above 86 on the glass. I don't measure the temp on the substrate and I have never once had a problem with digestion. A few times in the past she has even spent nights in her cool-side hide after eating and never had a digestion problem.

As referenced above, I would put the probe under the substrate and leave it. If the thermometer is an indoor/outdoor type then switching it to the indoor mode should give you a good idea of what the temps are elsewhere in the tank as long as the thermometer is close to the viv. UNLESS, you are also using a lamp, which would change things a bit.

When I was a kid I understood what hot and cold were, but that didn't stop me from touching the electric heater that we put in the kitchen for extra warmth. That morning I learned about hot surfaces the difficult way. True story

 

[KornKrazyKrissi]

You're right! I think a thinner layer of aspen would do the trick. Mine is pretty thick, so that explains the 15 degree difference. Lola has been very timid, so I think I was more worried about disturbing her to fix the problem than I was about the problem itself. Thanks for the perspective! :bang:

 

[Slippery Ernie]

Don't worry about sticking the probe down. I think I have the same thermometer and it doesn't matter if it's stuck or not. The snake might move it slightly while crawling around. Just make sure to put it back where it's supposed to be whenever you clean the cage.

Why not take a small box, like a bandaid box, and bury it down in the substrate so the snake can crawl down in and be right on top of the heat mat?

 

[vanderkm]

While I agree that it would be a good idea to adjust the temperature of the hot end so that it doesn't exceed 95 degrees on the floor of the tank, because that is the high end of the recommended range - just to keep things in perspective - 100 degrees is just 1 degree higher than human body temperature and not a real threat of burns - so don't worry too much.

If you don't have a rheostat to lower the temperature of the heat pad, you might consider using a slate tile the same size as the heat pad. Put the slate tile inside the tank directly over the heat pad, under the aspen. This will drop the temperature that the snake can contact by between 5-10 degrees and is an easy clean surface.

The sticky end of the temp probe doesn't need to be attached - just move it around to where you want a temperature. These are really handy gadgets!

 

[kimbyra]

Another suggestion - I put a couple of pieces of newsprint down on the glass over the UTH, but under the substrate, so the snakeys can burrow and warm up, but not get belly burn.

 

[pgr8dnlvr]

I have a related question...

If you have the probe measuring a perfect 85 degrees on the suface of the glass, but then have fairly thick aspen bedding and a snake that never seems to burrow ever then wouldn't it be a good idea to up the temp a bit so the above the shavings temp is correct?

Will a snake always burrow down if in the end that is the only way to get to the heat?

Rebecca

 

[zwyatt]

I have a related question...

If you have the probe measuring a perfect 85 degrees on the suface of the glass, but then have fairly thick aspen bedding and a snake that never seems to burrow ever then wouldn't it be a good idea to up the temp a bit so the above the shavings temp is correct?

Will a snake always burrow down if in the end that is the only way to get to the heat?

Rebecca

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I'm not sure whether this is your actual situation or just a hypothetical, but either way my opinion is the same. -- If you're not having regurges then it's not a problem.

What you described is exactly the situation I find myself in, with the exception that my snake likes to burrow when she's out exploring at night. I've never had a single regurge with her with the glass temps at 85 and aspen on top of that. So I'm not about to raise the temps and HOPE that she doesn't decide to spend an extended length of time on the glass, which I've never seen her do (so far). I also don't use an incredibly thick layer of aspen under her warm side hide, which allows for more heat to get up to her. The aspen everywhere else in her viv is easily twice as deep as it is under her hide above the UTH.

Besides that what is the "correct temp"? I just use temps that are in an acceptable range and that don't create problems.

Hope that helps a bit. :shrugs: