Temps in a wooden viv

[Martyn]

My temps are 100 at very highist I got a 40 watt bulb with a thermastat in there what will happen if I keep them at these temps they have plenty of water to drink and swim in ?????? They seem to like it

 

[bitsy]

100 is dangerously high - you need to get it to the mid 80s at floor level. Anything over 90 degrees for any length of time can cause neurological damage.

As the bulb has a thermostat and if you're measuring the temps at floor level (where the snakes are), then just turn the thermostat down until the thermometer reads 85-88 degrees.

 

[Martyn]

I do that but the light goes out and doesn't come back on ?? The thermastat cost me like 60 pounds

 

[bitsy]

Sorry if I'm asking an obvious question, but is the thermostat specifically designed to work with a bulb? Many of the reptile ones are designed for use with heat mats.

If it is a light stat, then it sounds like it's on the blink if it's not turning the light back on and you may need to return it for a replacement. Do you know how low the temp has gone with the light off?

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

Another thing: Snakes need BELLY heat to digest meals. A heating pad is best, but I think that'd turn the snake and cage into a pile of ash.

 

[Candachan]

I agree that 100 degrees is WAY too high! Sounds like you need a new thermostat and thermometer.

 

[Martyn]

Y do you say I need a new thermometer.I don't need a new thermometer it's a pro one so I no I don't need new one of that and Im just goi g to try to get a lower watt bulb and see what happend the temps without the bulbs and just the heat mat on is between 60-70 I mainly use the bulbs for light abit if heat I just need to keep fiddleing with the bulbs till I get it right

 

[bitsy]

Ah, if you have both a mat and a light, then I'd switch the light off altogether and try and get the temps right with the mat alone. Do the light and mat both have their own stat? A combo of light+mat does seem to lead to overheating and problems with temperature control.

Corns don't need artificial light and I suspect the mat on its own will be much easier to tweak to the correct temp. You could give it a try, then when you've got the temp right and if you'd still like some light for your own benefit (so you can see what's going on better), then you can look into some low-wattage alternative lighting like LEDs, that don't kick out so much heat as a by-product.

 

[Martyn]

I no they don't need light but what I'm saying I live in a darkish flat and I have a light on so I can see them I don't have a thermostat for the heat matts coz there warm enough and they don't lay on the heat matt.

 

[bkelm18]

Another thing: Snakes need BELLY heat to digest meals. A heating pad is best, but I think that'd turn the snake and cage into a pile of ash.

A heat pad running 85-90F will not catch the wood on fire. Most wood doesn't ignite until at least 300F.

 

[bitsy]

I don't have a thermostat for the heat matts coz there warm enough and they don't lay on the heat matt.

That could be a problem - most mats will run at 110+ degrees without a stat. Could be your snakes aren't lying on it because it's dangerously hot. The idea of a stat isn't to get things hot enough, it's to stop things overheating. What temp is the surface of the mat at floor level?

Having lights is kind of a "nice to have" because they're for your benefit and not the snakes. I think it's probably best if you sort out the heat for the snakes first (and you already have the ideal source wth the mat) and look at the lighting later.

As you're using the bulb for light rather than heat, it doesn't make sense to have one that needs a stat. As you've already seen, it'll keep switching off, which isn't what you need.

Could you swap the stat to the mat rather than the light, and leave the light off temporarily while you get the mat heat sorted? It will depend on the sort of stat you have, as to whether you could swap it between the two.

 

[Martyn]

If a mats heat reaches 85-90 y would I need a thermastat ???

 

[Martyn]

In my top viv coz one is on top of the other. The top one on the heat matt in the middle is 75-80 I'm measureing the other one ATM so give me 15 min and I will tell you

 

[Martyn]

The bottom one is 79 so I don't need a stat????

 

[bitsy]

If a mats heat reaches 85-90 y would I need a thermastat ???

The top one on the heat matt in the middle is 75-80

The bottom one is 79 so I don't need a stat????

Not sure what those mats are up to then. 75-80 is OK for the cool side, but needs to be warmer for the warm side. I'm confused to be honest. A mat without a stat can (and probably should, according to its design) run well over 110 degrees. It's unlikely that both mats are on the blink.

I suspect the light's stat is switching it off because the temp has hit whatever you have the stat set to and then the mats are maintaining it so the light doesn't switch back on.

Are the stat probes actually on the floor of the tank, on top of the mat surface, and is that where you're measuring the temp?

I'm really scratching my head as to what's going on. The basics are:

- Floor at the warm end needs to be in the mid-high 80s
- Belly heat is better than overhead heat
- A heat mat needs regulating to keep it in the 80s (or at least, it should!)
- Light isn't necessary for the snake

Quite how you'd go about getting that temp at the warm end given the odd way your setup is behaving, is beyond me at the moment I'm afraid.

 

[Martyn]

My guys are fine have been from day one there's nothing wrong and there eating grate

 

[bitsy]

there's nothing wrong

Well you must have had some concerns to ask the question in the first place, and given those temps, there is something wrong.

Your setup isn't ideal and there are risks if the temps are too high (which they should be given the equipment you've described and if it's set up/running properly) or too cold (which they are, if your thermometer readings are correct).

Anyway - it's your call as to whether you want to acknowledge/deal with the potential problems and mitigate the risks. Good luck and let us know if your snakes stop being fine. Perhaps someone with more experience and credibility than me will then be able to help.

 

[Martyn]

I asked coz I could not be botherd to look on the net. My guys are fine nothing wrong. I'm changeing there set up at the end of the month anyway I'm gettin the glass tarairiums and in hopein I can put the heat matts under the tank and temps will be ok I hope anyway should do glass warms up.

 

[LawDog1]

I know you say everything is fine, but after reading this thread I have a question. Are your heat mats under the wood or inside the snakes living space? If they are inside, do you have anything on top of the heat mats? Such as a tile, metal tape, piece of plexiglass,.... How thick is the wood on the floor of the viv? Plywood, I assume?

You say there is no stat at all on the heat mats? sure there isnt one built in? What brand are they?

Again, I know you said everything is fine, but Im curious.
Thanks,
Jimmy

 

[Martyn]

Nothing there on the matts. I have a stat on both matts the temps are ok I put the thermometer on the matt which now reads 84 that's the best temp I can get