• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Thermostat questions

Fletcher

New member
I'm preparing to get my first snake and I'm trying to figure out how one sets up a thermostat - just in theory for now, since I don't have all the equipment yet, but I want to be prepared! I saw a post on here about taping the thermostat probe to the bottom of the UTH - are probes generally small enough that this doesn't cause instability? Any recommended brands/types?
 
https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Certified-Thermostat-Germination-Reptiles/dp/B000NZZG3S/

That one is inexpensive, reliable, and good quality. A lot of people use them.

The probe is round, about an inch long, about half the diameter of a pencil I suppose.

It's best to run the cord inside the enclosure and attach it at the spot where the snake can make contact on the floor of the enclosure. You want to know what temp that spot is so that it's the right temp for the snake.
 
Here's a picture of how I do it.

You can see the heat mat under the enclosure on the outside. The thermostat probe and thermometer probe run inside and I have them taped over the UTH.

Note that tape is not recommended since it can peel up and get stuck to the snake, causing them unnecessary distress and pain. I check the tape frequently, never had trouble with it. Your call.

BGmtmJU.jpg
 
The issue is I'll be getting a glass vivarium, which I don't think I'll be able to get the probe into securely. Should've mentioned that in the original post, whoops!
 
The issue is I'll be getting a glass vivarium, which I don't think I'll be able to get the probe into securely. Should've mentioned that in the original post, whoops!

Still stick the UTH under the outside of the viv. The lid or top for glass tanks have spaces for cords to run through.

In this picture, you can see the cord gap in the bottom corner. This is a common type of tank lid you'll find at pet stores:

media.nl
 
Sorry, I meant to add that if you're determined to attach the probe directly to the UTH under the viv, the UTH may come with rubber feet that lift the tank half an inch off the surface it's sitting on. That should give you enough room to stick a probe to the UTH.

If your UTH does not come with rubber feet, you should use something else to lift the tank so that heat doesn't build up and get too hot under the tank, which could crack the glass.

Either way, you'll have space to stick a probe under the tank. Just be sure to get an accurate measurement of the heat inside the tank where the snake will be making contact.
 
If you haven't bought anything yet, buy the Critter Keeper cage, with the sliding locking lid. Then you never have to worry about escapes. (As long as you check the lid every single time by pulling back on it.) It has tabs that you can punch out, in the lid, for wires to go through.

Don't use tape in the viv. The snake will get stuck, could die, will lose scales. You can use hot glue or aquarium silicone or suction cups. It's a Murphy's Law of Snakes- if you have tape, the snake will find it.
 
Back
Top