Why THE HECK is this so hard?!?!?!?!?

[Chip]

Their ideal maximum is 90 degrees. Anything over that for a sustained time risks causing neurological damage.

For some reason, they don't have the instinct to move away from a surface that is too hot - they have been known to actually sit on things like bulbs that are so hot they cause burns. You need to get surfaces below 90 if you can.

No!

NO, NO, NO!!! If you are speaking of SURFACES, they can be 105, and even a *tad* higher. They will not "cook" on these, provided there are multiple areas that the snake will feel comfortable (read: hides, even it it's a fold in a paper towel). I don't mean to be a disagreeable ass, but I have rushed my share of snakes, many were corns. The most valuable snakes I have ever bought have always been "overfed" and kept with too hot of a maximum spot temp, according to everyone on message-boards. These 5 new hatchling Tesseras were put in yearling racks with HOT belly heat for digestion. I have temp gunned the snake's bodies on heat as high as 106.7 and they are bigger than any '08 I produced and fed only weekly. I feed these big meals every three days, and they grow like Kudzu. Obviously, I won't continue this regimen once they reach breeding size, but it is AMBIENT temp that burns snake's brains. Not the hot spot. And if your cage is cold, yep, they could fry themselves hugging the hot spot if they need to digest food or have the urge to not go dormant yet... both of which you, the keeper, are also in control of.

But my biggest point is that baby snakes have a lot of ATP action going on in those little new bodies. They are perfectly evolved to transfer rather than store every molecule in every cell. Overfeed an adult, and you will quickly have a fat snake. I have yet to see a fat baby reptile. Only one that looks older. We are not dealing with mammals here. When the last meal is digested, they are "ready" for another. Digestion at normal temps is complete hours/tops one day before they defecate. I wouldn't give this advice to new keepers, but talking honestly with experienced folks, if you have proper ambient temps and a large enough gradient (and hides, hides, hides), you can get that hot spot HOT! I only wish I had a temp gun on me in the South Carolina summer days catching a corn on a flat rock right in the mid-day sun. I bet some of those critters were damn near the temps I like my steak.

 

[bubba6]

well put:bowdown:

 

[Little Miss]

Thanks Danielle, but my cage is glass so I can't drill a hole in it. I have the UTH glued to the exterior bottom- as directed in the instructions. I placed the Thermostat prober inside my tank, and laid it flat on the bottom, near the center of the UTH. My thermometer probe was next to it, but not touching it.

I just bought a new lamp dimmer that is more adjustable than the one I have now and a new thermometer I'm going to try out. So far, the lamp dimmer is the only thing that has kept my UTH's at safe temperatures.

Bubba6- my Zilla Thermostat has a temperature gauge on it, where you dial in the temp you want the cage to be. The Zoo Med rheostat I tried did not have number, just a low, med and high dial.

 

[Little Miss]

Thanks also, elrojo! I have a very cozy cage setup- lots of hides, plenty of Aspen for tunneling, and a beautiful Ivy vine draped to provide some coverage and security.

So you are suggesting that the glass temps at the bottom of my tank, around 95*F , will not burn my snake?

 

[danielle]

How are you putting the probe in your cage? The thing is unless the probe is in the cage, under the aspen, and glued so it can't move over the UTH no dimmer or thermostat will work. The probe takes the temps of the heatmat and tells the thermostat when to adjust. If the probe is not secure it is moving around and can not adjust to the temps you dial in.

 

[Little Miss]

How are you putting the probe in your cage? The thing is unless the probe is in the cage, under the aspen, and glued so it can't move over the UTH no dimmer or thermostat will work. The probe takes the temps of the heatmat and tells the thermostat when to adjust. If the probe is not secure it is moving around and can not adjust to the temps you dial in.

The Thermostat probe was under the aspen, and suction cupped to the glass above the UTH, and was touching the glass in the center of my UTH. Even still, if it wasn't directly on the bottom, if my thermostat is set for 75*F, it should not still be heating as my temps read 111*F.

 

[bubba6]

hey little miss- you have yours set-up the exact same as mine is. The only advice i can offer now is the thermometer is bad. had 2 bad ones right off the bat. changed them and have both tanks being heated off of the 500r therm. and both tanks steadily maintain 83-86 degrees. hope this helps and your right. (how can this be so hard!!!!):headbang:

 

[caz223]

Reading the original post again I think I see the problem.
She says the probe is on the hot side not on the mat.
In order to work right, the sensor for the thermostat has to be securely affixed to the hot spot.

 

[Little Miss]

hey little miss- you have yours set-up the exact same as mine is. The only advice i can offer now is the thermometer is bad. had 2 bad ones right off the bat. changed them and have both tanks being heated off of the 500r therm. and both tanks steadily maintain 83-86 degrees. hope this helps and your right. (how can this be so hard!!!!):headbang:

Thanks I just bought a new probe thermometer and they read within about 4 degrees of each other at most (so far). What thermometer do you use?

 

[groki21]

If you spend just over $100 on a Herpstat, it'll be the best money you ever spend. You just set the digital thermostat to 85F and it keeps the UTH at that temp. No messing around with adjusting it. They are on sale till Friday. http://spyderrobotics.com/ Yes, I have those on every single viv I have except one. Even on lone 10 gallons. It's so easy.

i agree, for my anniversary i actually asked my gf for a herpstat. I got it, plugged it in, set it for 84, and my temps never go below 83 or over 85. perfecto. before that I was using a lamp dimmer from lowes. wasnt bad for the money but it took me a while to get the dimmer to do 80-87 and i would have to adjust almost everyday because i have central air and the heat comes on if it senses to hot in my downstairs, but my room usually bakes(because its small) so my temps would sometimes jump into the 90's which is pretty scary if you spend 9hrs a day outside the house sometimes. Herpstat worth every penny

 

[wstphal]

For the Herpstat users -- can the probe tolerate getting wet? I am thinking about buying but I have a water bowl spilling snake, as in multiple ounces of water every darn where in the viv.

 

[Nanci]

For the Herpstat users -- can the probe tolerate getting wet? I am thinking about buying but I have a water bowl spilling snake, as in multiple ounces of water every darn where in the viv.

Herpstat has excellent customer service. If you drop Dion an e-mail, he will get back to you within 24 hours at the most, in my experience.

Today is the last day of the Thanksgiving sale, BTW.

 

[Chip]

Thanks also, elrojo! I have a very cozy cage setup- lots of hides, plenty of Aspen for tunneling, and a beautiful Ivy vine draped to provide some coverage and security.

So you are suggesting that the glass temps at the bottom of my tank, around 95*F , will not burn my snake?

As long as ambient temps don't get so cool that the snake will glue to it, 95 is fine. In fact, ten degrees cooler than I'm currently offering my most prized babies. A temp gun will go a long way, as will the behavior of the snake. By that I mean that when I have had a thermostat stick (or in one blond moment, plugged it in directly to a strip in the wall outlet instead of the one on the thermostat), the cages got too hot, of course. The time the rack was back-heated, I came in to seeing everything against the front of their cage. When belly heated, they were on the top of their hides or in water dishes. Obviously, those are extreme cases, and hopefully never happen again.
Ventilation is crucial when running hotter than usual digestion areas (well, it's crucial period), but ventilation can be tricky. Everything depends on the temperature the room is kept, and how much fluctuation that room's temps will have throughout the day. Just like when using normal temps. And just like the misguided new keeper with nothing but a ten gallon with a screen lid and a hot rock encounters. But with tubs, holes can never be undrilled. Not that new ones are a big expense, but it's starting from scratch every time you almost had it right and went too far. When running any rack system, tinker with it before you fill it up with animals, if at all possible. Put water bowls in them, and see if there's condensation on the front before even breaking out a soldering iron. Temp guns can only tell you surface temp. Swing them around the whole viv, like you were sweeping for mines. Consider the temperature of the air, watch the animals, and remember, they don't drink much. If water bowls are drying up quickly, humidity is low and temps are high. What goes on outside the viv has everything to do with what happens inside it. This is the biggest reason many of us have reptile rooms.

 

[robeyeshua]

stinks your having so much trouble

i have 10 gallon, zoomed 10-20uth ran through a 10 dollar lowes tabletop lamp dimmer - digital t'mometer stuck on glass on center of uth - maintaining 83-87 - snake seems fine - room temp as is kool side between 68-71 - i'm getting more convinced all the time - if we get it right - the snakes will make it work?? - i do adjust the dimmers occasionally but its not a huge issue - really its not