Question about UTH's

[Immy]

Are ZooMed's UTH's safe to put on the bottom of a plastic container? The only reason I'm asking is when I get another snake someday I want to put him/her in a plastic container instead of the traditional glass aquarium.

[stevepoppers]

Anything's good as long as it's on a thermostat. I would not run it and anything else that's not identical on the same one, because they may heat up at different rates. E.g. one reaching 100 when the other reaches 90. Other factors that should not vary are substrate type and thickness, and probably the enclosure itself. Plastic and glass of varying thicknesses will transfer and hold heat differently.

[The Hedgehog]

Get a table lamp dimmer and a thermometer and just make sure the heat doesn't exceed the snake's ranges. You won't melt the plastic if you keep it under 100 degress lol.

[stevepoppers]

Yeah, lamp dimmers are good too, but be aware that if the room temperature goes up, the UTH is still getting as much power and so will also heat up. An active negative feedback system like a thermostat is much better. Lamp dimmers are not commonly considered a long-term heating control solution.

[SnakeKB]

I use a dimmer on a Exo Terra heat mat. It's a very very fine adjustment and the temps range from 91 to 93*. The dimmers work great but what you find is how the electric varies in your house from day to night. Has to do with peak hours and the electric companies increasing the output for the demand. My room stays a constant 80*. I havnt had an issue with it on my glass tank. I have a herpstat on my rack setup though.