bizarre UTH problem

[jharris08]

2 weeks ago I posted bout my female pin going nuts all the sudden...she went off food and was obviously stressed/bothered by something. after a few days of trying different hides, & even stuffing newspapers everywhere..she still would not show interest in hiding & kept crawling around way too much. after seeing her sprint towards the fornt of the enclosure when I would open it a couple times..I knew there was something inside the cage, so I decided to change the bedding and disinfect everything...well I had a zoo med UTH under the cypress mulch & when I lifted it up to clean under it...there was something that almost seemed like battery acid mixed with rust? it clearly had an odor. so I just removed it completely and cleaned...after about 24 hrs..she started hiding again and she took food yesterday only 7 days after cleaning and removing the UTH. dont know what it was, but it was obviously making my snake very unhappy!

[The Serpent Merchant]

One of the many reasons why heat sources should never be placed inside the enclosure

[dr del]

Hi,

This is why we recommend putting them outside the enclosure - pee and substrate get under them.

What kind opf enclosure do you have and we could give some specific advice?


dr del

[jharris08]

i have 3/4 inch melamine enclosure, so I had no choice with the UTH..but Im ordering CHE's with reostats now..so they should be good to go.

[dr del]

Hi,

You will be better buying a thermostat than a rheostat - the constant need to adjust rheostats will get to you in the end.


dr del

[Missy King]

Does zoo med say on the package not to put directly into the tank? Why wouldn't you be uncomforable putting an electrical unit into a moist environment? Even if you keep it dry (which would be too dry for a BP anyway) if the snake peed on it, it would get wet and have an issue. I don't see how it's true there would be any reason at all where you would "need" to put a UTH inside the tank, rather than keeping it outside. If you have an enclosure where you feel you can't put the heat source on the outside, against the bottom, for the snake, then you have the wrong set up for a snake.

I feel like this is a troll *lol*

[WarriorPrincess90]

Does zoo med say on the package not to put directly into the tank? Why wouldn't you be uncomforable putting an electrical unit into a moist environment? Even if you keep it dry (which would be too dry for a BP anyway) if the snake peed on it, it would get wet and have an issue. I don't see how it's true there would be any reason at all where you would "need" to put a UTH inside the tank, rather than keeping it outside. If you have an enclosure where you feel you can't put the heat source on the outside, against the bottom, for the snake, then you have the wrong set up for a snake.

I feel like this is a troll *lol*

I don't think it's fair to say that this is a "troll". First off, a troll is someone who goes out of their way to agitate people for their own amusement.

At any rate, it sounds like perhaps this individual legitimately did not realize they were doing something wrong. We are here for people to ask questions so that these mistakes don't continue to happen. Judging an individual for a mistake isn't fair.

[cmack91]

I don't think it's fair to say that this is a "troll". First off, a troll is someone who goes out of their way to agitate people for their own amusement.

At any rate, it sounds like perhaps this individual legitimately did not realize they were doing something wrong. We are here for people to ask questions so that these mistakes don't continue to happen. Judging an individual for a mistake isn't fair.

x2

to the OP, have you tried putting the uth underneath it? it might heat up the melamine enough to radiate the heat out. if it wont, think about a RHP, your snake cant burn itself on them (from what ive heard), but they heat up the whole enclosure (also just from what ive heard)

heres a link if your interested:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
im sure theres more out there, but this is the only one i know of

[mattchibi]

x2

to the OP, have you tried putting the uth underneath it? it might heat up the melamine enough to radiate the heat out. if it wont, think about a RHP, your snake cant burn itself on them (from what ive heard), but they heat up the whole enclosure (also just from what ive heard)

heres a link if your interested:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
im sure theres more out there, but this is the only one i know of

Definitely should reconsider the type of enclosure you are using. Under tank heat is definitely the best type of heat for a ball python IMO, but if you must use over-head heat, I suggest RHP's. Ive had experiences with the Pro Products (google them they also make provent-a-mite) RHP and it works fantastically. Just email or call them to ask what size would be suitable for your enclosure.

[jharris08]

cool..thanks for extra advice I'll check into it...I am a new ball owner, so also thanks for giving me respect after some people feel the need to throw their egos around on forums like this one!