Is there a guide for thermostat placement?

[SDA]

So one question I get asked over and over again is about thermostats. What do I get? Where do I put the probe? How hot should it be? Why is it not burning my hand? I think you get the idea.

I have been looking around for a decent guide on thermostats and probe placement. I was wondering if there is one that anyone wrote up or if there would be a way to gather up information so people can get a good idea of how to regulate heat sources for ball python enclosures. I am a few weeks still from getting my new PVC enclosure and don't feel like disturbing my baby to take pictures of a setup but when I do get my PVC I am going to do a picture heavy write up of my setup but for now I am wondering if we have anything to point people to? I could just be missing the obvious location but I have not really found any step by step setup guides.

[artgecko]

The stickie'd guides on tub setup, pvc cage setup, and glass tank setup I think all have photos showing proper probe placement, if my memory is correct. I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for, but you could just refer people to those.

[SDA]

Tub one is really good but the glass one really needs to be updated as all the pictures are from photobucket and are now dead links. The PVC just has some basic placement. I did see a dimmer sticky in the caging forum but again photobucket dead links. I may just end up writing up something and see how it is received.

[hollowlaughter]

Pit has a diagram but here's another.



(source)

Ultimately, the quick and dirty is:

• Budget users should get an Inkbird or Jumpstart on/off thermostat. Users with more funds, or budget users after saving up should invest in something like a Herpstat or other models of proportional thermostats. Diagram above shows placement. UTH pad can be adhered to the OUTSIDE of the enclosure with something like aluminum tape, if you might need to move the pad in the future. Do not adhere and peel, else you risk damaging the heating elements in the pad and causing a fire or a burned snake if you try to continue using it. You can, but that's at your OWN RISK and not advised for newbies.

Enclosure Bottom >
ThermoSTAT Probe >>
UTH Pad >>>
Ventilation Gap

• ThermoSTAT probes, if inside of the enclosure, need to be affixed with hot glue and preferably covered so the snake cannot move or pee on the probe and ruin the readings or cause a malfunction, thus possibly burning themselves on a too-hot UTH. NO ADHESIVES LIKE TAPE.

• ThermoMETERS should be monitoring the hottest temp the snake can get to (the hotspot), with another taking care of ambient temps.

• Hotspots should be at 89F. Ambient around 79F.

• RHP and CHE should have a rheostat/dimmer at the very least, if not their own thermoSTAT (making thermoSTATS with multiple intake ports for reading worth the investment for use of multiple heating sources in an enclosure or multiple heat sources in a rack/tub situation with multiple animals.

• RHP and CHE should have their probes at the closest point the animal can reach, with the thermoMETER probe at floor level.

• Heat sources on the bottom of tubs/tanks need to be lifted to avoid temperature fluxation and fire risk due to heat encapsulation.

• The pad/hotspot/etc are not warm to your touch, since at 89F they're lower than your 98F body temperature.

Sure other users will have more to add, then this threat can be linked to or parsed together into a concise guide afterward.