Repti-therm UTH not getting very hot.

[Mind_boy]

Hello, I am planning to get a ball python in about 20-ish days at a local reptile show, my tank is all set up, the only question is this. I got a Reptitherm UTH, and placed in my 20L tank. Many people say you are going to need to get a
dimmer/thero-stat or else it will get to hot. So I purchased a dimmer, but I noticed when I plugged it in the heat pad didn't get as hot as I suspected, it actually was quite cold still. So I unplugged it from the dimmer and straight into the wall socket, I gave it all night to warm up. Then I layed thermometer on top of the substrate. The reading was under 90 degrees. I then placed my hand directly on the glass, it was warm, but not really as warm as people were saying these things got. Then I placed my thermometer on top of the bare glass, and to my suprise it read just over 100 degrees. My question is this, is it normal for these UTH's to only be this warm, or did I get a defective one that isn't warming up as much as it should.

Mind that I have a little over 1" of substrate, and that I am also talking in fahrenheit.

[Sunnieskys]

We are 98 degrees so if it is warm to you it is to hot for your snake. Get a temp gun. Plug it back into the dimmer. Better yet get it on a thermostat. Dimmers are for your heat lamps or Che's. You take them temp at the glass without substrate and it should read 90 degrees. Ambient temp should be 80.

[SDA]

105 degrees is enough to burn a snake given enough time laying on it. You absolutely need a thermostat not a dimmer to make sure the temperature on the inside of the glass does not get over 92 degrees to prevent overheating. The top of the substrate does not matter, only the inside of the glass as the ball python will burrow or push substrate to get down to the bottom.

When you get the thermostat the probe goes between the UTH and the glass on the outside of the tank, not the inside.

[Sauzo]

Hello, I am planning to get a ball python in about 20-ish days at a local reptile show, my tank is all set up, the only question is this. I got a Reptitherm UTH, and placed in my 20L tank. Many people say you are going to need to get a
dimmer/thero-stat or else it will get to hot. So I purchased a dimmer, but I noticed when I plugged it in the heat pad didn't get as hot as I suspected, it actually was quite cold still. So I unplugged it from the dimmer and straight into the wall socket, I gave it all night to warm up. Then I layed thermometer on top of the substrate. The reading was under 90 degrees. I then placed my hand directly on the glass, it was warm, but not really as warm as people were saying these things got. Then I placed my thermometer on top of the bare glass, and to my suprise it read just over 100 degrees. My question is this, is it normal for these UTH's to only be this warm, or did I get a defective one that isn't warming up as much as it should.

Mind that I have a little over 1" of substrate, and that I am also talking in fahrenheit.

Well, considering you pretty much want it 86-88F at the glass, 100F is plenty warm. Also using over 1/2 inch substrate with a UTH or belly heat is pretty useless. Some dont heat up as hot as others. Try a Zoo Med one. Not sure if they changed them but i had one heat up so high it literally melted a spot in the rubberized sleeve they use and luckily it shorted itself out. This was for my dubia bin. After that, i switched to a CHE on a lamp dimmer.

105 degrees is enough to burn a snake given enough time laying on it. You absolutely need a thermostat not a dimmer to make sure the temperature on the inside of the glass does not get over 92 degrees to prevent overheating. The top of the substrate does not matter, only the inside of the glass as the ball python will burrow or push substrate to get down to the bottom.

When you get the thermostat the probe goes between the UTH and the glass on the outside of the tank, not the inside.

I disagree about a snake burning itself while sitting on a 105F heat source. !05F is 105. Unless the heat source is unregulated and the snake manages to basically insulate it as to allow it to rise in temps, a constant 105F heat source is not going to burn a snake. It is plenty to overheat him though and cause neuro issues. It's the same as us, put your hand on a 105F item and it wont burn you.

And as a general statement, I am not sure where the base guideline of 90-92F came from for a hot spot. I've asked this question before and never really got a definitive answer. Considering that most experienced people i talk to agree with me that the hot spot should be between 86-88F. I keep all my snakes with a 86F hot spot. Pretty much anything higher and they treat the hot side like its a lake of lava lol. And i have used 90F hot spots before, usually in the winter but again, all my snakes treated it like lava so basically they only used half their cages.

[CALM Pythons]

Well, considering you pretty much want it 86-88F at the glass, 100F is plenty warm. Also using over 1/2 inch substrate with a UTH or belly heat is pretty useless. Some dont heat up as hot as others. Try a Zoo Med one. Not sure if they changed them but i had one heat up so high it literally melted a spot in the rubberized sleeve they use and luckily it shorted itself out. This was for my dubia bin. After that, i switched to a CHE on a lamp dimmer.



I disagree about a snake burning itself while sitting on a 105F heat source. !05F is 105. Unless the heat source is unregulated and the snake manages to basically insulate it as to allow it to rise in temps, a constant 105F heat source is not going to burn a snake. It is plenty to overheat him though and cause neuro issues. It's the same as us, put your hand on a 105F item and it wont burn you.

And as a general statement, I am not sure where the base guideline of 90-92F came from for a hot spot. I've asked this question before and never really got a definitive answer. Considering that most experienced people i talk to agree with me that the hot spot should be between 86-88F. I keep all my snakes with a 86F hot spot. Pretty much anything higher and they treat the hot side like its a lake of lava lol. And i have used 90F hot spots before, usually in the winter but again, all my snakes treated it like lava so basically they only used half their cages.

Agree 100%. None of my snakes have ever wanted anything to do with a spot thats over 88.. They stay clear of the Hot Side. They have all used their cool hides 99% of the time.

[SDA]

I disagree about a snake burning itself while sitting on a 105F heat source.

Remember ball pythons have a tendency like other snakes such as GTPs to sacrifice thermoregulation for security. An unregulated hot spot can and will cause burns or physical skin damage given a long enough time even at lower temperatures. 105 is not necessarily 105 inside a hide and with a snake on it. A feed back loop for lack of a better term can occur if a snake coils on top of a hot spot inside a hide and that 105 temp can reach a higher spot in contact with the snake of even 5 or more degrees higher. This is enough to cause thermal burns on skin and scale given a long enough time line. So yes, 105 is enough given a long enough length of time to cause physical damage to a snake.

I am not talking generalizations for all reptiles as some have evolutionary adaptations to compensate for hot surface temperatures but just about any living flesh can and will suffer surface burning given a long enough time line on lower temps. The kind of long enough time line that certain snakes have a tendency to do if they are timid and crave the safety of say a hide. Let's also not forget that we tend to use thermostats and thermometers that are not scientifically accurate and when using an on/off thermostat like a jumpstart, that setting for 105 can actually heat to 110 before it cools enough to start he on/off cycle again.


So what I am getting at is regulate your heat sources because you snake can and will get damaged even at temps you assume can't harm them.

[Mind_boy]

Thank, but I have one last question. I bought the jumpstart and it showed up at my house. After I plug it in, do I just tape the little probe to the glass where the heat mat is, then set my desired temperature, (In this case 86-88)?

[Mind_boy]

Thank you my good sir

[Godzilla78]

105 degrees is enough to burn a snake given enough time laying on it. You absolutely need a thermostat not a dimmer to make sure the temperature on the inside of the glass does not get over 92 degrees to prevent overheating. The top of the substrate does not matter, only the inside of the glass as the ball python will burrow or push substrate to get down to the bottom.

When you get the thermostat the probe goes between the UTH and the glass on the outside of the tank, not the inside.

105 F, is NOT enough to burn a snake. No way ever, no matter how long they touch it. Human skin is far more soft and delicate than ball python snake scales, and it take 130+ temperatures to cause a burn to human skin. There is no danger of a burn to snake scales in the 100-125 F range. The danger is that cold-blooded reptiles will absorb the heat and if they cannot or do not move away in time, their organs will heat up to the surrounding temperatures and cause damage, most dangerous outcome being brain damage and even death.

I try to keep the hottest spot in the tub around 90F. No less than 87, no more then 92.

[Godzilla78]

edit: apparently 110-125 CAN cause burns to human skin, after a long enough period of time, but it would have to be quite a while. 130+ is the danger zone for human skin burning relatively quickly. My point stands though, that 105 is not enough to burn a snake, the MAIN DANGER IS ORGANS OVERHEATING. It is universally recommended to keep the hottest spot 92 or less, and keep ambients no higher than 85. A THERMOSTAT IS NOT AN OPTION, too much heat will injure or kill a snake.