How much heat do you think a heating pad gives off?

In temperature that is?

Unregulated it can go over 135 F.

Well over 100*, enough to cook your snake over time. That is why any and all belly heat needs to be used with a reptile thermostat or rheostat at the least.

I used to have a 6" X 8" Zoo Med pad that would run at 104F unregulated...

I have an exoterra that I left unregulated when I first got it (no snake! so don't worry lol), just to see where it would max out at.. I was reaching ~112F on the glass underneath the substrate. And that was a small 8x8 pad.

So then its a bad idea to leave it on all the time. Mine has been on for a while i felt underneath it and it was just warm but i dont know about on the other side. Mine in underneath the glass on his glass tank.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well over 100*, enough to cook your snake over time. That is why any and all belly heat needs to be used with a reptile thermostat or rheostat at the least.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by the93z

So then its a bad idea to leave it on all the time. Mine has been on for a while i felt underneath it and it was just warm but i dont know about on the other side. Mine in underneath the glass on his glass tank.

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Please use a rheostat or thermostat in conjuction with a thermometer. You must be able to see the temperature that your snake will be exposed to.

Temperature is NOT something you want to guesstimate at. You need to get a digital thermometer and know what the temps are. You are jeopardizing your snakes life.

Don't roll the dice please. Spend the money to ensure proper care for your snake.

I have the largest of the ZooMed pads mounted under my 30gal glass viv. It was suggested today that I see what the temp was on the glass, because they can burrow down through the substrate. It was 136.7°!! Before I found this I had the thermometer under the hides at the surface of the substrate where my snake spends most of her time and it was 89-92°. Thank goodness I found this. I plan to buy teo different thermostats, but don't have the extra $100 at this point. I did put a flexible styrofoam sheet to serve as a barrier to the heat. It gets up to 98 at the warmest with the thermometer on the styrofoam. I have at least an inch of aspen substrate above that where it is 89-91° at the surface. I'm just going to monitor it frequently and make sure she doesn't burrow down too close. I would definitely employ the use of some kind of barrier or a good thermostat. Best wishes.

You can make your own rheostats for under $7. Google it. There's really no excuse to not be able to monitor a uth. If you can't afford the pieces, don't have the snake in there.