uth ?'s

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Originally Posted by baddawg91

Do i need a thermostat for my uth or not

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Oh God Yes


I would reccommend a Ranco from Reptile basics, I use the double just incase of a failure. But in a pinch until you get money for a ranco a lamp dimmer or rheostat will do.


Happy Herping :gj:

a thermostat is a necessary!

A dimmer will never work as well. It does control it to a degree, but is only a last resort as many things can go wrong with a dimmer.

You get what you pay for, if you're willing to risk inaccurate temps to reduce the impact on your wallet, then go ahead.

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Originally Posted by all in balls out

Had a quick question regarding this topic. Can a dimmer switch on the uth work as well too?

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Yes, and that's exactly what I was going to suggest. If you only have the one snake and the one UTH, a dimmer could work as long as the room temps don't change. If the room temps change more than a few degrees throughout the day a dimmer isn't an option for you. Dimmers work by regulating how much energy goes through the machine. If you have your dimmer set so your UTH is at 90 degrees and your room gets 5 degrees hotter your dimmer will be letting the same amount of energy through, therefor your UTH will be 95.

I would feel MUCH safer using a dimmer over a cheap thermostat (something under $60) as long as the room stayed a fairly constant temp. Basements are usually perfect for dimmers-but you still need to monitor it daily. Also, when a dimmer fails it cuts all power unlike on/off thermostats, even the very expensive ones. I have dimmers as back ups on all of my thermostats.

In all reality, I could use a dimmer for my rack system if I monitored the temps daily. My snake room is in the basement, and I heat it during the winter months so it's always right about 70 degrees. It would be a pain to always be monitoring temps and adjusting the dimmer, but it's possible.

I would treat the dimmer as a short term solution till you get money for something quality. But only if the room doesn't change temps more than a couple degrees throughout the day, every day!!!!

What is a safe temp. to have the thermostat set at so the bp won't get burned if he lays on the glass?

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Originally Posted by all in balls out

What is a safe temp. to have the thermostat set at so the bp won't get burned if he lays on the glass?

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95* is the hottest any point should ever get in the cage. You will need to place a digital thermometer with a probe on the glass where the UTH is and set the thermostat accordingly.

I'd suggest read the glass setup sticky thread. (lots of good info)
You can use a tank liner like a repti-carpet and I place my digital thermometer on top of the carpet, this is to limit the possibility of the snake getting down to the glass. (doesn't mean it's impossible. They are the greatest escape artists. Knock on wood)
I've had a constant temp range of between 85-88 with a zillia thermostat. So far the biggest spike I've seen was 90. (Sun, house temp etc could easily affect temps in apartments, town homes etc. Any room that may get exposed to drafts)
I use two digital thermometers, one hot spot, and one cold side. Then I use a el-cheapo analog for air temp, and obviously a hygrometer. I use tinfoil on top to maintain humidity and air temp. Then I use a infrared 50w bulb for added warmth at night.

thanks everyone that was all a big help and i do believe in u get what u pay for its the truth.:)