Having problems... New BP owner

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Don't get a thermostat from the pet store as they are all crap. Without a thermostat a UTH can get hot enough to kill your snake.

For $30 you can get this: (works good but there are better)

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...d_rhf_pe_p_t_1

These cost more but work better (starting at $99)

http://spyderrobotics.com/

Chances are fixing the cage temperatures will fix your feeding problem. It is hard to suggest other things to do at this point. This time of year is their breeding season so they tend to go off feed anyway. They can go a year without eating. The best way to tell if they are in trouble or not is to get a scale and weigh him. (a cheap $15 kitchen scale will do)

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I was told hot rocks would kill a snake and not to use them... This UTH gets warm but not hot at all, it said it was specifically designed for glass enclosures and I have a layer of reptile-carpet substrate below my newspaper...

Doesn't matter. Trust me UTH's must have a thermostat. Most will get upto 110+

Those UTH's can get really hot, up to 115 degrees, which will fry your snake. Its better safe than sorry to get a $30 thermostat to save you $300 snake. Not only will temps like that burn your snake, if its stays there long enough it could have neurological effects as well.

Your tank is too wide open - nothing covering the sides for privacy. I would put like a fish aquarium background on three sides of the tank to make the snake feel more secure.

Good Luck.

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Originally Posted by pigfat

Those UTH's can get really hot, up to 115 degrees, which will fry your snake. Its better safe than sorry to get a $30 thermostat to save you $300 snake. Not only will temps like that burn your snake, if its stays there long enough it could have neurological effects as well.

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Where can you buy a thermostat like that that's NOT online...?

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Does the UTH have a thermostat? The dial thermometers do not work, all they do is tell you what the temperature of the glass is. Get one of these, they cost $12 at Walmart.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

Probe goes on the hot side over the UTH, and the unit sits on the cool side. It measures both temperatures and humidity.

It sounds like the UTH is too hot (needs a thermostat) and dropping the temperature at night isn't good either. Does your enclosure have a thermal gradient?

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Originally Posted by Snickelfritz

Where can you buy a thermostat like that that's NOT online...?

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It is very rare to find them locally. There might be a reptile or exotic pet shop. Beware of the zoomed thermostats they stop working after a month or so.

Online is your best bet.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

It is very rare to find them locally. There might be a reptile or exotic pet shop. Beware of the zoomed thermostats they stop working after a month or so.

Online is your best bet.

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Well, im reading up that these exo-terra heat wave UTH's don't get very hot at all... just warm enough but regardless I'll get the thermostat anyway

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Originally Posted by Snickelfritz

Well, im reading up that these exo-terra heat wave UTH's don't get very hot at all... just warm enough but regardless I'll get the thermostat anyway

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All that is just marketing. If the UTH shorts out not only could you have a dead snake but a house fire. Thermostats are very important to say the least.

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Originally Posted by Snickelfritz

Well, im reading up that these exo-terra heat wave UTH's don't get very hot at all... just warm enough but regardless I'll get the thermostat anyway

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Snickel, I'm not sure were or what you're reading, but those UTHs can get very hot. Hot enough to crack glass and kill snakes. The advice you've been given this morning is based on our previous experiences, not all of them pleseant.

Having a proper thermostat makes things much easier, as you rarely even have to look at the temps in the tank. For the most part its a set and forget type of thing. Obviously you have a peak at your thermometer once or twice daily, but after having my thermostat (Herpstat for the win) I haven't needed to adjust anything other than the odd misting in about a month.

Dion @ Spyder Robotics makes some great products, now even more so.

The Herpstat 1 ($119?) actually has a humidity control option that you can hook up to a humidifier.


**Also I have the same UTH as you, and trust me, they get hot. Unregulated I lasered mine (and confirmed with my Herpstat as a test) it got up to 114 degrees.
**No I did not have my snake in the tank at the time.