Too hot?

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Originally Posted by KMG

Of course a CHE changes the ambient temp. That is an overhead heat source pumping out a ton of heat. Sure it is a more directed beam than a flooding heat bulb but it has heat spill that reaches and warms the entire cage.

A UTH on the other hand is a under tank heat source that should only be putting off enough heat to get a nice hot spot of 88-90(on the cage floor). An UTH is not meant for heating the entire cage, though many people believe they are.

Comparing the effect of a CHE is nothing like a UTH.

Im just glad the OP didn't have the substrate so thick they had to have the UTH pumped up and caused a burn on the snake when it moved the substrate aside.

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I'm not certain that I am comparing. I was agreeing with Jon14 that lowering the setting on the thermostat does affect the ambient temperature of the enclosure. Logically, this makes sense to me, and it has been what I have experienced when I raise or lower the setting on my stat. IE: I raise the stat setting, the ambient increases; I lower the stat setting, the ambient decreases. And I would anticipate the same results were I using a UTH.

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Originally Posted by MandMac

I'm not certain that I am comparing. I was agreeing with Jon14 that lowering the setting on the thermostat does affect the ambient temperature of the enclosure. Logically, this makes sense to me, and it has been what I have experienced when I raise or lower the setting on my stat. IE: I raise the stat setting, the ambient increases; I lower the stat setting, the ambient decreases. And I would anticipate the same results were I using a UTH.

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Well you anticipate and I'll speak from experience.

Research it a bit. You will find thread after thread of people thinking their uth is all they needed. They found that was not the case. A uth does very little for ambient temps. That is not their purpose and trying to use them as such is incorrect.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Well you anticipate and I'll speak from experience.

Research it a bit. You will find thread after thread of people thinking their uth is all they needed. They found that was not the case. A uth does very little for ambient temps. That is not their purpose and trying to use them as such is incorrect.

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Regarding the research it a bit, thank you, but I'll pass.

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Originally Posted by MandMac

Regarding the research it a bit, thank you, but I'll pass.

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It would be awful to learn something that may help your snakes. A good owner is not afraid of learning the unknown about their pets, equipment, and techniques, trying to know all they can relating to the hobby.

For example, like how to sex their animals but that requires research too.

We all started at zero. Some choose to learn and become knowledge owners able to help others here while others hover just above zero and do little more than muddy the water.

You've made your choice. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by MandMac

Regarding the research it a bit, thank you, but I'll pass.

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WoW. Ignorant much??

Overhead or back heating runs a higher temperature to get the surface temperature to where you want it. This will increase the ambient temperatures.
Example in my hatchling rack I use back heat and the THG is about 96 degrees to give me a rear of the tub temperature of about 85 degrees.
All my racks running belly heat have a temperature difference of about 3 to 5 degrees between the floor temperature and the THG.

I don't know why people feel the need to comment if they don't know the answer and then get all pissy when corrected. Husbandry already has enough problems with all the he said or I heard stuff.
Knowledge is a useful thing to have, without it we are all ignorant. Now if you know better and respond the same would just be stupid. :soapbx:

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Originally Posted by KMG

It really doesn't.

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If the OP is the one with the snake and can physically see that the UTH is contributing to ambient temps then how can you disagree with that?
Very true that in tanks the UTH is not usually enough but every situation is different and if this setup is working for the OP then there is no reason to question it.

As for the original question I keep my BP's at 95 hot spot (granted this is heat tape temperature so temps on inside the tub are a few degrees less). If it's easy to just change the temp to a couple degrees less then that would be ideal (which it sounds like you already did).

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Originally Posted by piedpipper

If the OP is the one with the snake and can physically see that the UTH is contributing to ambient temps then how can you disagree with that?
Very true that in tanks the UTH is not usually enough but every situation is different and if this setup is working for the OP then there is no reason to question it.

As for the original question I keep my BP's at 95 hot spot (granted this is heat tape temperature so temps on inside the tub are a few degrees less). If it's easy to just change the temp to a couple degrees less then that would be ideal (which it sounds like you already did).

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Sounds like you need a temp gun so you know what the actual temps are you are providing your snake.

I once found a Flukers uth, which are advertised not to get over 100F, was insulated just right that the temps in a tub I was setting up got to 116F inside the tub. That's a problem. Good thing I was setting it up and had a temp gun.

I was not suggesting that the uth has no effect on the inside temps but what little it does have should not be worried about. It is safer to use a uth to create the ideal hotspot as intended and not worry about if your ambient temps drop 2 or 3 degrees. If they do buy a lamp, che, rhp, or whatever you need to do. I just don't see the point in using a heating device above what is required or suggested for an animal because you are worried about something it has little to no effect on. That is not the safest way to do things.

I have seen some crazy things and have found that just because the tstat is set at a certain number does not always mean the felt temp is going to be at or lower than that set number. I personally don't set any of my uth's to high. I prefer to keep them on the lower end of the snakes suggested hotspot to be even more on the safe side of things.

As to the OP maybe lowering the uth did drop the ambient temp a bit. I don't know and honestly it doesn't sound like they do either. More testing needs to be done. We would need to take several reading of both the room and the cage and then change the uth up and down to see what it really does to the cages ambient temp. I have no doubt that a uth run hot enough can certainly raise the ambient temp of a cage. I have seen uth's that melted through a tub and you know that ran the temp up. All Im trying to get across is that running a uth at a temp that is hot enough to see a big change in ambient temp is not the best method of heating a cage and is not the proper way to do it either.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Sounds like you need a temp gun so you know what the actual temps are you are providing your snake.

I once found a Flukers uth, which are advertised not to get over 100F, was insulated just right that the temps in a tub I was setting up got to 116F inside the tub. That's a problem. Good thing I was setting it up and had a temp gun.

I was not suggesting that the uth has no effect on the inside temps but what little it does have should not be worried about. It is safer to use a uth to create the ideal hotspot as intended and not worry about if your ambient temps drop 2 or 3 degrees. If they do buy a lamp, che, rhp, or whatever you need to do. I just don't see the point in using a heating device above what is required or suggested for an animal because you are worried about something it has little to no effect on. That is not the safest way to do things.

I have seen some crazy things and have found that just because the tstat is set at a certain number does not always mean the felt temp is going to be at or lower than that set number. I personally don't set any of my uth's to high. I prefer to keep them on the lower end of the snakes suggested hotspot to be even more on the safe side of things.

As to the OP maybe lowering the uth did drop the ambient temp a bit. I don't know and honestly it doesn't sound like they do either. More testing needs to be done. We would need to take several reading of both the room and the cage and then change the uth up and down to see what it really does to the cages ambient temp. I have no doubt that a uth run hot enough can certainly raise the ambient temp of a cage. I have seen uth's that melted through a tub and you know that ran the temp up. All Im trying to get across is that running a uth at a temp that is hot enough to see a big change in ambient temp is not the best method of heating a cage and is not the proper way to do it either.

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When did I ever say that I didn't have a temp gun and didn't check my temps in the tubs? I said that my thermostat is set to 95 and my tubs are a few degrees less. Of course I check the temps in the rack itself.

Aside from that thanks for the clarification here. What you're saying about the UTH makes a lot of sense. I was just saying that ultimately it is up to the OP to measure temps on both sides of the tank and determine the best way to heat it accordingly depending on how much the UTH contributes to total heating (in the OP's case)

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Originally Posted by piedpipper

When did I ever say that I didn't have a temp gun and didn't check my temps in the tubs? I said that my thermostat is set to 95 and my tubs are a few degrees less. Of course I check the temps in the rack itself.

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Good deal, Glad to hear it!!!

Everybody has their own methods, the methods are far less important than the results.

The best free advice is this :

Observe your snake. If it's spending all of it's time on the hot side, you're not hot enough. Same with the reverse.
*I will add identical hides to this as if one is "more secure" the snake, it will always pick that one regardless of temperature.

When your snake happily settles into a routine, you have it right.

My guy goes between his hides all the time. I will say that before and after eating, he spends more time on the hot side. But his big nap that normally comes between the feed and when he is ready to eat again, happens on the cool side mostly.

I think pride and thinking you know everything often gets in the way of simple observation.