Heating woes

I am bringing home my first beautiful yellow bellied ball tomorrow and I am having issues with my UTH. I have it plugged into a rheostat, but the temps are reading super high (100 degrees ish) on the "low setting"! On top of the substrate it is significantly lower, but if he burrows he will be in trouble. Now, I don't feel it to be anything but barely warm to the touch to me, and the probe is reading the correct temps when I pull it off of the carpet (I have cage carpet down between the glass and the aspen chip substrate) and place it on top of the substrate. Am I just getting too much residual heat signatures from the glass? Should I get a "rainforest" type of low wattage UTH? Should I buffer the UTH with some solar foam (think hot car visor)? Or should I just stick to a blue and red bulb cycle (my blue bulb placed on the warm side is reading 90 degrees at the bottom of the substrate)? I don't want to harm my first BP investment and just want to get it right ASAP.

Thanks!

Laurel:please:

PS: I have a 20gal 30"x 12"x 12"glass tank and am using an accurite thermometer placed on cool side (81 degrees without light, 83 degrees with) with the probe under the substrate but above the carpet (which buffers the UTH-heated glass bottom).

Get a thermostat, at least a Repti-temp 500R, and you'll be much much happier.

Rheostats will allow the temp to rise as the room temp rises.
If it's 68 in the morning and 78 in the evening, you have a 10 degree possible swing in temperatures.
Rheostats are best used in a room with a stable ambient temperature all day long.

Yeah, thermostat is much better. You'll actually have something actively controlling the temperature. Dimmers, etc sound as much of a gamble as nothing.

This is similarly priced to the Repti-temp, but is digital.

If I go ahead and get the thermostat, how do I get the probe in a sliding, locking cage, and then how do I keep the snake away from it?

Thanks so much for the info!

Laurel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bpqueen

If I go ahead and get the thermostat, how do I get the probe in a sliding, locking cage, and then how do I keep the snake away from it?

Thanks so much for the info!

Laurel

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Don't place it in the cage because the only way you'll get it to stay down is with tape, and if the snake moves it around the tape could get stuck to him/her which could lead to more problems.

Just place it underneath the tank. I tape my heat tape down to whatever surface the tub/tank will be laying, then the probe goes on top of the tape, and then put my tank right on top.

Good luck with your new yellow belly!!

Rheostats really can work great, as long as the room is meticulously kept at a consistent temp otherwise the temp will just rise with the ambient.

Repti-temp 500R in my opinion are junk, one of the reasons they don't cost much. The one I had fell apart. If you like them, either you didn't have one long enough or you're one of the few lucky ones. burn your snake and have to take it to the vets ($$$) plus the pain you just put your snake thru. you'll wish you would of gotten a herpstat or helix.

Hi,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Animals As Leaders

Don't place it in the cage because the only way you'll get it to stay down is with tape, and if the snake moves it around the tape could get stuck to him/her which could lead to more problems.

Just place it underneath the tank. I tape my heat tape down to whatever surface the tub/tank will be laying, then the probe goes on top of the tape, and then put my tank right on top.

Good luck with your new yellow belly!!

Rheostats really can work great, as long as the room is meticulously kept at a consistent temp otherwise the temp will just rise with the ambient.

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While this is indeed the correct advice for the thermostat probe you do not need to use tape to hold things down inside the tank ( the thermometer probe for example ).

For the reasons you mention tape is an all round bad idea - but you can use silicon (but you need to let it cure for 24 - 48 hours before putting the animal in ) or, my personal fave, a couple of dabs of glue from a hot glue gun.

It sets in a few minutes tops and is easily removed if needed while keeping the probe in place under most normal conditions.


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by don15681

Repti-temp 500R in my opinion are junk, one of the reasons they don't cost much. The one I had fell apart. If you like them, either you didn't have one long enough or you're one of the few lucky ones. burn your snake and have to take it to the vets ($$$) plus the pain you just put your snake thru. you'll wish you would of gotten a herpstat or helix.

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I disagree about the "you'll wish you would of gotten a herpstat or helix" they are EXTREMELY expensive and the average joe may not be able to afford that, like me

So I ordered a 26 dollar (total 33$, shipping was 7) DIGITAL thermostat that has amazing reveiws from several hundred people on multiple websites

this is the best option until you can manage to buy/save for a herpstar ect.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

go to the 26$ one sold by: Tiny's Pond and Aquarium Supply
2nd one listed to the top

AMAZING deal, has very good reveiws from multiple websites as I said, and is digital.

absolutely amazing

He said that was the case if you'd gotten the Repti-temp.

Helixes and Herpstats, while expensive, are proven to be reliable, and I'd certainly wish I'd gotten one if my Repti-temp or any other cheap thermostat burned/killed my snake. The Herpstat's on my list, in fact.

That Hydrofarm's a good deal and recommendable to someone on a budget with only a few snakes, but there's a point where the peace of mind the $100 thermostats can provide are definitely worth the money. If I was breeding, I'd definitely want something proven.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stevepoppers

He said that was the case if you'd gotten the Repti-temp.

Helixes and Herpstats, while expensive, are proven to be reliable, and I'd certainly wish I'd gotten one if my Repti-temp or any other cheap thermostat burned/killed my snake. The Herpstat's on my list, in fact.

That Hydrofarm's a good deal and recommendable to someone on a budget with only a few snakes, but there's a point where the peace of mind the $100 thermostats can provide are definitely worth the money. If I was breeding, I'd definitely want something proven.

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oh yeah I certaintly wasnt disagreeing with him, althought after rereading my comment i see how it can seem that way

I was mainly trying to provide a cheap, temporary alternative to the 100$ thermostats

I didn't mean to come across as disagreeing with Del. the one I recommended is mainly for people as you said that are on a budget and cant afford a 100$ one right away

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,



While this is indeed the correct advice for the thermostat probe you do not need to use tape to hold things down inside the tank ( the thermometer probe for example ).

For the reasons you mention tape is an all round bad idea - but you can use silicon (but you need to let it cure for 24 - 48 hours before putting the animal in ) or, my personal fave, a couple of dabs of glue from a hot glue gun.

It sets in a few minutes tops and is easily removed if needed while keeping the probe in place under most normal conditions.


dr del

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I don't understand the reasoning behind going through all the trouble just so it can be in the cage lol. And I know I wouldn't want to sit on a glob of glue jk I know they probably have no idea ;)

But, being that the probe from the thermostat is on the heat source directly what is the benefit of having the thermometer probe in the tub? You should be testing the enclosure out before letting the animal live in it anyway so your pet is not the guinea pig? So why wouldn't you leave the thermometer in there while testing it to make sure temps are not getting out of hand, and once everything is tip top place along side the tstat probe and monitor it that way? The heat source itself is going to just be a few degrees hotter then surface itself so as long as you monitor both for a reference point it works fine. And being that you tested prior to the animal being in there you KNOW that the temp is not rising above the selected one. For example: Thermometer probe reads 91.2 at its hottest point when in the enclosure, but on the heat source reads 94.3. As long as you know the range you know the temp.

Hi,

You've never had anything electronic or electrical fail on you?

You keep monitoring the temp to check for hot spots developing, heat mats failing, thermostat probes failing and a myriad of other problems.

It's one thing to say that since it worked yesterday it will be working today but I'd rather be able to look at an independant monitor or use a temp gun and know it is still working ok.

Using a digital thermostat with a readout gives you one reading but a rheostat or analogue thermostat gives none. And if the digital thermostat has failed then you cannot trust its reading in the first place.

I do take your point about placing the thermometer probe next to the thermostat probe - but that ignores an changes that happen inside.

If your tub has a thin bottom and bends under the weight of the snake for example the inside temp is now more than you thought it was - and yes, I have had that happen in the past. That also doesn't tell you the humidity unless you have the base unit of an acurite inside then feed the probe wire outside.

Belt and braces protection isn't only a stylish fashion choice but (at $12 an acurite ) it just plain makes financial and emotional sense from an animal welfare standpoint.

And the min/max history can also prove enlightening from my experience.


dr del

Thanks everyone for the info! I have ordered the digital thermostat from Amazon that has been reviewed in another thread and am holding ok in the meantime with heat lighting. It will be in on Wednesday.

Tiberious (the new BP) is acclimating right now anyway and only ventures out from his hide in the late pm when everyone is asleep. The thermostat has an emergency 108 degree shut off and I will set it to 93-95 or 95-98 depending on where I put the probe (outside the cage between the mat and the glass or in the cage between the repticarpet and the substrate) it will most likely ever be on for 15 minutes at a time. I am using both repticarpet and substrate to reduce burning danger, but with the thermostat, I may just remove the carpet. I will also have to wait and see if Tiberious is a burrower... I will eventually probably go to cypress substrate (looks like I may need the higher humidity anyway), but as I bought a seemingly ton of aspen at Repticon, I have a little while to go!

Again, thanks!

Laurel

Dbl check your temps with a temp gun. They're priceless when it comes to monitoring your temps.

Realize that substrate acts as insulation and holds heat. The more you have, the hotter it will be underneath it, so you can't depend on it's depth to protect them when it may actually make it more dangerous for them. And whether they purposely burrow or not, they will move the substrate around (when say, making a coil in their hide) and get down a little deeper.

I have 1 infrared gun, 1 digital thermometer with probe, 1 dial thermometer, soon to be 1 more probe w/thermostat, and perhaps too much insulation...I am about 93 top and bottom of warm side, 83 ambient temp, and 80.5 substrate on cool side.

I am on day 1.5 with Tiberious who seems to be avoiding the heated side all together for the moment ;-P

Thanks again!

BPQ