Heatpads, Thermostats, Dimmers, and Frustration

I have a 20x20 heat mat for my ball python, that was getting the proper temps until yesterday, when it was around 110. When I picked up my snake today, his belly was very noticeably warm.

I went to Walmart, Petsmart and Canadian Tire looking for a thermostat to adjust the heat on the pad. I ended up, with the advice of the Canadian Tire clerk, to get a light dimmer switch and to wire the mat to that.

But is there a better option? I haven't yet altered the mat, and I'm just kind of freaking out. I really do not know what to do here to get that temperature down.

Does anyone know online where I can buy EXACTLY WHAT I NEED in order to maintain the proper temps? I feel like Ive probably just wasted a bunch of money, and I need to know if I'm on the right track here before I go re-wiring my heat pad.

Please help, I am extremely frustrated.

In your case I would probably just get a cheap on off thermastat if you only got one ball python. ( Idk much bout the dimmers though, that might work)

herpstat, thats all i can say. spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstat.html
buy a herpstat, i trust my herpstat, they are great at answering questions, and it works at keeping perfect temps.

Herpstats, helixs are not economical for one snake.

Look into the Johnson or Ranco thermostats their about $88 shipped. their are others cheaper in the 30$ range but you get what you pay for.

www.reptilebasics.com

Home depot carries light dimmers, that you plug the heat mat into, no alterations needed, they run about $8-10, this will suffice until you can get a proper thermostat.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Home depot carries light dimmers, that you plug the heat mat into, no alterations needed, they run about $8-10, this will suffice until you can get a proper thermostat.

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What exactly does the dimmer do never used one before.

I have had bad experiences with non proportional thermostats, this is just my opinion. But if you plan on getting more then one snake in the future get a herpstat.

I have been looking at VE-300 seems pretty impressive.

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Originally Posted by Herpking

What exactly does the dimmer do never used one before.

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A dimmer will restrict the flow of electricity to the mat, here is a link

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-...atalogId=10053

Can anyone just tell me if I'm on the right track here?

The ambient temp in his tub is usually between 75-80 degrees, and the heat pad itself (as told by the temp probe) is reading in at 108 degrees right now.

I have the heat pad taped onto to the bottom of the tub. Should I just let it rest under the tub instead of be tapped to it? Will that help whatsoever?

At what temperature is the heat pad unsafe? I'm keeping the area of the heat pad covered by lots of paper towel right now to keep him from getting burned (as I imagine 108 degrees directly could be harmful) and hopefully I will be able to get a thermostat ASAP (I looked all over town for what I needed and found nothing...)

Ugh I am so frustrated by this. Why don't the pads just stay the safe temp if they're built for snakes?

As long as the temp INSIDE the tub where the snake lays dont exceed 94 your fine. 88-90 is ideal so if you have to raise the tub with spacers to achieve that then do so.

I don't advocate the use of lamp dimmers on a permanent basis, due to fluctuations in an environment where temps fluctuate. I do use them in in my QT room, which is at a constant 78-80*.

I would look into the dimmer ILovelace mentioned. And maybe even an on off thermostat I use a big apple one cost me like 45$

I use http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat
This one but I am upgrading to a proportional one because I have more then one snake and am working on a snake rack/cage

Now the probe is reading at 113 degrees.

Like I said, the uth is taped to the tub. Should I instead lay it on the table under the tub? Will that help?

I mean, it's gonna be days before I'm able to get a thermostat... I want to order one online (of course I cant find any in Canada so that the shipping costs aren't huge... go figure) because I seriously doubt there's anywhere on Vancouver Island that has what I need. (Petsmart was a total bust.)

One snake? Get a dimmer. It's real simple to use and all you need is a thermometer to see how much you need to adjust your dimmer to. My dimmer keeps my uth at about 40-50% power and my aquarium does fluctuate, but it's within reasonable levels; during noon time it'll get around 95, at night itll drop to 89ish. Can't really beat it for 8 bucks.

Is this a human heat pad it sort of sounds like it is? For the moment untape it from the tub and leave a small air space between them, that will drop the temps a touch bigger space bigger drop. 100 is too warm, you should be about 90. You could also do the same with the dimmer as the air space. The problem is that as the room temps change the tub temps go with it. I would also recommend a herpstat it is only 28$ more than a Johnson and will deal with the tub and typical household temps better.

If you have a human heat pad you need a proper reptile designed one zoo med, ultratherm, exoterra or the like. in addition to the thermostat. Any proportional thermostat with a under tank heater correctly sized will provide spot on temps with no worry or concern.

This is an Exoterra heat pad, it's the desert model. I'm wondering now if the problem is that it's for desert temps? I'm thinking I will go buy the rainforest heat pad today... at least that will help me in the short term I think.

I am quite upset. I went to buy the NEW DIGITAL CHIP - BAH-1000DC Reptile Thermostat With DC Chip Technology and they said they won't ship it for orders under $100... AFTER I purchased it. They really do not make this easy. Why not supply these things in ALL pet stores if it's something that you DO NEED for your snake? This is pretty pathetic, and something someone could make a killing on if they started selling it in big pet stores like Petsmart.

They do, zilla sells them and all the major pet stores carry it. They don't teach you the correct way to use it though, and they can get too hot very fast.

That, and you don't technically need it to take care of your snake. Sure it is preferred, but preferred and need are two different things. You could keep it alive and healthy with just a lamp bulb.

Does anyone know of any thermostats that ship to Canada?? Or at least to Vancouver Island? Because I've been denied by every single place Ive tried to order one.... even Amazon!!

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Originally Posted by MisterDespair

Does anyone know of any thermostats that ship to Canada?? Or at least to Vancouver Island? Because I've been denied by every single place Ive tried to order one.... even Amazon!!

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I also live in canada, and have had the same problem NUMEROUS times. Try Ebay.ca i got a hyrdofarm for like 50 bucks, and it works great for a decent price. I am going to the ERAS show this weekend and they sell pretty much every accessory needed. If there is a show coming up near your area, CHECK IT OUT, if not, go to Ebay.ca

I have ordered herpstats from spyder robotics direct with no problem (duty free as they are usa made) and hydrofarms from amazon were shipped to a friend last week. I don't know what the duity was. http://cornelsworld.com/accessories carries herpstats and VE. there are lots of others too but you should not have any problems.

I think there must be a problem with shipping things to Vancouver Island (although Ive ordered other things here since Ive lived here and have had no problem shipping those items!) because Amazon will not ship to me, Spyder Robotics will not ship to me, PetSmart will not ship to me.... no one will ship to me! This is becoming increasingly frustrating and I am worried about the welfare of my lovely snake!

Currently I'm maintaining temps in his tub by having the Rainforest UTH under his tub (which I feel runs a little too low, it's gone down to about 80f which is too low, but when I unplug it and plug it back in, it runs around 90-95) and Im keeping the Desert UTH on the lid of the tub to keep the ambient temps up. This is actually working out well for me so far, but I still check his tub like 20 times a day monitoring the temps and I am ALWAYS worried. I know if I had a thermostat that I could rest a little better, but things just are NOT working out for me.

Can you connect these UTHs to a house thermostat? If so... how? And how has that worked out for anyone who has done it? I am not a handywoman and I would rather buy a reptile-specific thermostat, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen...

I don't know if this is out of place, but I'd be willing to buy one from someone on this board (preferably from Canada) if they'd be willing to ship it!

On top of everything, I'm only getting about 75f for ambient temps. How the hell do I raise this? Should I just get myself a heat lamp? Have the heat lamp on top and UTH on the bottom?|

My house is cold, and it will only get colder. I am considering selling the snake to someone who will know how to better care for it, because despite all that I've researched and the money I've spent, I just can't seem to get it right, and I'm really upset.

Turn up the heat in house or get a small space heater with a digital read out to keep room at least 77.

You definitely need to try Greg from cornelsworld.com. He has always been very accommodating to me. Only problem being he only sells Herpstats which are slightly more expensive. I have purchased numerous different things from him in the past and he can answer any questions you have.
Otherwise just buy the table lamp dimmer switch from Home Depot. I used this in the past when I only had one snake. Just takes a bit of tweaking.

Don't be discouraged and want to get rid of your baby, you are more then likely doing just fine! Being a few degrees off on one side or the other isn't the end of the world, as long as you generally have a good home for the snake, which it sounds like you do.

Don't worry about your ambient temperatures right now, those are almost always fine when you get your normal gradient going. You have one snake, and are having trouble finding shipping for a thermostat; just don't. A dimmer works fine, you can drive out right now to your local Canadian hardware store and pick one up; it'll probably be near the lighting or electrical section. Plug your UTH to that, and put your UTH outside the enclosure towards one side of the cage. Have your thermometer right in the middle of the UTH, on the inside of the cage, and have your dimmer switch on about 25% and slowly raise it every couple of hours until your thermometer shows that the temp is 90 degrees.

You're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep stressing like this lol. It is such a simple solution and problem to fix, just calm down and do it.

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Originally Posted by Salodin

Don't be discouraged and want to get rid of your baby, you are more then likely doing just fine! Being a few degrees off on one side or the other isn't the end of the world, as long as you generally have a good home for the snake, which it sounds like you do.

Don't worry about your ambient temperatures right now, those are almost always fine when you get your normal gradient going. You have one snake, and are having trouble finding shipping for a thermostat; just don't. A dimmer works fine, you can drive out right now to your local Canadian hardware store and pick one up; it'll probably be near the lighting or electrical section. Plug your UTH to that, and put your UTH outside the enclosure towards one side of the cage. Have your thermometer right in the middle of the UTH, on the inside of the cage, and have your dimmer switch on about 25% and slowly raise it every couple of hours until your thermometer shows that the temp is 90 degrees.

You're going to give yourself a heart attack if you keep stressing like this lol. It is such a simple solution and problem to fix, just calm down and do it.

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There you go...Now chill out, get on down to the local hardware store and get the dimmer for the time being. Then take your time finding what you need and who will ship to you...Keeping snakes is not an exact science...You will be fine

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I don't know why I'm so stressed about it. Probably because having a snake is a VERY new thing for me and I just want to give him the best home!

I moved him into a different room in my apartment, after realizing one of the rooms is about 10 degrees warmer than the others. He is now in there (with the birds, which freaks me out! but with luggage straps on the tub, so we should be ok!) and I'm hoping that'll raise the temps a bit.