heat mat troubles!

so, i went out and bought my containers today, initially got a 6 quart and a 6.6 quart, but im having troubles with the UTH, the 6 quart i initially bought had ridges on the bottom so the heat mat wasnt getting enough contact, therefore it was barely heating. so i went out and bought another 6 quart but ended up having the same issue. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cac4669fd7.jpg these are the two containers, one on the right is the original the one on the left is the new one. this is for a hognose hence why the containers are small, and has been posted in the hognose forum. just figured you guys could help too considering this is a generalized problem


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Ah, yes! There are a couple keepers here who deal with gaps! You could try taking something beneath the heat mat that "pushes" the heat mat so it's in contact with the bottom of the tub. Something like foil tape and styrofoam may be able to help? There's smarter people on here who can probably explain better! Hope this was a bit helpful!

You should be able to find one without ridges easy enough. IF you are in the US so many stores sell container that fit your need you shouldn't have a problem. If you have to size up a bit like 12 quart instead of 6 quart it shouldn't hurt. So long as the tub has adequate clutter to have the baby feel secure, you'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by SDA

You should be able to find one without ridges easy enough. IF you are in the US so many stores sell container that fit your need you shouldn't have a problem. If you have to size up a bit like 12 quart instead of 6 quart it shouldn't hurt. So long as the tub has adequate clutter to have the baby feel secure, you'll be fine.

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ive realized that even on the 6.6q that’s completely smooth that i have it still will barely stick and the probe makes it worse, i ended up putting the UTH on my 40 breeder and im going to build a divider until i can get a newer heat mat. mind you this one is like 4-5 years old but has never been used


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by SDA

You should be able to find one without ridges easy enough. IF you are in the US so many stores sell container that fit your need you shouldn't have a problem. If you have to size up a bit like 12 quart instead of 6 quart it shouldn't hurt. So long as the tub has adequate clutter to have the baby feel secure, you'll be fine.

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any way i could put the probe on the inside rather than the out?


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What ever works ;)

In the future you can put the probe between the outside of the heat mat and a piece of styrofoam under it to keep it in place. That's what I do for the zoo med heat mat I have for my rosy boa and it works perfect.

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Originally Posted by SDA

What ever works ;)

In the future you can put the probe between the outside of the heat mat and a piece of styrofoam under it to keep it in place. That's what I do for the zoo med heat mat I have for my rosy boa and it works perfect.

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eb8e777646.jpg update! this is what i did. it seems to be working the best for now. eventually ill either keep her in there if she does well or ill get another heat mat and put her in the smaller container



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Originally Posted by baldegale

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eb8e777646.jpg update! this is what i did. it seems to be working the best for now. eventually ill either keep her in there if she does well or ill get another heat mat and put her in the smaller container



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That looks great! A larger container is fine, as long as she has a warm hide and a cool hide. (At least for ball pythons, I don’t know if hognose need hides as much)


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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

That looks great! A larger container is fine, as long as she has a warm hide and a cool hide.


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only thing i have troubles with are the water dishes! i think theyre too tall for the containers but theyre the smallest i can find. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...806e43565f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c33d7837e8.jpg

i dont have any hides because i was told by @ Deborah that i didnt need any, but i plan on making a couple out of an old superworms container


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Yeah, I never kept hognose, so they might not care about hides.


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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Yeah, I never kept hognose, so they might not care about hides.


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...550f99b9dc.jpg final product! the therm wont be in there permanently just for the adjustment period.



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Is that tape inside the tub?

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Originally Posted by Starscream

Is that tape inside the tub?

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Yeah, I just noticed that too.
THE PROBE SHOULD BE TAPED OUTSIDE THE TUB, between the UTH and tub.
Never put tape inside the enclosure, and never place the thermostat probe inside the tub, where it could get moved and cause a big over-heating problem.


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I just saw this thread... The thermostat probe goes OUTSIDE the tub, between the UTH and the bottom of the tub.

Only thermometer probes go inside the tub, since they just take temps.

Tape should never be anywhere near the snake, no tape should be in their enclosure ever, as it can kill them.

literally no matter what i tried i couldnt get the heat mat to stay properly with the probe in between the tub and the UTH. this is extremely temporary until i get a new UTH, which im fully open to suggestions as to which UTH to get and what to do in the mean time.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by baldegale

literally no matter what i tried i couldnt get the heat mat to stay properly with the probe in between the tub and the UTH. this is extremely temporary until i get a new UTH, which im fully open to suggestions as to which UTH to get and what to do in the mean time.


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also, i was fully aware that it goes outside the tub, this is just a last ditch effort until i can get a new UTH or a solution.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by baldegale

literally no matter what i tried i couldnt get the heat mat to stay properly with the probe in between the tub and the UTH. this is extremely temporary until i get a new UTH, which im fully open to suggestions as to which UTH to get and what to do in the mean time.

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You can temporarily turn the heat mat upside down so that the sticky part is not the part touching the tub. And then you can tape the probe to middle of the UTH (between the UTH and the tub), and place the tub on top of it.

This will get you a more even heating for the tub, but you will have to turn the thermostat temp up more, I'm guessing around 96 to get a warm side of 89~92 inside the tub.

As you probably realize, the sticky UTH are pretty annoying because the parts that stick to the tub create hot spots while the parts not touching are too cool. I don't know if other people have mentioned already, but you can get the ultratherm heat mats on reptilebasics.

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Originally Posted by baldegale

also, i was fully aware that it goes outside the tub, this is just a last ditch effort until i can get a new UTH or a solution.


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I understand it's a good effort, but tape should not EVER go inside the tub, and having the probe inside the tub can cause massive heat spikes if the snake moves it, lays on it, or pees on it- which then defeats the purpose of having a thermostat.

ETA: I just realized, do you not have a snake yet? If not, there is no rush with setting it up incorrectly- you can just wait for the new UTH.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

You can temporarily turn the heat mat upside down so that the sticky part is not the part touching the tub. And then you can tape the probe to middle of the UTH (between the UTH and the tub), and place the tub on top of it.

This will get you a more even heating for the tub, but you will have to turn the thermostat temp up more, I'm guessing around 96 to get a warm side of 89~92 inside the tub.

As you probably realize, the sticky UTH are pretty annoying because the parts that stick to the tub create hot spots while the parts not touching are too cool. I don't know if other people have mentioned already, but you can get the ultratherm heat mats on reptilebasics.



I understand it's a good effort, but tape should not EVER go inside the tub, and having the probe inside the tub can cause massive heat spikes if the snake moves it, lays on it, or pees on it- which then defeats the purpose of having a thermostat.

ETA: I just realized, do you not have a snake yet? If not, there is no rush with setting it up incorrectly with tape- you can just wait for the new UTH.

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ill try that here in a bit, can i use packing tape? ive heard that i cant and then ive heard that i can. and yeah, ive just only found 3 hoggies that are in my price range that i like and i have not the slightest clue as to how fast theyre going to sell, plus i have to wait for an amazon seller to get back to me on returning stuff so i can get the money back. i have been told about the ultratherm aswell and thats what i planned on buying from. i just dont know what size i need


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while im at it here, ive already noticed the humidity is extremely high and the cool side temps are too low, anything i can do to fix these things?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by baldegale

ill try that here in a bit, can i use packing tape? ive heard that i cant and then ive heard that i can. and yeah, ive just only found 3 hoggies that are in my price range that i like and i have not the slightest clue as to how fast theyre going to sell, plus i have to wait for an amazon seller to get back to me on returning stuff so i can get the money back. i have been told about the ultratherm aswell and thats what i planned on buying from. i just dont know what size i need


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I just use blue masking tape to keep it in place. I'm sure packaging tape would also be fine, but just difficult to remove if you ever want to. People who think some tape on a UTH will melt or start a fire are forgetting that this is why they use thermostats... to keep the temps low LOL. Our own hands when warm are almost 100 degrees, so if our hands can't melt tape, the UTH won't melt it. :P

The ultratherms on reptilebasics list their dimensions, so you can just measure whatever size you need that fits about 1/3~1/2 of the tub.

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Originally Posted by baldegale

while im at it here, ive already noticed the humidity is extremely high and the cool side temps are too low, anything i can do to fix these things?

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You can definitely poke a ton more holes in your tub, like 10 on each side and see how it goes. But if your house/room is higher humidity to begin with, that may also be why, and it's fine as long as there is good ventilation in the tub.

What is the cool side temp?

You can use another UTH and thermostat set for the cool side. Or you can just heat your whole room to an adequate temp.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I just use blue masking tape to keep it in place. I'm sure packaging tape would also be fine, but just difficult to remove if you ever want to. People who think some tape on a UTH will melt or start a fire are forgetting that this is why they use thermostats... to keep the temps low LOL. Our own hands when warm are almost 100 degrees, so if our hands can't melt tape, the UTH won't melt it. :P

The ultratherms on reptilebasics list their dimensions, so you can just measure whatever size you need that fits about 1/3~1/2 of the tub.

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i just moved so i have a ton of packing tape leftover LOL im trying to figure out temps and lighting and humidity cause i dont think its light enough in my room honestly and the humidity is high which is weird cause i have low humidity in my room


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

You can definitely poke a ton more holes in your tub, like 10 on each side and see how it goes. But if your house/room is higher humidity to begin with, that may also be why, and it's fine as long as there is good ventilation in the tub.

What is the cool side temp?

You can use another UTH and thermostat set for the cool side. Or you can just heat your whole room to an adequate temp.

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ill definitely go the more holes route, and the cool side temp was like 73° last time i checked. my room humidity is at like 30-40% but it’ll probably be higher during summer



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packing tape is fine. I use it for my UTHs, wires, and probes, etc. really sticky, and wide surface area.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

packing tape is fine. I use it for my UTHs, wires, and probes, etc. really sticky, and wide surface area.

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sounds like a plan to me!


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Dont over complicate it.
Answers were already given here so your duplicate thread that I had just responded to with unanswered questions will now be deleted. Please do not start more than one thread on the same question/problem.

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Originally Posted by baldegale

ill definitely go the more holes route, and the cool side temp was like 73° last time i checked. my room humidity is at like 30-40% but it’ll probably be higher during summer



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73 cool side is totally fine for a hognose actually

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

73 cool side is totally fine for a hognose actually

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alright! thank you. i always saw that cool side was supposed to be high 70s. i just moved to this house so i have no idea how my bedroom is going to be during the summer.


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6db4571d4f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...efda41a009.jpg so hows this? i just got to using the packing tape, it pretty much seems like nothing but the edges are actually touching the tub, but i could put on piece of tape across the whole thing to tighten it down if thatd be okay?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by baldegale

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6db4571d4f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...efda41a009.jpg so hows this? i just got to using the packing tape, it pretty much seems like nothing but the edges are actually touching the tub, but i could put on piece of tape across the whole thing to tighten it down if thatd be okay?


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also, i dont know if i can read accurate temps this way with the temp gun, because i have a clear bottom and the UTH isnt touching the tup i dont know if the temps its reading are of the surface of the bottom of the tub or if its going straight through and reading the UTH temp


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by baldegale

also, i dont know if i can read accurate temps this way with the temp gun, because i have a clear bottom and the UTH isnt touching the tup i dont know if the temps its reading are of the surface of the bottom of the tub or if its going straight through and reading the UTH temp


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Haven't read the whole thread ( or any of it ..)

But the temp gun will only give a reading of the the surface it's pointed at -- it won't read 'through' and into the tub ..


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