How hot is too hot??

I'm all done setting up Kisasa's new home. It'll be a 15gal tank for now...when she outgrows it, we'll get a T3. Anyhow...it's got a UTH hooked up with a new Johnson T-stat. The substrate is the coconut stuff.

In order to raise the substrate surface temps to 92 inside her hide...the floor of the cage gets to about 105. What happens if she snuggles into that little hide and pushes all the substrate out of the way? Is 105 hot enough to burn her? If so, how do you go about heating the floor safely and yet enough to warm the top of the substrate?

Maybe a pad of newspaper cut to fit snugly in the tank bottom Judy, then the loose substrate on top of that. If it's snug enough she probably won't tunnel under that too and it would protect her belly from direct contact with the warmer glass tank bottom. Just a thought...



~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Maybe a pad of newspaper cut to fit snugly in the tank bottom Judy, then the loose substrate on top of that. If it's snug enough she probably won't tunnel under that too and it would protect her belly from direct contact with the warmer glass tank bottom. Just a thought...


~~Jo~~

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But if I do that, then the UTH will have to heat to 115 or somesuch...in order to transfer enough heat. I think. :confused: But I suppose laying on overly warm paper would be better than laying on hot glass. Maybe just a matter of finding the right balance of newspaper layers? ....

Any other thoughts out there?

What I do it use a product called "repti-carpet" or something like that, it's like green carpet with no backing. We have several sections of that so some can be washed / drying while the others are in use.

I put that on the bottom of the viv, the my temp probes gon on top of that (held in the place by the wires being threaded though holes in it. Substrate on top of that, hides positioned over the substate that is on top of the probes. Thermostats set to 82/92.

We also have a small CHE mounted above the enclosure, which is also connected to the warm side thermostat to keep ambients up.

I check with my IR gun to make sure belly temps are pretty much exactly 82/92F in the hides.

This way there is no way the snakes can burrow down the UHT's, or move the probes - works really well.

We're using shaved aspen and it's pretty "mashed" down, especially in the hides where she coils up. I don't think either of us have seen Cleo interested in burrowing, so it's been pretty easy to maintain belly temps in the hides while insuring that she can't get the to glass where the UTH is.

The one thing with the aspen Cass when it gets compressed down like that (either in the hides or by larger females) is that it doesn't allow as much heat to come through or at least not as efficiently as when the aspen is freshly in the enclosure. I don't have a temp gun to see what the difference actually is but I know by touch that when I fluff the aspen back up I can feel heat released from the compressed substrate. I do a twice weekly finger fluff of the aspen since I realized this (just a part of my routine LOL) Using the sterlite tubs I don't have any issue with overly hot glass and snake bellys though.


~~Jo~~

Hence why we have a temp gun and can read the surface temp of the mashed down aspen. =)

Cassandra where did you get a tmep gun and about how much does one cost?

I need one of those temp guns Cass. This is the one I've been thinking about ordering....any experience with this one (the PE-2) or this supplier folks? I think I remember Vaugh saying these were good people to order from but my memory sucks lately LOL.


http://www.reptilebasics.com/store/home.php?cat=253


~~Jo~~

I have a PE-1. And I love the thing. Really I think the only difference is the PE-2 has laser aiming, but it was not a feature I was worried about when I bought mine.

Rick will know - I think he said it cost like 20 bucks.

The PE-1 is just fine. No need for laser accuracy!

Of course lasers are huhuhuhuh cool... but overkill for snake keepers needs :P

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

I do a twice weekly finger fluff

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WOW ... I'm jealous of those balls (pythons) ... my balls (pythons) definitely don't see that kind of action!

But then again, being on paper, I really don't have much to fluff. :(

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

WOW ... I'm jealous of those balls (pythons) ... my balls (pythons) definitely don't see that kind of action!

But then again, being on paper, I really don't have much to fluff. :(

-adam

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You are SO bad!! :lick:

By the way....IS 105 degree surface temp something I should be concerned about??

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Originally Posted by JLC

You are SO bad!! :lick:

By the way....IS 105 degree surface temp something I should be concerned about??

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BAD? ... HUH? ... I just love talking about my balls (pythons). ;) :P

I generally don't like temps anywhere in a cage to ever be over 100 degrees.

EDIT: ok, just actually read the your question ... set the t-stat in the mid 90's ... keep the substrate thin and loose ... she should "burrow" down in it to get warmer if she wants to.

-adam

for my 20gal i have the bottom glass heated at about 105F with a UTH like yours, i use the reptibark, though ive only had my BP for about two weeks he hasnt pushed any substrate around, i think if its warm enough they dont burrow

i like thermometer questions! i have several different thermometers, mainly for work(hvac). ranging in price from 20-300 bucks. ranging in accuracy from 1-3 deg.
i mainly use accurites from walmart/lowes! they are around 2 deg +/-. the laser temp guns are also 2-3 deg +/-. my laser therm collects more dust than temps.
they are fun to use though, they give you surface temps and fast readings. just realize that they are 2-3 deg. off and no better than accurites or similiar type thermometers as far as accuracy. i would rather spend my money on good proportional stats that have better working accuracy and have piece of mind.

vaughn