Heating Pads

Are heating pads a good secondary heating source when placed under the tank. I already use the light for eight hours a day. I was planning on just using the pad at night and the light in the day. But i have heard the pad can burn your ball python?? Is this true or no? Because i have pressed my hand up against the pad for a couple minutes and it just feels warm. But the last thing i need is my new baby ball python being burned.

Do you mean a heating pad intended for humans? Or one designed to be used on a reptile enclosure?

I have seen some people say don't use the ones made for humans, and in other places it has been said that since they usually have high, med, low settings, that is an advantage since you can at least somewhat control the heat they put out. I've never tried to use one intended for humans so I can't speak from experience on that.

If you use the ones intended for reptile cages, they can get hot enough to burn your snake, and one user on here recently posted that it malfunctioned and got so hot it cracked the glass! For these reasons, it is recommended that you always use a thermostat to control how hot the UTH gets.

The ones intended for humans, while they will work in a pinch, are notorious for starting house fires when left on for extended periods of time. Especially when trapped between other things where the heat is less able to dissipate. I can't say I've never used them, but I can say only when absolutely necessary, and never more than a few hours.

Under the tank heaters a pretty much a must with balls... they also NEED to be hooked to a thermostat... the ones you find in petco or wherever can get up to 120 degrees which will burn your snake... UTH help with digestion and yes are a good secondary heat source but should be used regardless if you have a light.

CntrlF8's post reminded me... when using any sort of UTH, make sure there is some air space so that not too much heat gets trapped. Especially under glass tanks that have the frame that keeps the glass up off the table or whatever it is on. You need to add some sort of spacer under the frame so air can circulate under there.

I had a glass tank set on some wireweld shelves. The tank itself was on 1 inch blocks of wood, and the pad itself was plugged into a (zoomed?) reptistat (sp) We had the probe on the glass right over the pad itself, and the pad was set to low. It did very well for heating with the light on the hot end. I just caution, use a thermostat, because it does get VERY hot, and make sure to raise the tank to dissapate the heat. Also if you do plan on buying one, make sure it doesn't have auto-shut off. That sorta defeats the purpose.

Where do i get a cheap thermostat ?? There is so much controversy....people saying dont use them and do use them ha ha.... Im just confused on what to do so i have not been using it for the past week. :confused: Is it completely necessary because it seems like a hassle to get a thermostat.

I'm in the same boat. I need a thermostat and don't know anything about them or even where to buy one.

Rich at reptile basics, has tstats available. As far as being cheap, in this case its a bad idea :colbert: . You get what you pay for. That being said your snakes life depends on what quality products your buying. I hope this makes sense.

A thermostat is an electronic device that plugs in between the wall and your heating devices. it has a thermometer probe attached that you place on the heating element (heat pad) and regulates the power flow to it to adjust the temperature to your desired setting. The common ones used by reptile keepers are made by Johnson Controls, Ranco, Helix, and Spyder Robotics, also known as Herpstat. You can buy them from a multitude of places, and I would recommend Rich at Reptile Basics, http://www.reptilebasics.com, for all your thermostat needs.

EDIT: And yes, it IS completely necessary if you want healthy, happy snakes.

I would always recommend a good quality thermostat, but if it's not in your budget right now, try a rheostat. They're 20$ at petsmart, it works in the same way as a thermostat as it controls the heating element by how much juice gets through to it. Like a dimmer.

I have never used one, and don't know anything about dependibility, but it's worth a try. I know there are quite a few people out there that use these without problems that I've heard of.

You can get a safer rheostat at Home Depot for $11. The brand name is Lutron, type is Credenza. They just plug into the wall, you plug in the heat pad or light, and dial it down. Very simple and no wiring. They are rated for 300 watts I think.

keep in mind that the rheostat does not control temp in the same way as a thermostat. Rheostats only control the amount of current (amps) sent to the heating pad. The actual heat output is influenced by ambient temperature when using a rheostat, and must constantly be adjusted manually. A thermostat gives you the ability to set a temp and let the hardware do the "work" for you.

I have come to realize that a thermostat is the way to go. If you just stick a heating pad on the bottom of a tank it will get way too hot and could burn your baby. And once you stick that heat pad to the tank you will never get it off. I found that I can get a pretty consistant temprature with no burn hazard by keeping the heat pad about a quarter of an inch beneath the glass. I just prop it up on a piece of cardboard until it is very close, but not touching, the glass. I just turn on the light during the day and shut the light off at night. Temps and humidity stay perfect but it's a pain in the butt to set up each time I clean the tank. As soon as I can afford a good thermostat I'm going to buy one.

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Originally Posted by Jenn

I have come to realize that a thermostat is the way to go. If you just stick a heating pad on the bottom of a tank it will get way too hot and could burn your baby. And once you stick that heat pad to the tank you will never get it off. I found that I can get a pretty consistant temprature with no burn hazard by keeping the heat pad about a quarter of an inch beneath the glass. I just prop it up on a piece of cardboard until it is very close, but not touching, the glass. I just turn on the light during the day and shut the light off at night. Temps and humidity stay perfect but it's a pain in the butt to set up each time I clean the tank. As soon as I can afford a good thermostat I'm going to buy one.

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I hope your using a thermostat while you have the heat pad on the cardboard? And also, are you talking about human heating pads or UTH? The uth heaters should be directly on the glass with the thermostat probe on either the UTH or the glass to maintain the temps.

My UTH got to at least 120 degrees before I got a Tstat, even if there's space that will still cook your BP.