my UTH

sooo my bp loves to pull his thermostat out of the substrate where his UTH is... is it ok to like tape it down to the glass and then cover it with the substrate... or is there a better way to do it. we are around a lot so if he pulls it out then we just put it back in. but i am afraid that if we are gone one day that its gonna get too hot.

Hi,

You definately want to avoid tape if possible - though low tack painters tape might be ok.

The best alternatives (aside from weighting it down with either a rock or hide ) would be to use a glue gun - easy to remove and safe once dry. The other alternative would be silicone sealant - but that needs to cure for at least 12 hours before letting the animal back near it.

Anyone else got some suggestions?

**edit**

Just realised you said thermostat not thermometer :oops: - the best idea for that is to have it outside the tank altogether to ensure he cannot mess with it. Most people put it between the UTH and the bottom of the tank on the outside and then adjust the temps from there to get the inside perfect.

**end edit**



dr del

ya i figured tape would not be a good idea. i do need some suggestions as to what to do bout this. cause he pulls it out at least once a day... sooo any help is greatly appreciated

As Dr Del said... do not place the thermostat in the enclosure it should be outside.

it is going to sense heat and adjust your UTH accordingly. If the snake moves it you can end up with a severely burned snake.

Tape it to the UTH outside the enclosure (I use aluminum foil tape for all heat sources). Secure the UTH... problem solved.

Bruce

the UTH is under the tank. on the outside. the probe is in the tank... he pulls the probe out of the substrate. it is on a thermostat but if the probe isnt taking temps where the UTH is then the UTH will get hotter.. and eventually burn the snake.... sorry. i should have made my self more clear.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mattramsfan

the UTH is under the tank. on the outside. the probe is in the tank... he pulls the probe out of the substrate. it is on a thermostat but if the probe isnt taking temps where the UTH is then the UTH will get hotter.. and eventually burn the snake.... sorry. i should have made my self more clear.

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use aluminum tape to tape it to the glass surface over the UTH? then lay a layer of newspaper and then substrate it will keep him from being exposed ot the tape and will help ensure it stays secure and accurate to the glass surface temp. good idea?

yep. that works for me! thank you.

:gj: have fun, and you could use some lightly adhesive painters tape to tape the probe wire flush to the glass. that stuff dries out and is not sticky if it falls off. and its hardly tacky to begin with.

Ok ok... there's confusion here and I think I understand.

You have the UTH on a thermoSTAT, with the probe outside the tank where it should be. THEN you have the thermoMETER probe inside the tank to measure and THAT is what's being pulled around by your snake?

If that's the situation, then the two solutions would be A) place the hide on top of the wire to weigh it down and keep it basically in place.
B) if that isn't enough, use a glue gun with hot glue to tack the probe in place. No fumes, no risk of sticking to the snake, and fairly easy to remove and replace.

NEVER use ANY tape inside the tank! Tape should ONLY be used outside to attach the tSTAT probe to the UTH.

wait, why is tape so bad?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vonnegut

wait, why is tape so bad?

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Have you tried getting tape off scales? no fun.

Tape gets stuck to their scales and pulls them off, doing serious damage to the snake. :( And never think "Oh, that tape could never come unstuck" because it WILL. The snake will find a way.

Thankfully I've never had to get tape off a snake! Good to know to avoid.