Doing what you aren't supposed to do

[Mike Beaulieu]

So ya... I have a wooden enclosure and I still wanted to use a uth for belly heat and all I found was people saying its impossible or dangerous. I would like to chalenge that idea.So here is my setup currently.

I stuck the uth under the smooth side of a ceramic tile and added the plastic lifters to create an air gap between floor (laminate without glue) and the uth tile. Then I placed the thermostat probe on the tile with a little substrate over it and added my hide on top of it all.

I am aware its not recommended but...honestly, I have never heard of wood burning or plastic melting at 90 degrees ferenheit in 60% humidity so, I think mist people's worries are a little over zealous.

Its the safest trick I could think of to give my bp the benefit of both uth and che.

Ironically, my top lamps sits tightly into a wood hole coated with polyurethane and the dome hits 150 degrees so...if it can withstand that,
the uth should be fine.

Fir now I am closely monitoring it everyday with both ir gun and digital gages but it seems to be working great.

Am I crazy for doing this or does this make sens ?

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[Craiga 01453]

Now what happens when the probe gets moved or peed on? Your tstat will essentially be useless and your heat will spike

Then there's the issue of the UTH itself getting wet.

I'm all for outside the box thinking, but I strongly advise new keepers to stick to the basic, tried and true methods.

You're definitely not the first to try that technique. Many of us probably tried it 20 years ago or more.
And thanks to others learning from their failures and sharing that info, we now know what works and what doesn't.

That doesn't mean we aren't still learning too. It just means we've been down that road and it didn't end well.

[Mike Beaulieu]

Now what happens when the probe gets moved or peed on? Your tstat will essentially be useless and your heat will spike

Then there's the issue of the UTH itself getting wet.

I'm all for outside the box thinking, but I strongly advise new keepers to stick to the basic, tried and true methods.

You're definitely not the first to try that technique. Many of us probably tried it 20 years ago or more.
And thanks to others learning from their failures and sharing that info, we now know what works and what doesn't.

That doesn't mean we aren't still learning too. It just means we've been down that road and it didn't end well.

I doubt the uth can get wet since its under the tile so that's very unlikely. The pee and probe is my only worry and its a fair concern which is the reason I am monitoring it.

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[Mike Beaulieu]

Also...from my limited but still valuable experience with cornsnakes, they usually do there duty outside there hide. But again, my experience is limited, I am ready to concede I might be wrong.

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[gunkle]

Also...from my limited but still valuable experience with cornsnakes, they usually do there duty outside there hide. But again, my experience is limited, I am ready to concede I might be wrong.

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Both my BP's will go in there hide as often as not. Almost every time when they shed. So this tile is inside the cage? What about substrate getting under it or the snake working it's way under or moving it? BP's are great redecorators. Not knocking you just making sure all angles we considered. You mention the little tabs under it but I'd it attached to the floor in some way?

[Mike Beaulieu]

Both my BP's will go in there hide as often as not. Almost every time when they shed. So this tile is inside the cage? What about substrate getting under it or the snake working it's way under or moving it? BP's are great redecorators. Not knocking you just making sure all angles we considered. You mention the little tabs under it but I'd it attached to the floor in some way?

Ya i see what you mean, i clean the substrate away daily, but even then, its a small amount. I didn't think about him moving it is going under because he is still a juvy. You are right though, down the line a che might be less hassle in the end! I am just testing it out.

it works now but, i don't think its a long term solution.

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[gunkle]

Plenty of people heat only from above. Put one of the hides under the che and the top of that can be the basking hot spot at night. I've seen mine on top of their hides at night before. I have the hot side hide under the RHP and they do fine.

[WhompingWillow]

Is your thermostat probe on top of the tile? Or is it adhered to the UTH itself under the tile?

If your probe is on top of the tile, then your UTH will either need to be set a LOT higher than 90 to get the tile surface to read 90, or you setting the UTH at 90 means the tile is still probably too cool for a hot spot.

I second just heating from above. Belly heat isn't really needed if you create proper temperatures in other ways.

[Mike Beaulieu]

Is your thermostat probe on top of the tile? Or is it adhered to the UTH itself under the tile?

If your probe is on top of the tile, then your UTH will either need to be set a LOT higher than 90 to get the tile surface to read 90, or you setting the UTH at 90 means the tile is still probably too cool for a hot spot.

I second just heating from above. Belly heat isn't really needed if you create proper temperatures in other ways.

It is on top for now and in deed i need to set it higher to get to 90 degrees. That's why i use my ir gun to test surface temps on top of the tile. But ya, you are right, i might switch to above heat only eventually.

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[Craiga 01453]

BPs are bulldozers compared to corns. Water bowls get spilled, they pee in larger quantities than corns, and their humidity requirements are higher than corns. All ways for the UTH to get wet. That's a danger to the snake and a fire hazard.

You can try to reinvent the wheel if you want, but why not learn from other people's experience rather than put your animal at risk?