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  1. #61
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I went back to your first post & see that you did say this is a 40 gal. tank & ambient temp. is 74* so I think that's why your set-up didn't set off any "alarm bells" to me for excessive heat, but I do have to wonder what temps you're getting under that light & over your heat pad. UTH "heat pads" come in different sizes & wattages too, btw.

    All heat mats really MUST be regulated, some get to 110* or more. They can also overheat (& become unsafe!) if not installed with some "breathing room" underneath the tank (assuming tank is sitting on solid furniture & not on an open-centered aquarium stand), or if the substrate is so thick inside the tank that it acts as an insulator (not allowing the heat to rise effectively as it should into the tank). There's a 'art' to setting up tanks for snakes... And it's hard for anyone to tell you exactly what you need because every room (or home) temperature & set-up is a little different from the next, & different species of snakes need different heat levels too. If your room is cooler you can also insulate 3 sides of the glass tank & partly under the bottom too. Many ways to make it all work.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 12-18-2020 at 12:25 AM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  3. #62
    Registered User mopuim's Avatar
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)

    Both of the UTH have breathing room, and I got a little shelf specifically built for that (homemade, kind of ghetto). I might get one of the thermostats with 2 plug ins for both tanks. I'll also see if I can check the temps of ground level and of the heat mat. I don't know if I should just ditch the lamp in general.

    This may be unimportant, but would a thermostat need to be adjusted daily? Hopefully it won't catch on fire, because my cords for everything are behind the tanks, which makes them hard to get to.

    I am planning on plugging in a double thermostat for the mats and a timer for both lights if I get another one. The lights are just a preference of mine.

    I might make another thread for a review of my setup (critique will be very welcome).
    - Kaylee

  4. #63
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)



    You want to take the temperatures on the floor of the cage, unless your snake can fly or hover?

    Fans don't really affect the temperature- they do stir the air so if there are warmer & cooler areas, they'll mix & normalize- mostly they make you feel cooler because moving air evaporates sweat.

    You only just joined this site- people talk here about thermostats all the time...so don't beat yourself up, at least you got here & you're listening & learning.

    He might be burrowing more since being on antibiotics because he's trying to hide from people giving him medications, lol. Burrowing feels more "secure", so yeah, I think he's hiding.

    He NEEDS the UTH for digestion, it's more efficient for digestion, what some call "belly heat" for ground dwelling snakes. Make sure that there is at least one hide over the UTH area, and one where there is no heat, because if a snake has only one hide, snakes will choose the sense of security over the proper temperature for digestion. (& that can make them regurgitate their meal if they're too cool to digest)

    Lights are optional if there are windows in the room (ie. some amount of daylight)- if needed for warmth, use incandescent or CHE, but use a dimmer ("rheostat") at the very least & check the temperatures; if more heat isn't needed, use fluorescent or LED- they don't add much warmth. (Judge for yourself if he likes or hates the light- many snakes don't care for bright lights.)

    You mention he sometimes feels warm when you pick him up (depending on where he was). Just something to keep in mind here: we are 98.6* roughly, so for our snakes to feel warm to us, they might be TOO warm for them...see what I mean? If his max. temp. is 89*, he's going to feel cooler to you, because you're warmer. Keep this in mind also if you ever need to "bathe" (soak) a snake- use a thermometer to check the water, because what feels warmish to him will feel too cold to you- and if it's warm to you, it's too hot for him.

    FYI- I'm inclined to think he has something internal (infection or whatever) that's making him bite himself, but take the actual temperatures right OVER your UTH & right UNDER your light just to be safe, ok? And control that UTH! I've not heard of snakes biting themselves for being too hot, but heat injury can result in neurological symptoms for sure. (like loss of balance, or corkscrewing)

    UTH "air space" for safety- FYI, the way I do it is to install rubber weather-stripping on the bottom edges of all my tanks, & leave a couple 1" gaps to breathe. This also keeps my tanks from sliding off their cabinets- I found that very useful when I lived where we had many earthquakes (CA) but even now that I no longer live there, you never know. There is more than one way to do this, yours is likely just fine. You'd be surprised how many ppl don't read the UTH instructions, much less follow them.

    Thermostats do NOT need adjusted daily, but you should test them out without your snake in the tank (for safety), & it's optimal to do it for like a week before a snake moves in, as it takes time for UTH to get up to speed (so to speak) and time for you to adjust them. Anyway, the whole idea is that once a t-stat is set, it should keep the temperature where you want it. (Assuming your power stays on, of course.)

    Good idea, another thread for set-up review.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  6. #64
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)

    I might go ahead and wait til the morning when the heat lamp has been on for a little while to check the temps. I could also take temps when it is not on, but I don't want to potentially bother him right now (I bet he is hiding ). He used to be a burrower, especially when he was younger.

    I have since got him more secure little hides on each side of the tank just incase stress is involved in any of this. He seems to like them much better, because before that, his were pretty big and took up a lot of space in his tank, which may have been less secure to him. They were also very smooth, which isn't too good for shedding. When he is shedding, I usually put his old water bowl in there (without the water) because it is rough and rocky, and he loves to rub his head on it when he sheds.

    After he eats, he usually chills in his hide above the UTH, which sounds good for his digestion. I also have belly heat for my boa because she doesn't climb much.

    For the lights, I won't get them super bright, just something dim that I can see him better with that provides little to no heat. I have my blinds open under some light curtains, which lights up the room, but not too bright.

    I get what you mean when I said he feels warm sometimes. I will make sure to pay more attention to that whenever I need to take him out.

    For keeping the UTH from falling, I do have foil tape that holds it up, but I do need to replace it every once in a while when it starts to hang off. Both tanks have a lot of space underneath the UTH to prevent from heat buildup.
    - Kaylee

  7. #65
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    You'd have to buy a lot of hides to always have the "right size" for a growing snake- what you can do is wad some paper up & make large ones cozier until they grow into them.

    Rheostats (lamp dimmers) are very handy & save energy too- I assume there's only one light & it's on the warm side of the tank? You really do need to find out the temperature under the light. Many of my lights are 25 or 15 watts & I still dim them a lot- incandescent bulbs really heat up, & I'm using the reflector domes, of course. My rat snakes like to bask on their branches under them.

    Ha, I know what you mean about having to re-tape the UTH once in a while. Helps to clean the glass first with isopropyl alcohol to remove all traces of fingerprint oils.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  9. #66
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    Rheostats are a great emergency/interim measure if your house ambient temperatures don't swing, and they're readily available at big box hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot (look for a "lamp dimmer"). They won't keep a heat source at a constant temp like a thermostat will but they will help prevent it from getting dangerously hot.

    For a king snake I'd use either a deep heat projector (DHP) or ceramic heat emitter (CHE) instead of a bulb as you can set them and leave them on all the time; they don't emit light. They also last a lot longer than bulbs - think years not months - and all of the energy they draw becomes heat, so while they're more expensive initially they will save you money over time. The room ambient light is fine for a day/night light cycle.

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  11. #67
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)

    Quote Originally Posted by bcr229 View Post
    For a king snake I'd use either a deep heat projector (DHP) or ceramic heat emitter (CHE) instead of a bulb as you can set them and leave them on all the time; they don't emit light. They also last a lot longer than bulbs - think years not months - and all of the energy they draw becomes heat, so while they're more expensive initially they will save you money over time. The room ambient light is fine for a day/night light cycle.
    ^This
    I just pulled my receipt up for the last 100w Zoomed CHE I got and it was only $32 here in Georgia, and that thing has been running on a stat non-stop for the past 6 months with no issues. I check temps with my infrared gun in the morning when I start work and in the afternoon when I shut down and other than that I don't have to worry too much about it. Like Bcr said, if you have a window in your room/reptile room the ambient light should be enough. I just open the blinds in the morning and the way the sun comes over my house creates a very natural day/night cycle in my office for all the animals.

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  13. #68
    Registered User mopuim's Avatar
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)

    So if I did get a CHE or a DHP, would I have it with the heat mat (regulated with a thermostat of course)? Would I have to hang either by something or would they just sit on top of the screen?

    Also the light that comes through my window does provide a good amount of natural light.
    - Kaylee

  14. #69
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    Re: Brooks Kingsnake strange digestion and behavior? (diarrhea and biting himself)

    Quote Originally Posted by mopuim View Post
    So if I did get a CHE or a DHP, would I have it with the heat mat (regulated with a thermostat of course)? Would I have to hang either by something or would they just sit on top of the screen?

    Also the light that comes through my window does provide a good amount of natural light.
    I don't keep kings so I'll let someone with more experience answer if you need both for your animal, but with my royal I use both, regulated with the thermostats of course. The mat gives me a nice warm hide and hot spot, and the CHE keeps my ambient temps under control throughout the entire enclosure.

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  16. #70
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    The CHE/DHP would replace the overhead light. You shouldn't need a UTH for a king snake. Ball pythons need to be warmer so in a cool room they would still need a UTH.

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