Under Tank Heaters?????

[Daemonicus]

Thanks man...
You ever have problems with the snake messing with the tape on the inside?

[Rakk101]

Nope, I put a bit of aspen over it or paper and they never mess with it. On cleaning day I just replace the tape with new tape no biggie since the stuff is so cheap

[Argentra]

Do Not use tape inside the enclosure! The only possible exception might be painters/artist tape since it has almost no stickiness. Even foil tape is a no-no!

The best way to set things up is to foil tape the UTH or Flexwatt to the bottom outside of the enclosure, then tape the thermoSTAT probe directly to the UTH. To secure the thermometer probe, place it under the substrate against the enclosure floor and cover with substrate and the warm side hide. The hide will hold the cord down and make it harder for the snake to move it.

IMHO, having to reposition a probe is a lot less trouble than having to take a snake to the vet after it got caught up in tape.
And just because they've never encountered the tape before does not mean they won't later.

[scales owner]

Do Not use tape inside the enclosure! The only possible exception might be painters/artist tape since it has almost no stickiness. Even foil tape is a no-no!

The best way to set things up is to foil tape the UTH or Flexwatt to the bottom outside of the enclosure, then tape the thermoSTAT probe directly to the UTH. To secure the thermometer probe, place it under the substrate against the enclosure floor and cover with substrate and the warm side hide. The hide will hold the cord down and make it harder for the snake to move it.

IMHO, having to reposition a probe is a lot less trouble than having to take a snake to the vet after it got caught up in tape.
And just because they've never encountered the tape before does not mean they won't later.

Do you put the Therm. probe between the tank and uth or on the bottom side(away from) the tank??

[Argentra]

I tape the stat probe with foil tape to the underside of the UTH. It means setting the stat a little higher, but the stat settings don't really matter in the end...it's the thermoMeter or temp gun readings you want to follow.

[scales owner]

I tape the stat probe with foil tape to the underside of the UTH. It means setting the stat a little higher, but the stat settings don't really matter in the end...it's the thermoMeter or temp gun readings you want to follow.

Thank you very much as soon as I get my butt in gear and get this bigger tank done I will HAVE to post some pics. Ty again!!!!-Ray

[rmune0750]

ReptileBasics.com

[Texas Dan]

Right now I only have UTHs for my Kenyans, but after reading this and a few other posts I was going to get them for the rest of my snakes. I had a quick question about the thermostat though: How exactly is the best (opinionated) way to set up the UTH, tstat,probe combo?

I have both. Spyder Robotics Herpstat and a thermometer from walmart to regulate my temps.

I highly recommend Herpstat.

[hoax]

ReptileBasics.com

I 2nd this!!!! great web site, I like it alot. I just ordered the 2X3 with a radiant heat panel, lighting, and a thermostat for under $500 with shipping. I have yet to received my order as I just ordered it and they must build it.

Some people might think $500 is too much for a snake but I look at it like this. I was using a 20L terrarium and it sucked I could not get my temps like I wanted and I couldn't keep my humidity right. Now granted I did not have all the info I needed. I did not have a T-stat, and the UTH just didn't do the job like I wanted, but that was my fault not of the fault of the equipment.

I hope you find a set up that works for you. Seeing as you already have several other snakes you probably have a pretty good grasp on what works for you.

[spyderrobotics]

I tape the stat probe with foil tape to the underside of the UTH. It means setting the stat a little higher, but the stat settings don't really matter in the end...it's the thermoMeter or temp gun readings you want to follow.

I could cut my support emails in half with that statement. Ha! I don't normally recommend putting the probe directly on the uth because many people panic seeing the temp swings that happen when you do that. BUT.. if you understand that the swings aren't directly happening to the animal and realize you will have to modify your temp settings on the stat you can get some great results. The other method is to put the probe in the cage which gives it a little isolation and allows less temp fluxaution on the thermostats display. It will still have its swings initially too but will regulate within a hour.

I am not totally sold on the foil tape idea. One side of me says it will be great for evening out the temp produced from the uth but the other side worries about it aiding in a electrical fire. The reason I say that is I have seen a couple of examples in person of flexwatt that overtime degraded and burnt up some of the cross strips. In those cases the heat tape continues to work but lost those strips. Aluminum foil tape could still conduct electricity but could be too thin to handle the current and possibly heat up and short other areas or catch fire. Its quite possible the current wouldn't be enough to trip a fuse. I'm not saying it will do this but is just a thought of mine. Now I would feel a little better if it was a zoomed mat instead of flexwatt as they are covered with a thicker plastic layer. A little extra protection.