setup

[tanner]

i am currently using a day lamp and a night lamp and came to the conclusion real quick that it wasnt going to work for humidity issues. i bought an uth and im going to put it on tonight. my question is do i have to have a thermostat imediatly or can i just plug it in and stick it on there? also, i have a accurite temp guage that measures both sides of the tank, do i need to put the thermometer on the glass around where the uth is to moniter the heat? also where should i put the uth as far as right under his hide or next to it?

[piper]

i am currently using a day lamp and a night lamp and came to the conclusion real quick that it wasnt going to work for humidity issues. i bought an uth and im going to put it on tonight. my question is do i have to have a thermostat imediatly or can i just plug it in and stick it on there? also, i have a accurite temp guage that measures both sides of the tank, do i need to put the thermometer on the glass around where the uth is to moniter the heat? also where should i put the uth as far as right under his hide or next to it?

Need something to control the temp of the UTH right away, those things heat up to a ridiculous temp and can burn the snake.

[tanner]

what do you reccomend and where do you get something like that? are they cost efficient?

[starmom]

They are extremely cost effective since you won't have vet bills for a sick snake (temps too low) or a burned snake (temps too high)

Check these one's out: http://www.reptilebasics.com/Thermostats-p-1-c-250.html and these also: http://www.spyderrobotics.com/products/index.html

[anendeloflorien]

Yeah you're definitely going to want a t-stat to control the UTH. Yeah, it's kind of an investment but it's one of the best investments you can make towards the health and safety of your pet.

As far as the placement of the temperature probe goes, you should have it over where the UTH is located, it may take a little trial and error to figure out the best way to get an accurate reading. I usually have a layer of substrate with the probe right on top, you can try putting inside the warm side hide also.

[starmom]

Placing the probe on top of the substrate can be a little dicey if your snake decides to burrow and lay against the glass-- the temps will be much hotter on the glass!!

I advise placing the probe on the glass and if the substrate is holding in too much heat, decrease the amount of substrate you're using