I got velcro and mounted it inside the enclosure at ground level on the cool side to measure the cool side temps. Run the prove to the warm side and set the probe inside the warm side hide, on top of the substrate to measure temps where the snake is actually laying.
If you just use the stand that comes with the Accurite and try to set it in the cool side, your snake will turn it over - thus the velcroing it to the inside of the tank (I have the bottom of the Accurite basically touching the substrate).
I have mine a little different because my snakes are in 20 or 10 gallon tanks with tons of decor. The only place that is clutter-free and visible is the middle of the tank towards the top. So, that's where it is stuck on (with double-sided thick tape to the backboard that is velcroed to the glass). Then the probe is stuck (it comes with a sticker) to the inside-bottom of the hide (I have the reptile cave that has a bottom piece) then covered with an inch of substrate. This prevents the snake from dislodging it. So, then I just set the thermostat so that the middle number (outside temp reading) is at 95. Which should keep the top of the substrate around 92 or so. The top number is at 85 or thereabouts which is the open air temperature in the middle of the tank, so inside the cool hide should be around 80. If the top number goes lower than 85, I turn on the ceramic heat lamp that is on a dimmer. That's my only problem - I don't have a thermostat for the heat lamp. Oh well... something to ask for on my birthday.
---------------------------------- BP owner since Oct 2008, so yeah, I'm no expert.
0.1.0 pastel bp
1.0.0 spider bp
0.1.0 albino bp
1.0.0 bumblebee bp
1.0.0 yellowbelly bp
0.0.1 normal bp
1.0.0 normal western hognose
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Just a caution, be very cautious with any type of tape inside a snake's enclosure. While it may seem that your snake cannot possibly get entangled with the tape, the fact is that the warm, humid environment of a snake's enclosure does tend to make the tape less reliable. Also you need to take into account how determined snakes are to investigate everything with their snouts and those flickering tongues.
So i velcroed the thermometer in the tank and i just run the probe wire under the aspen bedding? (its a long wire)
btw I cant get temps above 78. I have an UTH but its not a mainstream one its from a local pet store. Is it teh UTH? Or is it the fact that I have shelf liner and aspen bedding as substrate?
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