cant maintain a high temperature in glass cage

[jackiechan]

I set up my tank monday and today is wednesday. My problem is i cant seem to raise the temperature on my hot side. I have a UTH plugged into a thermostat that is currently at 95. I have it set at 95 because im trying to raise the temperature on the hot side. I have my thermostat probe right above my substrate (cypress mulch) behind the hide. This way i can see if the thermostat will turn off if it reaches 95. I have a acu-rite thermometer probe right next to the thermostat probe that reads 81 degrees. I have a black heat light thats 50W. I should switch to a higher wattage, but i read i that heat lamps kill humidity? I would rather have my UTH doing all the heating, and leave my heat lamp as an option whenever it gets colder..

My cold side is below 75. It must be freezing for him over there. Hes always on the hot side.

Im deciding if i should foil wrap the tank lid to try to keep in the heat. I currently have a towel on it.

Am i placing the probes in the right area? Im new to all this caging maintenance.

Thank you for any suggestions or comments.

[dr del]

Hi,

A few quick ideas.

You seem to have a LOT of substrate in there - try a thinner layer.

You can insulate the sides, back and bottom of the tank with either cork sheeting or pollystyrene insulation boards.

Yes, using foil on the lid can help too.


dr del

[Raverthug]

Del hit on what I was gonna say. Try covering the lid with foil (except where the light is) Also if you know where the UTH sits while your at 95 try to turn it up some. Just make sure to keep an eye on it.

[zeion97]

If I'm correct.. you have a 20 long? If so we have the same cage. But... I am Assuming... I don't use a UTH yet, I don't have the extra funds to pick up a thermostat, and ours hit over 110 easily... our black pastel actually got burnt from It.. tbh, I use newspapers And have for awhile. (Local peg store had a mite outbreak) but using a 100 day And 75 night I get perfect tempts and humidity. My normal ball just had a perfect 1 piece shed this morning. now this works for me, I also have 3 tanks and a humidifier that runs 24;7 in my room. I would suggest a uth though and to follow Dr Dels advice. But remember, what works for one person might not work for You!

A side note, you could turn up the temperature inside the house/room.

[jackiechan]

@ dr del - ill remove the substrate to keep it thin. The shop owner told me to use the entire bag. And ill look ibto insulating the sides with foil lid.

@zeion - it is a 30x12x12. What are you using as a heat source? I would love to get into the 100s!

[OtterGoRun]

Is the UTH the appropriate size for the size tank you have? If it's too small, it may not heat up sufficiently. Also, do you have it on a thermostat? Sometimes the temp dial on the thermostats aren't always the most accurate and you have to fiddle a little with them to get them right. My thermostats do a great job of keeping the temp once set, but the temp dials on them are useless.

[CatandDiallo]

I have my thermostat probe right above my substrate (cypress mulch) behind the hide.

I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. The thermostat probe should be directly touching the heat source. I.e, the probe should have been placed on the bottom of the tank, with the heat source taped ON TOP or it, or you can use tape (aluminium tape works best) to tape your thermostat probe on top of the heat source.

The thermometer probe should be right above (or just a tiny thin layer below) the substrate.

Other then that, I was going to suggest thinning out (A LOT) of your substrate, but someone has already mentioned this.

Good luck.

[AK907]

I would double check your temps with another thermometer to rule out if its a problem with your other thermometer or a problem with your thermostat. What thermostat are you using? Cheaper ones, like Hydrofarm, are crap and not very accurate in my experience and take a lot of tweaking. I have NEVER had a problem with my Herpstats and they are always within +/- 0.5 degrees, although its usually closer than that. They are pricey, but worth every penny.

Another possibility could be your heat mat going out. Probably unlikely, though.

But as Dr. Del said, you can insulate it and that will help. Glass tanks are notorious for being a PITA to regulate temps.

If you're worried about humidity, just mist the cage a little more often or add some sphagnum moss or cover part of the top with a damp towel.

[jackiechan]

I'm surprised no one mentioned this yet. The thermostat probe should be directly touching the heat source. I.e, the probe should have been placed on the bottom of the tank, with the heat source taped ON TOP or it, or you can use tape (aluminium tape works best) to tape your thermostat probe on top of the heat source.

The thermometer probe should be right above (or just a tiny thin layer below) the substrate.

Other then that, I was going to suggest thinning out (A LOT) of your substrate, but someone has already mentioned this.

Good luck.

I started off with my thermostat probe directly on top of my UTH. The thermostat would turn off everytime it hit like 92 but that was the problem. It was 92 at the glass... But above the substrate inside the hide it was only 80-85.

The reptile store guy told me to place the thermostat probe above the substrate, this way the thermostat will make the uth heat up the cage entirely until its 92 where the probe is.

I would double check your temps with another thermometer to rule out if its a problem with your other thermometer or a problem with your thermostat. What thermostat are you using? Cheaper ones, like Hydrofarm, are crap and not very accurate in my experience and take a lot of tweaking. I have NEVER had a problem with my Herpstats and they are always within +/- 0.5 degrees, although its usually closer than that. They are pricey, but worth every penny.

Another possibility could be your heat mat going out. Probably unlikely, though.

But as Dr. Del said, you can insulate it and that will help. Glass tanks are notorious for being a PITA to regulate temps.

If you're worried about humidity, just mist the cage a little more often or add some sphagnum moss or cover part of the top with a damp towel.

I just got everything brand new in package 2 days ago. And my thermometer earlier tonight. My thermostat is zilla from petco.. Like ~ $50

[AK907]

I started off with my thermostat probe directly on top of my UTH. The thermostat would turn off everytime it hit like 92 but that was the problem. It was 92 at the glass... But above the substrate inside the hide it was only 80-85.

The reptile store guy told me to place the thermostat probe above the substrate, this way the thermostat will make the uth heat up the cage entirely until its 92 where the probe is.

I just got everything brand new in package 2 days ago. And my thermometer earlier tonight. My thermostat is zilla from petco.. Like ~ $50

Yeah, never take the advice from the employee at PetCo that makes $7 an hour. Very rarely do they know what they are talking about, nor do most even care. There are lots of fine breeders and very knowledgeable people on here who are always willing to answer your questions. Good job coming here.

You want the thermostat probe on the UTH and your thermometer probe on the glass under the substrate. Thin your substrate (1/2" or so deep is all ya need) and if your ball gets cold it will seek out the heat and bury itself to the bottom of the tank. If you have it hot enough to warm the top of the substrate, it can burn your snake if it buries itself.

Not to be rude, but those Zilla thermostats are junk. Better than nothing, but they aren't very accurate and I personally wouldn't trust one.