Zoo Med UTH

[KMG]

Your snake most certainly CAN get under the carpet and reach the uth. It has happened before to others. We are speaking from knowledge not guessing.

Do you have an IR temp gun?

An ambient temp of 88 is pretty high. It only needs to be around 77-80. Having a ambient temp of 88 it is very possible that the bulb is creating a hotspot over 100.

[laurelamo]

I am currently setting up heating in a spare 20L tank for when I need to board my snake with a friend. I'm using a CHE and a UTH, both regulated by a Herpstat, and let me tell you, it is an absolute struggle to keep the temps within a safe range. I set the CHE to keep a steady 84 in the center of the tank, set my UTH (which is outside the tank, so it has a layer of glass to heat through) to 90, just to be safe, and regularly checked the temperatures with a temp gun.
The highest temp i have clocked so far is 119.
I've tried many different temperature combinations, and last night when I checked, I thought I had it. 92 degree hot spot, 83 ambient. Too bad it didn't last. When I checked the temps this morning and found that the hot spot had returned to well over 100 degrees again, I turned off my CHE. I cannot even imagine trying to do this with my snake living in the tank. I would be a nervous wreck.
Long story short, your bulb is very likely creating a hot spot that is much too hot. Fortunately it is possible to correct this and create a perfect environment for your snake. Investing in a thermostat is a great first step, but it will take some tweaking too. In the mean time, it is much safer to keep your snake in temperatures that are too low than temperatures that are too high. Best of luck.

[blubudgie]

A tstat probe goes between the UTH and the tank bottom, on the outside. The thermometer probe can go wherever you want it really. Whatever you want to monitor.

The UTH should only have at most 1/4 inch of substrate over it. This keeps the UTH at a temp that will not harm your snake if the substrate is moved and laid on directly. Having a thick substrate you will need to keep the UTH at a high temperature so the heat can reach the top of the substrate.

Yes, you can use the lamp too. On my 40 gallon in a cold room I have a uth, che, and heat bulb.

I questioned your post because it did not seem as if you wanted to do things correctly and instead choose to do things half way which is not safe for your snake. You should have done a bit more research here and we could have helped you get things right the first time, saving you time and money.

I use Herpstat and love them.

I got the hydroform thermostat, but I'm confused, you said to put the probe between the UTH and the tank bottom on the outside?? O__o On the outside of the tank? I was gonna have it between the carpet and the substrate.

Also I want to keep using the lamp, my room temp is usually in the low or mid 70's

[albinos_rule]

I use a red 25 watt bulb on mine, along with the UTH of course on a t-stat, and adjust a little accordingly. My hot spot 87-90°, and the cool side 78-80°, give or take a degree or two. All my snakes have excellent sheds, but I up the humidity whenever they are going to shed

[Eric Alan]

I got the hydroform thermostat, but I'm confused, you said to put the probe between the UTH and the tank bottom on the outside?? O__o On the outside of the tank? I was gonna have it between the carpet and the substrate.

Also I want to keep using the lamp, my room temp is usually in the low or mid 70's

Yes - on the outside of the tank where it won't be peed on, pooped on, spilled on, moved, or something else. If you secure it between the mat and the glass (on the outside), you will have the most consistent temperature control with your thermostat.

[artgecko]

blubudgie - I am sorry that I did not respond to your posted question... For some reason my notification about this thread got kicked to my email spam folder. The link you posted is the hydrofarm that I use.

Here's another link for you, this thermometer is a good one and good value. It has a long probe that you can secure over the UTH (put this probe inside the tank, I secure mine with hotglue, never use tape) to read the hot spot temp. You then sit the unit itself on the opposite end of the tank to read the cool side temp. It will also give you a humidity reading. A temp gun, as others have mentioned, can also come in handy... You can use it to read the temp in various parts of the tank. If you do get one of these though, I'd invest in a more expensive one... I got a slightly cheaper model and am convinced that it doesn't give accurate temps.

About the thermostat setup: As others have said, secure the UTH to the bottom of the tank and sandwich the probe to the hydrofarm between the glass and the UTH (I secure my UTH's with metal foil tape so that I can remove them later). This will keep it out of the way and give you a good reading. Something else to keep in mind.. Every time I setup a thermostat, like a hydrofarm, I have to play with it (using the reading from the accurite thermometer probe) to get to the right temp on the bottom glass of the tank. i.e. I might have to set the hydrofarm to 93f to get a temp reading of 90 according to the accurite. I would set it lower at first (90f) and see what reading that gives you.

Here is a link to the screen top foil treatment sticky. If you are going to use the lamp for ambient temps, check out this method for foiling your screen top so that more humidity stays in the tank.

I ended up using a tub setup for my BPs, as it was eaiser to keep humidity. I had to use a lamp for heat as well, but the lamp had to be raised on a lamp stand so that it would not melt the plastic. If you're interested in a tub setup, check out this sticky. It also shows UTH / probe / thermometer placement well too.

[blubudgie]

how hot does the 25 watt bulb get your tank? And what size?
I feel like leaving my 50 watt one on all day gets too hot but at the same time I need the ambient temp to be higher since my room temp is too low.

[blubudgie]

Also thanks for the info about the thermostat probe guys, but I'm still confused. If I put the probe on the UTH pad wouldn't that be measuring the temp of the pad, not the substrate? Shouldn't I be measuring the temp of the substrate?

[blubudgie]

blubudgie - I am sorry that I did not respond to your posted question... For some reason my notification about this thread got kicked to my email spam folder. The link you posted is the hydrofarm that I use.

Here's another link for you, this thermometer is a good one and good value. It has a long probe that you can secure over the UTH (put this probe inside the tank, I secure mine with hotglue, never use tape) to read the hot spot temp. You then sit the unit itself on the opposite end of the tank to read the cool side temp. It will also give you a humidity reading. A temp gun, as others have mentioned, can also come in handy... You can use it to read the temp in various parts of the tank. If you do get one of these though, I'd invest in a more expensive one... I got a slightly cheaper model and am convinced that it doesn't give accurate temps.

About the thermostat setup: As others have said, secure the UTH to the bottom of the tank and sandwich the probe to the hydrofarm between the glass and the UTH (I secure my UTH's with metal foil tape so that I can remove them later). This will keep it out of the way and give you a good reading. Something else to keep in mind.. Every time I setup a thermostat, like a hydrofarm, I have to play with it (using the reading from the accurite thermometer probe) to get to the right temp on the bottom glass of the tank. i.e. I might have to set the hydrofarm to 93f to get a temp reading of 90 according to the accurite. I would set it lower at first (90f) and see what reading that gives you.

Here is a link to the screen top foil treatment sticky. If you are going to use the lamp for ambient temps, check out this method for foiling your screen top so that more humidity stays in the tank.

I ended up using a tub setup for my BPs, as it was eaiser to keep humidity. I had to use a lamp for heat as well, but the lamp had to be raised on a lamp stand so that it would not melt the plastic. If you're interested in a tub setup, check out this sticky. It also shows UTH / probe / thermometer placement well too.

thanks! but the link to the thermometer isn't working
I might try the foil treatment, so far I keep a damp towel over half the screen. I'm also going to switch to cypress mulch to keep more humidity.

I also need a new humidity gauge. I got one in petco, but since it's humid, the sticky side doesn't stick to the glass and it keeps falling. My BP has also knocked it down before and gotten stuck to it so I've taken the sticky part off. I just have it laying in the tank so I'm pretty sure the readings aren't right...
Any suggestions? maybe one with a suction cup..?


ALSO the lamp I got comes with a clamp, and I want to use it but I can't figure out what people are clamping the lamp to? It doesn't come with anything to attack the clamp to the side of the tank like the picture shows. Should I just super glue a piece of wood to the side of my screen?
I currently just have the lamp laying a inch or so off the screen. I want to get it higher

[bcr229]

Also thanks for the info about the thermostat probe guys, but I'm still confused. If I put the probe on the UTH pad wouldn't that be measuring the temp of the pad, not the substrate? Shouldn't I be measuring the temp of the substrate?

You put the t-stat probe between the UTH and the glass, under the tank, and initially set the t-stat to 90*F. Wait an hour, then use your temp gun or IR thermometer to measure the temperature of the glass inside the tank over top of the UTH. Adjust the t-stat setting up or down, as needed, until your critter is getting belly heat at around 89-91*F.

As for the hygrometer, congratulations, you've just discovered that the analog stick-ons are a waste of money... as is most of the snake "stuff" sold by the big box stores. WalMart sells a nice little AcuRite digital thermometer/hygrometer that is inexpensive and tons better - http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Di...nitor/16888914 - of course, it's out of stock online, probably because herpers keep buying them up!