Need Help please!

[Newowner1]

I have a male normal BP he is 7 months old he is shedding today and is doing great with it but I worry that I don't have his tank warm enough the thermo reads 75 and the girl I got him from said that is fine but I still worry. I have over head lights and UTH that sits under his hide that he never goes into he either stays beside his rock water bowl on the cool side or in a planters pot ( Halloween decoration the kids wanted him to have its very small ghost) curled up on the warm side. WHat can I do to get his tank warmer?

[KMG]

If the uth is not on a tstat it needs to be and you should unplug it until you get one.

What are you getting your temps with(what kind of thermometer)?

What bulb are you using in the lamp? You may just need a higher watt.

Is this a glass tank? If so you can make a cardboard cutout that fits the screen top. Cover it with foil and make sure to leave a window for the heat lamp. This will help keep some heat in.

Also if it is a glass tank you can cover the back and sides(on the outside) with something to insulate it and trap heat. I use thick art paper and it bumped my temps about 3 degrees.

A pic of the setup would make it easier for me to give more specific advice.

[AnnaK231]

I agree with KMG..if your UTH is not on a thermostat, unplug it and don't use again until you get a thermostat for it. Or use a lamp dimmer for it while you wait for one to be shipped.

Temps should be around 88-90 degrees on the warm end and 82-85 on the cool end. The heat pad could be too hot right now (they do that, they get up to at least 110 degrees).

The dial thermometers/sticky thermometers that you can get at pet stores are not reliable. Try an acurite thermometer/hygrometer (walmart) or a temp gun.


I've ive got a 55 gallon glass tank, three sides are insulated with blue foam board insulation from lowes/Home Depot, the screen top is 90% covered in tin foil and I have a 75 watt infrared bulb running. My temps sit around 88 on his hot spot and 83-85 on the cool end (he has two of the same hides). With NO UTH.

Your snake may not like one of the hides so he never goes in it. Or like I mentioned above the UTH could be too hot.

[Newowner1]

The UTH doesn't get hot its an old one I never did put the new one in due to not having all the stuff to time it. His tank is 55 gallon glass with a 24 inch light at top no screen cover has glass but the back has a small vent shaft running across for air and I have a red heat light also on there to help with heat the therm I have in there is the sticky on that sticks to the side that is why I don't think its reading right. This is my first snake ever and I am trying my best to do right but the former owner isn't much help and the books can tell u what to do but each one says something different. He seems happy. I have had him almost 2 weeks and he has fed 3 times already she had him eating twice a week on small live I switched him over to F/T and he has not given me a problem and like I said he did his first shed with me today with no problem at all I cant get my pic to upload of his tank

[DVirginiana]

It doesn't matter how old the UTH is, you still need a tstat monitoring it. A lot of times it's not so much about how hot they are while they're working as it is how hot they can get when they quit working. A lot of UTHs will fail-on, so they just keep getting hotter when something goes wrong. Just use the search function on here to see what can happen if you don't have a tstat regulating a UTH.

[Newowner1]

I don't leave it plugged up all day just around 4 hours then I unplug it I think I may end up just buying a new reptile kit from Zoo med. Do u think they are good?

[KMG]

No, not really.

I think you could do better buying the things you need instead of a kit with things that you don't.

First you need a tstat. After that hides and bowls can be bought cheap at dollar stores or even made at home with different things. Another good place to look for herp gear is Craigslist and the like. You can find those getting out of or just thinning out their gear and get some good cheap buys.

Using a uth for 4 hours a day is just about useless. You should take our advice and stop using it until you have it set up properly. I burned snake needing a vet visit is not cheap.

[Newowner1]

I have a hide and everything a tank needs it was just getting the temps right I turned the UTH off and ordered a thermostat for it and also a new temp gauge for his enclosure thank u for all your advice and help I really do appreciate it

[anicatgirl]

What has been said above is spot on. Your UTH should be plugged in at all times IF and ONLY IF it is plugged into a thermostat. Burns are pretty serious and happen more than they ought to. But then you leave it plugged in and the thermostat will adjust the temp as needed to maintain your hot spot. Covering the sides and top in foil or some other insulating material will help with heat too.

Depending on what all you have in your possession, a kit would be a waste of money. A new UTH and thermostat would be cheaper, and you wouldn't end up with unnecessary stuff.

Also, digital thermometer FTW man. Walmart, they aren't that much, and they are much more accurate. Mine sits right on top of the glass on top of the UTH under the hide.

The others can offer more advice on this, but that tank seems kinda big to me, and might be a little intimidating for a young snake.

Hope helps!

- - - Updated - - -

Oops. Sorry, you replied while I was composing...

[AnnaK231]

I have a hide and everything a tank needs it was just getting the temps right I turned the UTH off and ordered a thermostat for it and also a new temp gauge for his enclosure thank u for all your advice and help I really do appreciate it

Excellent. My snake is recovering from a burn from his UTH. It wasn't pretty and it's not cheap considering his meds, the vet appointment prices and the gas it takes to make the 1.5 hour trip there and back. I'm ordering a herpstat soon which will go in his tank when he's healed up. Much cheaper. Anyways, if you are still having trouble with temps after your UTH is set up, try covering some of the glass in thick art paper or insulation board.
Also, if your substrate isn't getting enough airflow/drying at a good rate and is soaking wet in a few spots (maybe from water dish) that will cause temps to stay lower.

Just to double check, the top of the tank is glass? Or is it one of the plastic tank toppers with glass/vents?