UTH help

[damian0905]

I just got a UTH and I have a few questions:

-I currently put my terrarium on my carpet floor. Will the UTH burn my carpet?
-Do I need to move it on top of a Hard surface such as glass, wood, etc.
-Does the terrarium have to be lifted?

Any help is well appreciated!

[Mephibosheth1]

I think usually it's best to have the bottom elevated slightly, so theres a bit of airflow underneath (that's what I do).

Be sure to use a thermostat with that UTH...don't want to catch the house (or the snake) on fire

[chrid16371]

Carpet probably isn't the best. If it were me I would set it on a hard surface or put a piece of plywood or something between the carpet and tank. Like stated above you should have it elevated slightly for airflow. You could use pieces of wood or books or really anything that will hold the weight of your enclosure and level so its stable and not going to tip.

[Sauzo]

I just got a UTH and I have a few questions:

-I currently put my terrarium on my carpet floor. Will the UTH burn my carpet?
-Do I need to move it on top of a Hard surface such as glass, wood, etc.
-Does the terrarium have to be lifted?

Any help is well appreciated!

-Very possible. Put the cage on a hard surface.
-Yes
-No if you are using a t-stat which you always should with a UTH. If you are using a lamp dimmer or running it full power, then you should have at least a 1/8" air gap for flow or the UTH can overheat and either short out and start a fire and/or overheat and crack the cage floor or burn the snake. Bottom line is don't run a UTH unregulated without a t-stat.

[Mizaniverse]

I have a question regardinh uths too. Do I need to put a tank liner on the glass and under the bedding so that my snake doesn't get burned? Thanks

[Mephibosheth1]

Using a thermostat will prevent 99% of injuries. Just be sure to keep an eye on things in case the thermostat shorts out; unregulated heat is always a bad thing

[Sauzo]

I have a question regardinh uths too. Do I need to put a tank liner on the glass and under the bedding so that my snake doesn't get burned? Thanks

No. What you need to do is put the UTH outside on one side of the cage. Then you attach the t-stat probe to the UTH directly with foil tape outside the cage. Do not tape the probe end, only the wire. The probe end needs to be touching or very close to the UTH. Then you use either a IR gun and/or a thermometer with a wire probe. You place that probe or take the temps directly off the glass inside the cage, not off the top of the substrate. Reason being, the snake will dig down and push the substrate aside to get to the heat. So you want to get the reading from the hottest possible spot. And you need a t-stat for a UTH. They should never be run unregulated.