Repti-therm UTH not getting very hot.

[Sauzo]

Hello, I am planning to get a ball python in about 20-ish days at a local reptile show, my tank is all set up, the only question is this. I got a Reptitherm UTH, and placed in my 20L tank. Many people say you are going to need to get a
dimmer/thero-stat or else it will get to hot. So I purchased a dimmer, but I noticed when I plugged it in the heat pad didn't get as hot as I suspected, it actually was quite cold still. So I unplugged it from the dimmer and straight into the wall socket, I gave it all night to warm up. Then I layed thermometer on top of the substrate. The reading was under 90 degrees. I then placed my hand directly on the glass, it was warm, but not really as warm as people were saying these things got. Then I placed my thermometer on top of the bare glass, and to my suprise it read just over 100 degrees. My question is this, is it normal for these UTH's to only be this warm, or did I get a defective one that isn't warming up as much as it should.

Mind that I have a little over 1" of substrate, and that I am also talking in fahrenheit.

Well, considering you pretty much want it 86-88F at the glass, 100F is plenty warm. Also using over 1/2 inch substrate with a UTH or belly heat is pretty useless. Some dont heat up as hot as others. Try a Zoo Med one. Not sure if they changed them but i had one heat up so high it literally melted a spot in the rubberized sleeve they use and luckily it shorted itself out. This was for my dubia bin. After that, i switched to a CHE on a lamp dimmer.

105 degrees is enough to burn a snake given enough time laying on it. You absolutely need a thermostat not a dimmer to make sure the temperature on the inside of the glass does not get over 92 degrees to prevent overheating. The top of the substrate does not matter, only the inside of the glass as the ball python will burrow or push substrate to get down to the bottom.

When you get the thermostat the probe goes between the UTH and the glass on the outside of the tank, not the inside.

I disagree about a snake burning itself while sitting on a 105F heat source. !05F is 105. Unless the heat source is unregulated and the snake manages to basically insulate it as to allow it to rise in temps, a constant 105F heat source is not going to burn a snake. It is plenty to overheat him though and cause neuro issues. It's the same as us, put your hand on a 105F item and it wont burn you.

And as a general statement, I am not sure where the base guideline of 90-92F came from for a hot spot. I've asked this question before and never really got a definitive answer. Considering that most experienced people i talk to agree with me that the hot spot should be between 86-88F. I keep all my snakes with a 86F hot spot. Pretty much anything higher and they treat the hot side like its a lake of lava lol. And i have used 90F hot spots before, usually in the winter but again, all my snakes treated it like lava so basically they only used half their cages.