Animal Plastics T10 + RHP

[wonderwhitters]

Hey all! Hope you are all doing well. So my T-10 from Animal Plastics arrived. We had the RHP installed on it. Everything is up and running and I'm starting to monitor temps carefully while watching my BP explore his new "mansion". What all do I need to do with this RHP? Does it regulate properly on it's own? I'm trying to find decent info on what all I need to add to this to ensure it's all running properly. Sorry if it's a dumb question, still very new at all of this and want to ensure my guy has the best habitat possible. Thank you in advance!

[jmcrook]

THERMOSTAT. That panel will get crazy hot unregulated.
Herpstat, Vivarium Electronics, etc


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[Reinz]

Unplug that RHP until you buy a thermoSTAT for it. This time of year too much heat is much more dangerous than cooler temperatures. Meaning the rooms in your house won’t get in the low 60s and below. Excessive heat is very dangerous for your snake.

My intent here is to explain things in simple terms. I’m Not talking down to you.

The thermoSTAT is what controls the temperature output of the RHP to keep it constant. Just like the thermostat on the wall in your home to keep temperatures constant.

The best Thermostat for cages are considered to be the Herpstat by Spyderobotics. For running one heat source they have a few models that run in the $100 range and up. A few even below $100 I believe.

The Vivariums are almost as good as the Herpstats, but have less bells and whistles for a similar price.

A lot of Folks start out with starter thermostats like InkBird and other similar brands for around $30. Some folks have had excellent performance and others have not. The problem with the cheap ones is when they fail they fail in the WIDE OPEN mode and cook the animal. The better ones shut the heat source OFF when they fail for the safety of the animal.

A lot of people say that an InkBird type works great UNTIL it doesn’t. And I’ve seen posts of them failing within a few years. El Ziggy here on the forum is well respected and uses them with confidence.

I’m not being judgmental or trying to tell you what to buy, that’s your choice. But UNplug that RHP now!

[wonderwhitters]

This is all VERY helpful! Thank you so much! I have a century brand, that i used on his previous home that regulated his UTH pad, but I'm not sure that one will work with this. I will invest in a herpstat. In the mean time, i may have to just put him back in his old enclosure with a hide of his so that way he can stay in a regulated space till I get the thermostat, as our house stays around 68 degrees, and i'm concerned that low of temp for a day or two may harm him.

[jmcrook]

Your century stat will work for RHPs. The tricky part is figuring out the best placement for the probe in order to get the desired temp range. Mine hang directly under the panel at half the height of the cage set to 87° and it suits me well. It will vary for every enclosure and room though. Regardless, should always have the temps dialed in a new enclosure before introducing the animal


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[Reinz]

Whatever you are comfortable with is fine.

You can move your current T-Stat over to new one until your Herpstat arrives. Or just use your current one if you are comfortable with it.

People here freak out when temps even get in the low 70s, 68 is not as bad as it sounds. I once had the heat go out in my house and get down to 60. The cool side of my cages were 64. Guess where many of the snakes were hanging out? That’s right, on the cool side, away from the nice heat available to them. They know what they want so I didn’t worry about it, but was relieved when the house heat was fixed.

Sounds like you are on top of things, best of luck.

[Gio]

Hopefully you have already unplugged the panel.

One thing you need to have set up before you place any reptile in a cage is a properly functioning micro climate.

You should already know the temps of the warm and cool side and have the system running a few days before you put the animal inside its new home.

I use both Herpstat and Vivarium Electronics thermostats.

I find them to be about equal in quality.

A thermostat is one item you do NOT want to skimp on.

You should order online in the next 24 hours and have it set in place ASAP.

[Gio]

This is all VERY helpful! Thank you so much! I have a century brand, that i used on his previous home that regulated his UTH pad, but I'm not sure that one will work with this. I will invest in a herpstat. In the mean time, i may have to just put him back in his old enclosure with a hide of his so that way he can stay in a regulated space till I get the thermostat, as our house stays around 68 degrees, and i'm concerned that low of temp for a day or two may harm him.

I saw this after I sent my post.

Yes, you should go back to your old system until you have the new one managed.

A few extra days or weeks in a previously successful housing situation won't hurt a bit.

[wonderwhitters]

Thank you again. This is all very helpful. My T10 came with all the instructions for the enclosure, but nothing about the RHP, so I just wanted to ensure I was doing things properly. He's back in his old home, and probably a little pissed at me at the moment, but he'll be in his new big space soon enough. I'm gonna order a herpstat (now trying to decide which one to get...oy...) and keep him in the old space until everything is perfect in the new one.

[Gio]

Thank you again. This is all very helpful. My T10 came with all the instructions for the enclosure, but nothing about the RHP, so I just wanted to ensure I was doing things properly. He's back in his old home, and probably a little pissed at me at the moment, but he'll be in his new big space soon enough. I'm gonna order a herpstat (now trying to decide which one to get...oy...) and keep him in the old space until everything is perfect in the new one.

Grab the one with a few extra options. The night drop is a nice option.

I have a Herp II and whatever the single Herpstat is with all the bells and whistles. That may be a nice option for you.

I have never ever had an issue with either the Herpstat or the Vivarium stats. You will be very happy to have a quality thermostat.