Newbie- a few questions

[Rose414]

Hello, brand new owner of a Sinoloan Milk Snake here with a quick question.
Everyone talks about temp ranges but not where to measure them or whether to prioritize air temp or surface basking temp.

I bought an UTH but don't have a thermostat yet so it's off.
Currently using a 40-50W bulb during day on a dimmer and a nano 40W ceramic at night. Mostly worried about not overheating bc we are temporarily using a 10gal while traveling & that seems the greater risk with colubrids. Switching to at least a 20long next week.
The uth was reaching 112-121 surface temp on the felt liner I bought so I turned that sucker off but probably plan to go that route later bc snake likes to burrow so much.
The bulbs are working well but if I aim for air temp(mid to upper placement of probe) on the hot side at say 84 the basking surface under it is over 90. If I aim for a surface temp of say 85 the air on the hot side is 75-80ish. Cool side is perfect both ways.
Which is better?

That said the little guy is spending his time happily buried in the Aspen no where near the basking area no matter the temp.
Separate question- can't find anywhere how people heat Really Useful Boxes... Are they using only UTHs or do some modify a mesh hole in the lid for a bulb?
Thank you in advance!

[nikkubus]

UTH for tubs and other smallish plastic containers usually.

Generally you want surface temp and air temp to be within a reasonable range but the air will always be a bit below. If it's very different, you may need to adjust airflow.

[Albert Clark]

Welcome to the forum! I think you shouldn’t worry to much about basking warmth with the milksnake. The warm side of 86F- 88F should suffice for them. Cool side of 73F - 75F will be sufficient for him\her. Remember also they are colubrids that are primarily nocturnal and do better on the cooler side. In the wild, the milksnake is known to seek shelter under rocks and shaded areas to escape hot days. I really feel a range of 73F-88F tops will suffice and bring out the activity in the reptile. They inhabit a wide range of habitats thus are very adaptable and thrive in cooler to moderate temperatures. If your shooting for a bit cooler you will be fine.

[Malum Argenteum]

I've kept Sinoloans and similar milks. I like to provide a hide box that is warmed by the UTH (and another dry hide off the heat, and a moist hide off the heat) to capture the heat from the UTH. I don't like to use heat lamps or CHEs unless absolutely necessary (since they use too much power, are a fire hazard, and can mess with the moisture levels of the enclosure), which they're not for a milksnake.

Starting by targeting the temps Albert mentioned is what I'd do, and then based on the snake's behavior, adjust the thermostat up or down -- if the snake is always in the warm hide, bump up a degree or two; if the snake never goes in the warm hide, lose a degree or two. If the snake uses all the hides sometimes, that's the sweet spot.

A thermostat should be a strong priority (before the snake, ideally, to get things dialed in, but at any rate sooner rather than later). Herpstats are by far the best, and cheapest since they cost less than the vet bill for a burn or an RI and are the thermostats most likely to prevent these occurrences because of their reliability, customer support and safety features.

[Rose414]

Thank you so much! I wondered if I was overthinking it. I aimed a little cooler today and he came out more and actually used the whole tank
Just to be clear, if the rocks are over the max suggested 90 I've heard will he get sick or just wisely avoid that spot?

Silly goose pooped in his water :p

[Bogertophis]

...Silly goose pooped in his water :p

No, silly you, for expecting him to drink from his toilet. Don't you know we're all just providing "room service" to our snakes?

[Malum Argenteum]

Just to be clear, if the rocks are over the max suggested 90 I've heard will he get sick or just wisely avoid that spot?

Specifically to hot spots: UTHs are sometimes misused by being set up to provide a heated surface in an enclosure that is otherwise cool. The hot spot needs to be such that the snake is able to raise its body temp to the desired level and maintain it for the desired period of time. A hot surface in a cool room is simply a version of a frying pan, and those make a nice crispy coating without fully heating through -- good for pepper-crusted ahi tuna, bad for snakes. That's why using the UTH to warm a hide is a good practice, since the warmth of the hide warms the snake. So the snake may sit on a hot spot that is hot enough to burn but not hot enough to raise its core temp.

More generally: animals have a range of needs/desires/motivations -- perceived security, appropriate temperature, moisture levels, the 'feel' of surfaces, location in relation to objects/barriers/the incomprehensible stuff outside their enclosure, and a whole bunch of other things that we maybe can't even comprehend. They don't always seem to prioritize the way a human might, and so may opt for feelings of security while being burned if their safe spot happens to be right on the unregulated heat pad, and might risk an RI if their safe space happens to be in the moist hide. (Well, humans don't always prioritize well, either, so there's that.) So no, they won't necessarily avoid harm in seeking whatever need they have.

Animals are wise, but captive conditions can thwart their wisdom, so we need to not depend on the ability of their wisdom to save them from our mistakes. What I said up there about reading the snake's behavior to adjust the heat pad temp goes for all the other aspects of husbandry, too: if the snake is always in the moist hide, it may be that the whole cage should have a little more moisture. If the snake is always under the only natural hide in the cage that happens to be on the cool side, it might prefer the feeling of the natural material over anything, and so should be provided with more numerous natural options. And so on.