UTH question?

[Delphine]

Okay, I have had a pueblan milk snake for over 4 years now and I need help on how to update his cage with my growing knowledge.

I have a UTH on one side, but nothing covering the glass an only aspen shaving in the tank. What can I use to cover the bottom of the tank so that it doesn't get so hot and give my snake a burn on his tummy.

Please don't yell at me for this. I just noticed this yesterday and need help on how to fix this to give him a better home.

[kyryah]

There are a couple of things you can do, and none of them involve covering the glass

First off, do you have the tank elevated, or is it sitting directly on something? You should have about 1/2" space in between the bottom on the tank and what it is sitting on. This allows airflow and keeps the pad from over heating. Over heating can be dangerous, it could even crack the glass or cause a fire.

Second, get yourself one of these Repti Temp 500R Thermostat

It will allow you to set the temp at a steady spot and keep it there, and will keep it from going over that temp. They can be expensive, so the link I gave is one of the best places to get one.

Kristina

[beckdg]

get a few thick tiles... break one into small pieces and silicone the pieces to the bottoms of the other pieces at the corners... then set them inside using the other piece as feet ... this should raise it up so it doesn't get the full blast of the heat... more like a natural radiant heat... make sure you cut the pieces you'll be using on the bottom to fit with some wiggle room so you can pull them out for cleaning

if you want you can stuff screen in there to hold the aspen... it will make cleaning a lot easier... pull up at the corners causing an inverted parachute to remove the aspen... pull up tiles and rinse them with warm/hot water, towel dry and commence to clean as normal.

aspen is not a good substrate to keep any animal from the danger of burning on a uth and personally i am shocked at how often it is suggested for a burrowing animal without so much as a mention of this possible (imo probable) issue... it is just not dense enough to keep an animal from touching bare glass... which usually have a uth anyway cause they too are often suggested to keep a burrower warm... this combo is often suggested and it is almost never forwarned what you are REALLY in for!

[kyryah]

On the bedding note, I prefer a mix of coconut coir (Bed a Beast, Eco Earth, Forest Bedding, etc.) and play sand (ABSOLUTELY NOT CALCI SAND!) If you hydrate the brick of coir, squeeze out the excess moisture, and then mix with dry playsand (available at Lowes and Home Depot, the kind for sandboxes) it has a nice humidity to it, and it holds it's shape well for burrowing. The top layer will dry a little, which is fine and prevents scale problems, but the underneath stays nicely damp. You can re-wet it just by pouring in warm water and mixing it around a bit.

Just remember, warm+damp=okay, cold+damp=DEADLY.

Kristina

[beckdg]

a light dimmer on a cord might be useful instead of or in line after that controller... the pad and glass can get just as hot if the probe isn't directly on the uth/glass and the dimmer will prolong the life of both your uth and/or your thermostat as it will cause it to turn on/off less often... if the glass gets real hot and cools frequently you'll increase your chances of cracking also... the substrate kry suggested will help also.

dimmers can be purchased for under $10 and just plugged in... then adjust over a couple days to get the right temp.

[froggsong]

I use a dimmer on the UTH in my BP tank. Because the glass gets so hot, I placed a piece of eggcrate in the bottom of the vive to keep him from being able to touch the glass.

You can also place a tile over the UTH inside the tank, or use a piece of repti carpet.

[beckdg]

yeah, i don't usually suggest the repti carpet... if it works for you then hey... but alot of animals can/will eventually get underneath it, if it's cut wrong or heated too much, or just old the ends can curl up... i just don't trust it unless you stitch in a velcro strip at each corner or something... and if you use it it's best to get 2 that way one can be thrown in while the other one is washed... in general though i'd say there still isn't any bad info here at all... i just personally don't really like that product

EDIT: i must add that i myself use the reptitemp 500r... but i have a very different situation... i have a thick dense substrate and my snake is not a burrower... i also have a rope heater as my primary that never turns off and most of the year my 100 watt ceramic heater on full blast full time is not a problem... but twice a year for around a month at a time it's too hot for that, and once in a while (very seldom) too cold... so i have my ceramic heater and another small uth on the other side of the tank set at the optimal suggested temp for him... i think 84... this forces him to thermal regulate... he's lazy!... oh and he has a light

[kyryah]

I personally do not like repti carpet either. It does not allow for any microclimate at the substrate level, which is where humidity is important for snakes/tortoises/terrestrial lizards. Too often I think we rely on ambient humidity, and it just isn't enough.

Kristina

[beckdg]

it is still pretty cold where you are correct kry??? so i would say you are correct about ambient humidity in that case... here in the southern corner of pa the ambient is just about perfect for most boas and pythons... not for their first winter or 2, but the rest of the year and after that it's great, and if anything a water bowl of correct size should do fine for them if any water at all


here's the thing... when air is cold it can hold a lot less humidity measured in specific humidity (grains per pound)... when it is heated the g.p.p. stays the same unless it flows across a source of water along the way... since there is a lot more room for humidity once it's heated the relative humidity is lowered considerably (%) but it is still the same amount of water (g.p.p.) so since you're in michigan your house probably rarely reaches over 30% humidity in the winter, which is extremely low for many animals and even humans have a primary range of 40%-60% for comfort and health reasons... if your kids get asthmatic or croupy in the winter it might be best to check your humidity in the house and correct it b4 they go to sleep where they'd be most likely to be affected by lower humidity... although if you are keeping all them cages this might not be an issue for you personally

good thing though we still agree there are many downfalls to repticarpet although it is really convenient if you don't mind working around things a little to make it a little safer and can still keep it easy to work with then i'd have no qualms... i just wont use it myself cause i know someone will get under somehow... and without the humidity radiating the burn will be worse and heal slower... and we all know that lends itself to other issues related to lower immunity from the healing process being a burden on the animals system.

[kyryah]

The humidity here is TERRIBLY low in the winter, and TERRIBLY high in the summer. Michigan supports a large body of water every 6 square miles, so during higher temps it gets down right muggy.

During the winter I run a warm mist humidifier and during the summer a dehumidifier Helps keep things interesting.

Kristina