Posted by:
markg
at Tue Sep 22 13:26:29 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by markg ]
Use a heat pad like an Ultratherm or tropical-style Exo-Terra. These pads do not get extremely hot. Then, purchase a herp-specific thermostat or temperature controller. With this setup, there will be no burns. You can get a thermostat for $30.
Milksnakes dwell in substrate (soil) in the wild. They conserve moisture that way, avoid predation and are able to warm up or cool down as needed by coming closer to the surface or going deeper. They use objects or the substrate to heat themselves as needed. This is why heat pads work out well as long as the heat pad has something to transfer the heat to, like a substrate, piece of tile, etc.
So, a heat pad is a great way to heat. Add some substrate. I prefer soil - the stuff w/o chemical additives. Coir fiber mixed with a little sand works well. Of course you can go the aspen route. I don't use it anymore. If I use shavings, it is sifted dry pine or Sani-Chip, or a mixture of the two. I often use the shavings in summer when humidity is high, then switch to soil in Winter and Spring when humidity where I live is low (soil holds humidity far better than wood shavings, and milksnakes have thin skin and dehydrate easily unless they can conserve moisture).
I purchased some fake rock water bowls, flipped them over and use them as hides. Plastic hides are available too. For milks, they will hide under rather flat hides. Even a piece of plywood over the soil is an effective hide, or a piece of tile or cork flat. Or paper, or cardboard. Milks use it all.
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Mark
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RE: PLEASE help me with my temp gradient!!! - markg, Tue Sep 22 13:26:29 2009