Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When checking the temp, do you guys check from the top of the substrate, or under it (floor of the container) I just bought a rack and am trying to get the temps right but have been finding a considerable difference depending on whether I take the temp on top or under the substrate.

Thank you,
Zach

You have to measure from the bottom because that's where the snake crawls and stays put...unless you have an arboreal snake that stays on branches all the time...but I suspect that since you are in this forum, you have a milksnake..which means, measure the bottom temperature not the top portion.

Hope that helps.
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RAY

Zach, I misunderstood your initial question..i guess you were questioning the substrate itself, top or bottom of the substrate. I placed the adhesive temperature gauge like 1/8 inch above the substrate....so the answer is top of the substrate.

Thanks,
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RAY

I do like Ray and test temp right on top with a temp gun if it's newspaper and totally flat on the floor.
If you are using a substrate like aspen I burrow down and check the temp right at the bottom. Say if you were to check your temp flat on the top of the bedding the temp might be a nice 84 degrees and later when you check back and check down at the bottom where your milksnake has now burrowed it might be 92 degrees. Randy w.

...with this post. All my Milks love to burrow, so I figure it makes sense to put their thermometer probes into the substrate. For non-burrowers, such as Ball Pythons, the probes stay about 1/2 inch above the substrate.
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Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
3.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Ball Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
1.1.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican & Mid Baja)
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.0.0 Western Hognose
1.0.0 Albino San Diego Gopher Snake
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.1.0 Desert Kingsnake
LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
0.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
1.0.0 Turquoise Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.0.3 Leopard Geckos
1.1.0 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
1.1.0 Green Anoles
1.1.0 Bahama Anoles
FROGS
2.2.0 Southern Bell Frogs
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
0.0.2 Striped Walking Frogs
0.0.3 White's Tree Frogs