Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you guys use thermostats or do you just give a sufficient amount of aspen bedding to thermally control your pen? I plan on aspen bedding...I'll put in 3 inches and test surface temp...if to low ill go to 2 inch and see...If to high I'll go to 2 1/2 and test...Etc. I heard that the snake is smart enough not to burrow down and touch the pad. I was going to also put newspaper down under the aspen so he cant contact the glass which is scorching hot.

I did that a few years ago but you really are using more electricity than you need and the chance is still there of thermal burns. Check out Big Apple Herpetological Supply's website. They have some good thermostats for about $35. Its well worth it!! Plus it allows you the option of keeping the snakes on newspaper instaed of aspen if you wanted to.

I use some nice little power cord dimmers that I got at big lots for $3 each. Ready to go out of the box! No wire splicing.
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-David Harrison-
.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1. Striped Anery Corn "V" or "5".....Has two names
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
.1 Ball Python "Cleopatra"
0.0.2 Crested Geckos "Vinnie" & "Cadence"

"Have you ever tried simply turning off the T.V., sitting down with your kids... and hitting them?"

Danger! Most heat tape/cable products absolutely require some kind of regulating device-either thermostat or dimmer-for safe operation. Burned through racks, dead snakes and even house fires are possible results of using heat tape without a regulator. I've seen 4" flexwatt burn through two layers of plastic rack shelving!
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

>>Do you guys use thermostats or do you just give a sufficient amount of aspen bedding to thermally control your pen? I plan on aspen bedding...I'll put in 3 inches and test surface temp...if to low ill go to 2 inch and see...If to high I'll go to 2 1/2 and test...Etc. I heard that the snake is smart enough not to burrow down and touch the pad. I was going to also put newspaper down under the aspen so he cant contact the glass which is scorching hot.

Ok
for my under tank heaters I do not use thermostats.
Probably should but I don't.
For my racks using flexwatt I DO use thermostats.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

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I dont have any thermostats on my aquariims but I will be building a rack soon and will be using them there.
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My inside problems only effect the outside world....And I am ok with that.

Thanks everyone, I think I'll just get a cheap dimmer to tune it down a bit and use aspen.

Great help guys.

I use a bio stat, and a lot of aspen. Odd you ask about this as I had a major issue of my cage temps going way up.
I fed all my snakes, most rather new and almost ALL upchucked.

I actually checked temps in a cage and it was in the 90's!

I got a digital read up with a probe in 1 cage, reset biostat.
All snakes have ate at least one and kept food down. PHeeeeeeew!

But I have had to keep readjusting my biostat to keep it at the temps I want? I'm still not sure is a stat issue or where I have the stat prop. But clearly it is worth a stat or a thermometer with a read out as a secondary read on temps.

Also like when I had a lot of ball pythons, I see some corns sitting on the warm end at 85-86, and some that love the cooler end. I think long enough tubs, or tanks to allow a good gradient temp pattern is critical is all cages are on one stat.

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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

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