Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the best Brand and Size of UTH for a 40 gallon breeder?

Zoomed has a 40 gal size, but with that size pad I'd get a dimmer (home depot) or rheostat along with it, as they can get REALLY hot.

Order it online from LLL Reptile, Big Apple, etc...
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

What about Exo-Terra? They have what they called a "Rain Forrest" & a "Dessert" UTH. Has anyone heard anything about these or reccomends them??? Thanks again everyone!!!!

I'm using the green reptile carpet as substrate. Just in case that makes a difference.

Logic tells me that the difference between the two UTH's are maximum temp with the desert having the higher maximum temp of the two. Keep this in mind, the heat generated by the heat pad has to travel through the bottom of the enclosure and up through the substrate. This would mean that you need to make sure the UTH you choose will properly heat the substrate at the point where the snake is and not under the tank.

As to your choice of substrate. It is possible that the belly of your snake can become irritated by the stiff and coarse fibers of the carpet. I am not saying you should not use it, but the irritation is something to watch for. Reptibark or aspen might be a better choice, and both products are readily available at your local pet store.
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Happy Herping,
Jody Barnes
Royal Kreationz

My snakes aren't fat, they're big boned.

It game me an error message so I thought it didn't post.
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Happy Herping,
Jody Barnes
Royal Kreationz

My snakes aren't fat, they're big boned.

Logic tells me that the difference in the two heaters are the max temp that they can attain, with the desert having the higher temp capabilities. Keep in mind that the heat has to travel up through the bottom of the enclosure and the substrate to provide heat for your snake. As long as your UTH can maintain correct temps you should be OK.

As to your choice of substrate. It is possible for the carpet to cause irritation to the belly of your snake. I am not saying you are wrong for using it, but the irritation is something to watch for. Reptibark or aspen are good alternative substrate choices to the carpet. Those items are inexpensive and should be readily available at your local pet store or in the classifieds here.
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Happy Herping,
Jody Barnes
Royal Kreationz

My snakes aren't fat, they're big boned.

I've never tried exoterra's heat mats, so I can't really give you my input on them. I've been using zoomed's heatpads since I got my first ball python 16 years ago...and I still have that first one, AND IT STILL WORKS.
I think that speaks for itself!

However, no matter what heatpad you get, a rheostat is a must because once you start getting larger pads, they produce much more heat. My 16 year old pad is the 10 gallon size, and doesn't get much hotter than 100 on full blast. The 40 gallon size I have gets so hot it melts plastic, so I always have a rheostat on it to dim it down.

And, like Kyle said, the reptile carpet isn't necessarily the best. I've noticed that snakes kept on it tend to get dinged up scales much more often, and it tends to be more difficult to fiddle with humidity with reptile carpet.
Aspen is a fairly inexpensive alternate choice, and could help with your snake's security issues because it'll be able to burrow into it and hide better.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

n/p