Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Being a pastry chef I work on a marble table in the summer because it is usually 15-20 degrees cooler than the air temp. So I was thinking if buying marble tiles and placing them in the cages for a cooler area. Any thoughts? I also have tried cool packs,but they don't last as long.

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Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python
Eastern King
Mexican Black King
Sonoran Gopher
Aberrent Cal King
Anduran Milk
Hypo Brooks
Amel Motley Corn
White Sided Bull
Striped Pacific Gopher

I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol

"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"

The marble is not cooler than it's surroundings. It only feels cooler because it conducts heat away from it's surroundings more quickly than say a butcher block (wood) counter.

But this is the important point since reptiles are able to lose or gain heat quickly. It makes sense to me that a reptile should be able to thermoregulate by moving onto a slab of marble just like it can thermoregulate by moving into a water bowl, albeit without the risk of excessive soaking. Water is more effective since a reptile can typically submerge in it, which increases surface area exposed.

Your idea is still valid, just for different reasons that you are considering.

A scrap piece of slab (thick) marble would be much better than a tile, basically because the surface area relative to the mass would reduce radiation gain. And scrap marble can often be had for free or at least very cheap from stone yards.

And you might also think that stacking marble tiles two or three thick will have the same effect. This won't work because of the rough texture on one side of tile, which allows mortar etc. to stick. This would also reduce conductivity between tiles.

Lastly, there is some evidence suggesting that some species of reptiles do not instinctively recognize surface temperature differences and are not able to thermoregulate accordingly. It could be that some species will burrow or soak before crawling onto a slab of marble, even if it would work. Simply put, some reptile associate being out in the open during the day with "warming up" not matter what the actual circumstances are.
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Currently keeping:

5.8 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

You are correct, it does make a difference, and the more you have, the better. Meaning, rest the cage on it.

I took a non-contact thermometer and read the temps of various places in an outside shed reading 90 plus deg air temp. The carpet on the wood floor was 88. A piece of glazed tile on the floor was 84. A snake laying on the tile would no doubt be better off. And thick marble even better I bet. A concrete block on the floor in that room was about 80 deg. That is a significant difference.
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Mark

Hey,,,
Thanks for the replies. I am going to try a few tiles in the cages. But if they are not that effective I will go back to the ice packs and use the tile to re-model my kitchen,,,lol

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Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python
Eastern King
Mexican Black King
Sonoran Gopher
Aberrent Cal King
Anduran Milk
Hypo Brooks
Amel Motley Corn
White Sided Bull
Striped Pacific Gopher

I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol

"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"

The real point is the marble or other stone has a significantly larger thermal mass and takes much longer to conduct heat. AKA it takes longer to warm up on those warmer days. On the other hand, it also takes longer to cool as well, so would have the opposit affect as the temps cool off, it would retain the heat in the cage longer.

Using the Marble is not a bad idea in place of cold packs, but may require moving it in and out of the cage to help maintain temps.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

The beter choice is steatite.It has a significantly larger thermal mass and takes no much longer to conduct heat. The heat transfer is very fast and the capacity of thermal accumulation realy enormous.

Chris brings up a good point about the mass of the stone pulling heat away. And Dave makes a good point that eventually, the tile will reach the air temp. And Chris makes another good point about reptiles hiding to cool down.

So, for this to work, the mass of the stone must greatly exceed the mass of the snake and cage. And, for ground-dwelling snakes like kings and gophers, they would go down into the ground to cool off. So your stone should be on the bottom of the cage, or under it, so the snake burrowing into the substrate will get the effect.
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Mark

I was actually thinking of putting the tiles in the fridge during the night and putting them in the tanks during the start of the afternoon under the substrate.
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Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python
Eastern King
Mexican Black King
Sonoran Gopher
Aberrent Cal King
Anduran Milk
Hypo Brooks
Amel Motley Corn
White Sided Bull
Striped Pacific Gopher

I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol

"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"

If it were me I'd just put them in the cage underneath the substrate. If you keep colubrids which have a habit of burrowing they will find it cooler towards the bottom with the marble tile.

Let us know how it works and see if you can record some temperature differences. These temperature differences won't be real or accurately represent what is going on, but if there is a difference it should indicate the snake is getting some cooling effect.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephala (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback