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OK EVERYONE HELP ME OUT HERE! I have a Zoo Med Under Tank Heater for my ball. It is a 10 gallon heater and it is on one side of a 20 gallon long. I have nearly 2-3 inches of shaved aspen bedding in the bottom. What are the thoughts on burning? I am thinking ahead here and trying to avoid a vet bill! My little guy doesnt burrow that often I have tons of vines and hides in there so he seems content with hiding in all of that. I will have pics of the set up and snake soon!
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JOSHUA

Um, what are the temps in the tank? It's advisable to buy a rheostat and/or visit your home depot for a dimming receptacle. UTH can burn your snake if it's too hot!

TEMPS THIS VERY SECOND....

HOT SIDE 91
COOL SIDE 82

Reason I post is cause it seems a little too hot when I press against in from the inside. But thats after i dig to get undere the aspen. I can barley feel the heat from the top of the substart!
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JOSHUA

Put a piece of paper on the glass where the undertank is..you can tape it down to be sure but if it is flat the snake cannot get under it...If you really think it is too hot the put 2 pieces. odds of your snake burning on the paper is slim its when they touch the glass it the bad stuff. if you have substrate on that...you should be good to go. Make sure the pad is big enough to where the snake can have its entire body on the area it covers. Good luck, not a bad idea to be concerned.

How are you measuring temps?

if you have one of those one strips that stick to the side, get rid of it, if it is a digital thermometer and you still think it's to hot, get new batteries.

I use aspen as well, and thought my snakes would NEVER burrow, but they do.
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digital, but i layed the back of my hand on the glass that the UTH is on and it felt a lil hot. Thats how i tested that. have had my little guy for 2 months and never has he burrowed. i have nearly 3 hides and not ncluding thr 4 strand of vines scattered about.
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0.1 Ball Python (Mark And Kim Bell Line)
1.0 Ball Python (Jungle pattern WC)
1.2 Ferrets (Albino, sable, and cream)
JOSHUA

2 or 3 months of not burrowing does not mean it does not burrow. I think you would be better of with an easier substrate to keep clean and impossible to burrow like news paper or astroturf (like 19c per sq ft...dont bother cleaning, buy a 6 ft by 6 ft and replace it). i would put the paper there so you lower the burn risk.

When using a loose substrate and a UTH it is a really good idea to add a layer of newspaper or carpet between the glass and the substrate. And also set the UTH on a thermostat. This decreases the chances of the UTH spiking and burning your BP. Just because you haven't seen it burrow doesn't mean it doesn't burrow - unless you watch it 24/7. Make sure you measure the temps with a reliable (digital w/ probes and/or a temp gun) where your BP can go - which is under the loose substrate and on top of the glass at this point (on top of the newspaper or carpet if you add that).
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Whatever you do, don't put just newspaper (or paper in general) down...I made that mistake and my balls just got burned lately... paper does conduct heat (something I didn't know)...just be careful...I made the mistake and I hope no one else does...it's awful...

I now put a couple old rags between the bottom of my tank and the substrate....until I get a ceramic bulb for a lamp....

Good luck and good job being prepared!

-Drako
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ceramic bulbs can seriously dry out the air, i would stay with undertank and just use precaution...put a thing layer of air between the heat tape and the glass, dont use the ones that stick.

I have to disagree with just about everyone here.

If something conducts heat, it will conduct the heat away and dissipate it. (to the air, other materials, etc.) Putting an insulator, like newspaper, in your cage to try and make it cooler for the snake is doing the opposite of what you want, and very dangerous. Just because newspaper is so thin, doesn't mean it is a conductor. You should be using a regulator (like a dimmer switch) to lower the temps.

When something insulates, that is when the heat builds up to very high levels (because the heat doesn't move away from the source) that can cause burns. Especially if the animal moves the upper portion of the insulator, and then comes into contact with the area where the heat has built up. Many heat mats made today don't get hot enough to burn until you add an insulator. Many heat mats come with directions that say not to put too much material on top of them because it is a fire hazard. As an experiment, I tried using a UTH with some geckos and found that the sand was way too hot. I removed a lot of the sand so it wasn't so deep, and then the sand was about 20 degrees cooler, just what I wanted. This was all done using temp. gun, and multiple readings were taken. (adding an insulator is also a good way to crack the glass in the bottom of your tank because the glass will expand too much when the heat builds up in the area of the UTH.)

Rodney

Well as of now the UTH is on one side without insulation. It does not seem "too hot" untile I press FIRMLY against the inner glass where it is placed. I will more than likley buy a dimmer, can i pick it up at walmart? How do the connect to the uth?
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1.1 Tangerine Honduran Milk Snakes
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1.1 Desert Banded California King Snakes
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0.1 Ball Python (Mark And Kim Bell Line)
1.0 Ball Python (Jungle pattern WC)
1.2 Ferrets (Albino, sable, and cream)
JOSHUA

i do not disagree with a dimmer however.

I think if they are not using a stick on heat tape, using a thin layer of air is the best way to go. I do not see how one layer of plain paper covering the entire area with turf on top is very dangerous. when you are using a substrate like chips, sand, or mulch, that is what causes an insulator to built in between space...I think my way is best but who doesnt.

Adding layers of paper towels or reptile carpet between the UTH and crushed walnut shells in my Kenyan Sand Boas tank helped lower the temp in his tank until I got a thermostat. The temps were too hot w/o anything between the glass and substrate and I didn't want him to get too hot/burned, etc. The carpet worked for me.
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"Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake
"Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
"Indigo"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"