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is 91 degrees to hot?

svtsinister Jun 10, 2004 10:07 AM

I have an undertank heater and i put my probe in the hot side for a day and the final reading was 91 degrees. Is this ok for the hot side?

The cool side is at 80

Any comments?

Replies (10)

Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 11:26 AM

It's in the range of appropriate hot side temps, but each snake is different. Judge by your BPs before over a period of time. If he/she never goes on that side, it might be a tad too hot and you might want to lower a bit. Your bp may only use that temp when digesting. As long as he/she has choices (between a hide on each side w/ different temps) - that's important.
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Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 11:28 AM

I didn't mean to say BP (Ball Python) - I meant to say your King. I know a lot of caresheets say hot side 85, but I keep my 2 kings hot side at 91 and I see them use both sides.
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Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 11:27 AM

.
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svtsinister Jun 10, 2004 12:01 PM

on top

Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 12:04 PM

Measure underneath the substrate since that's where your snake will most likely be. That way you are measuring the temp that he/she will actually feel - belly heat. You may find that different.

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1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

alkaur Jun 10, 2004 11:28 AM

First things first.

You really need to change your hides. The kind of hides you want are the bases for those clay pots, not the clay pots themselves. Those things are much too tall for your snake to feel safe.

Also, it looks like your tank is sitting directly on the heatpad. You need to elevate the tank off the pad about 1/4 inch so that air can pass between the tank and the pad.

I'm pretty sure 85-90 on the hotside is accurate for the hotside, so if you lift your tank 1/4 inch to give your pad some breathing room, I'm sure the temp will fall into the 85-90 range.

Then again I could be totally wrong and have no idea what I'm talking about ^_^

Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 11:38 AM

I was just wondering - do you have anything between the glass and the substrate? If not, I've always heard you don't want your snake to be able to rest directly on the glass - could burn itself and you could put some carpet or newspaper in between the two. Lifting the cage a bit for some airflow is a great idea. You should also set the UTH on a thermostat - if not already.

I have to agree about the hides. They prefers low, tight and snug hides.
www.proexotics.com/FAQ_answers_Hide_Spots.html

So what kind of king is this for?

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1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

svtsinister Jun 10, 2004 12:02 PM

The heat pad is one the sticks to the bottom of the tank...it has tape so its suppose to be like that.

Tigergenesis Jun 10, 2004 12:06 PM

That's fine, but you need airflow under the UTH. That's why you need to lift the tank a bit. You don't want a build up of heat under there - could be dangerous. And again, you still need something in the tank, between the glass and the substrate.

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Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

alkaur Jun 10, 2004 01:51 PM

Tiger is right ^_^

I should have been more specific. I use a human heat pad so it doesnt stick to the tank like reptile UTH. In the case of yours, listen to Tiger, she knows what she is talking about ^_^

As far as the substrate, you can try putting a layer of newspaper under your paper towels, just so there is some extra padding between the bottom of the tank and your substrate.

I use an outdoor carpet for my substrate, and beneath that I have a few layers of newspaper so I know its not too hot. I keep my probes, one for my themometer, and one for my thermostat, inbetween the carpet and the newspaper.

And you DEFINATELY want a thermostat to regulate temps. It will automatically turn your pad off once it gets to a certain temperature, then turn it back on when the temp drops below that. This way it keeps it at the temp you want, and doesn't flucuate so much. I have this one:

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/ReptiTemp_Rheostat_923100.html

The 20.95 one that is. I got it from my Local PetCo for only 10$ ^_^

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