new rosy boa owner, question about heating

With heat mat, you won't need the CHE. You should return it and pick up one of the Zoomed reptile rheostats so that you can controll the temperature of the UTH. Unregulated the Zoomed UTHs tend to get up to around 120 degrees F and could burn your snake (unless the Zoomed High Range Reptile Thermometers do this, I'm not familiar with them). Also in terms of cleaning, a 10% bleach solution works just as well as most of the reptile disinfectants and is a lot cheaper.

-Alice

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

With heat mat, you won't need the CHE. You should return it and pick up one of the Zoomed reptile rheostats so that you can controll the temperature of the UTH. Unregulated the Zoomed UTHs tend to get up to around 120 degrees F and could burn your snake (unless the Zoomed High Range Reptile Thermometers do this, I'm not familiar with them). Also in terms of cleaning, a 10% bleach solution works just as well as most of the reptile disinfectants and is a lot cheaper.

-Alice

Ok I'll take back the CHE tomorrow, does the kind of aspen bedding matter? Like does it matter if it's chips or shavings? The kind I got looks like chips, I had to go to the petco around the block because it was closer and open today. The aspen wasnt in the reptile section it was in the gerbil, mouse, rat section.

Originally Posted by vision

Ok I'll take back the CHE tomorrow, does the kind of aspen bedding matter? Like does it matter if it's chips or shavings? The kind I got looks like chips, I had to go to the petco around the block because it was closer and open today. The aspen wasnt in the reptile section it was in the gerbil, mouse, rat section.

I prefer the shavings, lighter and "fluffier", easier for the snakes to tunnel around in, plus the chips can be splintery. Just my preference.

Is 31-33% humidity ok for a rosy boa? Also he wont burrow too far down on the UTH will he?

As long as you've got a screen top and address any spilled water bowls quickly you should be fine.

In terms of temperatures, don't trust the snake. If the glass at the very bottom feels uncomfortably hot, you'll need to adjust the temperature of the UTH. When I used the Zoomed UTH's I used them with one of the Zoomed Rheostats set on low. I like to keep the UTH between 95 & 100 degrees F.

-Alice

Does anyone else have problems with Zoomed heat pads hooked up to a zoomed rheostat? I've been playing with the rheostat all day, it's between low and medium. I cant get the heat pad between 95-100F, if I just turn it a little bit it goes too low in the low-mid 80s or too high 105-115F. I just cant seem to get the right temp for the warm side, any suggestions?

I had to play with it a bit too. I ended up with it on the high to mid end of low. If you can get it to 105 you should be fine. 105 is cool enough that you won't risk burns if the snake makes contact with the glass, the snake can also adjust how deep it burrows in the shavings to thermoregulate if it wants to be a bit cooler.

Make sure you give the temperature time to stabilize between adjustments. If you make the adjustments every half hour or so you can gradually zero in a the best spot. I think the rheostats or maybe its the heat pads too are each a bit different. I ran mine on the in the mid to high end of low, I have a friend who runs hers on the the low end of low to achieve the same temperature range.

-Alice

Originally Posted by aliceinwl

A temp gun is definately an excellent investment. Pet stores will try to sell you a lot of stuff you don't need. I use UTH's exclusively to heat my rosies and my room temperature is usually in the 70's too. I use a rheostat to make sure that the UTH stays in the 90's and doesn't get too hot. At least in 10 gallon tanks, I've found that 75 watt bulbs can really heat up the tank, a temp gun would be really helpful so that you could see what the temps actually are.

I've never tried using lights to heat a rosy's enclosure, but since they're nocturnal I wouldn't expect them to utilize the daylight bulb much. If it were me, I'd return the lighting if that was an option or save it for future use and get a good UTH (I love the T-rex Cobra heat pads). I think that it is a lot easier to establish a good gradient in a small tank with a UTH.

-Alice

What does UTH stand for Alice?

Is the Zoo Med UTH pad that is made for a 50-60 gallon tank enough to heat a 4X2X2 "Critter Cottage" snake cage? The cage has sliding glass doors and is totally enclosed unlike an aquarium. I stuck the UTH inside of the cage with a good two inches of Carefresh pet bedding on top of the heating pad. After reading everywhere that the Rosies need underbelly heat I thought I'd try using this instead of a ceramic heater from above.

I have my rosys in aquariums with the UTH's outside. Zoomed UTH's can get pretty hot: up to over 120. This can lead to severe burns if the snake comes in direct contact, and rosys like to burrow. Get a good digital thermometer or temp gun to check the heat of the UTH and hook it up to a dimmer or a rheostat so that you can regulate the power to the UTH. Regulating the power will enable you to control the temperature. It's important that you do this ASAP, it's not safe until you have some kind of temperature control in place. Maybe someone else can chime in if I'm wrong here, but I think that the dimmer or rheostat would be preferable to a thermostat since the UTH is in the cage and your snake could potentially dislodge the thermostat probe.

The 50 to 60 size should be more than enough, all you really need is something big enough for your snake to get on, the 10-20 gallon size is adequate for a rosy. Since it sounds like your girl is living in a palace , I'd recommend two hides, one on the UTH and the other on the cool end.

You may also want to get something to monitor humidity since the cage is totally enclosed. Rosys don't do well when the humidity gets high. Only use a small water bowl, and if the humidity is still high, you may want just offer water a few days a week rather than leaving the bowl in the cage. If the cage offers you any options in terms of increasing air flow, try to take advantage of them.

-Alice