UTH for Jakers FINALLY! HELP!!!

OK, off subject for a minute but I just tried Crab legs for the first time in my life tonite and YUMMY!!! Family wasn't much for sea food. HoneyPuff the Rat just LOVES seafood.

Back on subject! I FINALLY got a uth for Jakers! Well...my friend from work picked me up one and I AM gratefull, but next time I think I'll do it myself. It seems the more I get into this heating stuff the more confused I get!! So anywayz I obviously have questions about this thing, and yes I read every single word it had to say. My friend bought a Zoo Med uth for 10 to 20s. Jakers is in a ten gallon with a log, a coconut and his water dish that he hides under all the time . The shelf I am going to put him on is glass, so it'll be glass on glass. Except it did come with rubber footsie thingys. So should I put it on the bottom or on the side????

I honestly thought these things would come with temp switches to. Jakers LOVES to burrow in the dirt or the aspen. He actually has to burrow to get under his water dish. I was wondering if the glass on glass would make it really hot. If they contract heat well between eachother. The instructions said if you do have a burrowing animal and your using thin substarte I guess to put it on the side, but they prefer the side, and they recommend all zoo med substartes of course. I donno could he get burned if I put it on the bottom??? Putting it on the bottom seems like a good idea because I think a Snakes favorite thing to do after a meal would be to bask. An can someone tell me why!? you HAVE to tape it on. The option for it is cool for the side of the tank, but thats ridiculous! Is that their way of getting you to buy more or is it neccessary??

I'm also kind of worried that hes used to it without heat. I would think it was instinct to want to be warm. This worries me because I have had him for 6 1/2 months with no heat. I have had him on a human heating pad straight for a month and a half now, and always gave it to him after feeding before that. I have a thermometer in there and the temps on the warm side are 78-80 on low. Before me the crappy Pet Store I got him from didn't have any source of heat for him at all. It makes me wonder if hes used to not having heat because he barely ever uses the warm side but sometimes he snuggles up. Or wait it could of been my apartment temps to. That and his FAVORITE hiding spot is on the cool side. I'm wondering if without any temp controls like low, medium, or high, or 70-80, and 81-90 will it get to hot? If all you guys have them then I guess not.

MORE good news! I finally have him permenatly on fuzzies!! The very first time freaked me OUT! I wanted to take it out of his mouth it looked so bad but I told myself hes a Snake and could handle it. That and there was a better chance he'd puick with me doing that then just letting him eat it. Its not that bad now though. It takes him a minute like its supposed to. He just loves big full meals and eating in general.

One more about the uth though. I have a Scorpion in a plastic cricket keeper and hes supposed to have heat, could I stick it on that, or should I find something else?? I'm not asking about another species I am asking about the tank in general. Well its bed time now. Thank You guys so much for your advice, without it I would be such a worried Mommy I'd probably get sick or something. Once I've accuired your advice I will put the uth on! YEAH!!

Kristin, any UTH should used with some sort of thermostat or rheostat to regulate the temperature, otherwise it very well may get much too hot for him. You should also be measuring the temperature directly above the heat source where the snake will actually be, not in the air. The basking spot should be in the mid-80s. If you are measuring the air temps with the human heating pad underneath him, he may be staying on the cool side or under his water dish because the surface temp directly over the pad is too warm for him.

THe UTH should be placed on the bottom of the tank (making sure you use the little rubber "footies" for air circulation underneath) to one side of the tank, so he has a warm end and cool end. Especially now that you have moved him up to a bit larger food item, he needs the belly heat to digest it properly.

I would suggest getting some sort of temp controller, and move Jakers into another enclosure temporarily while you are adjusting the temps to get them just right, so you don't take any chances with overheating him. Just make sure you are taking the temps directly where he would be laying.

You don't have to stick the UTH on the tank. A lot of people stick them on a floor tile or a piece of picture frame glass and slide that under the viv.

The only ways to control the heat out put of an UTH are with a thermostat or rheostat. I prefer thermostats because you don't have the adjust them as the temp in the room changes like you do with a rheostat.

When your UTH is in place, you need to measure the temp of the glass that's closest to it. If the UTH is under the viv, put the thermometers probe on the glass (under the substrate) directly above it.

Sorry, I've gotta run now, but I'm sure someone else will finish up where I left off.

HA! Cat must type faster then me.

Originally Posted by Mary-Beth is KoRny

HA! Cat must type faster then me.

LOL, I'm usually the slow one....I must have had too much coffee at work last night.

Definatley don't understand thermos and rheos. Just when I thought I finally had him all good to. This is beginning to depress me now.

They work just like the thermostat in your house does for your furnace....they keep the heat at a steady temp. The rheostats are a bit trickier, they require some monitoring and adjusting if the temps in your house fluctuate a lot.

Zoo Med Rheostat



ESU Thermostat

Originally Posted by Leighanne

Definatley don't understand thermos and rheos.

A thermostat turns the heating device on if the temperature drops below the lower limit, then off once it exceeds that limit.

A rheostat control the amount of electricity going to the heating device, adjusting how much heat it is able to produce.

The thermostat is better, but also more expensive. A rheostat must be adjusted from time to time to allow for seasonal changes. The amount of electricity you want going to the heater in December is much greater than what you want in June. The thermostat doesn't require these adjustments, as it will simply not turn on the heating device when the weather keeps the room temperature above the lower limit.