heating...

[Solid Snake]

today i checked my thermometer (on the warm side) and it was a regular 80F, so i left the lamp on and the under tank heater on. As i got home, i found my thermometer on the floor of my snakes tank because the sticker wasn't sticky enough. So i just left it there. Soon after i looked at the tempurature and it was at 97F. I placed my palm on the bottom of the tank, and it wasnt that hot.

Are thermometers meant to be placed on the walls of the tank or the bottem??

placing the thermometer on the wall of the warm side is 80F
placing the thermometer on the floor is 95F

Btw. Its a 100Wat red lamp, and a heating pad with Reptile carpet.

[reverendsterlin]

most folks will say that most thermos suk whether wall or floor placed they are basically inaccurate, a raytec(?) or other quality point and shoot will usually give the best and most accurate reading.

[Solid Snake]

how much are the good ones?

[Andy_G]

Floor temp is more important than wall temp. 95 is way too hot.

[Vanan]

Basically wherever your snakes hangs out is where the thermometer should be placed. Terrestrial snakes, on the floor and arboreal snakes at the basking height.

[Solid Snake]

If i use aspen do i place the carpet under all the aspen so that the snake doesnt hurn itself when its underneath?

[Vanan]

If your snake is a totally fossorial species like a sand boa or a Calabar python, then don't use the heat pad below with the aspen as those kinda snakes will burrow to avoid heat from the sunlight in the wild and may burrow themselves to their deaths in that setup. If your snakes is a normal terrestrial snake wich burrows occasionally then there shouldn't be a problem as long as you have rheostat on the heat pad.

Always remember, it's better if the snake's too cold rather than too hot. When their critical temp is reached, they can die in minutes. It takes longer to kill a snake by cooling it.

On the contrary to not using a heat pad for burrowing species, Katt uses heat pads on her sand boas but she has the temp set on low so that even if they do burrow they won't burn themselves or kill themselves.