Fir Reptibark

[Smilts]

I actually like carpet under substrate for just this reason.

[siz]

Originally Posted by Kmef07

Ya you have to make sure that the snake cant come in direct contact with the UTH because it might get burned.

LOL I know, I'm not putting the UTH inside the tank..

Originally Posted by citysnakes.com

really a UTH, or any heating element, should be used in combination with a thermostat. sadly this is not the case in with the majority of reptile keepers out there.

anyways, if you have no thermostat you need to measure the temp of your UTH above the glass. this way you will know the exact temperature that your snake will contact if it decides to move the substrate away and sit directly on the glass above the UTH.

Yeah Julian, I was going to get a dimmer for my UTH, that's good, right? Or..how much would a decent Home Depot-esque thermostat run me? I have a temp gun so getting exact temps are no problem. I've just been wary of using the UTH til I get everything figured out with it. How hot do these things max out at, anyway?

When I asked about UTHs in my other post, Aaron replied saying sometimes he just peeled off the corners of the paper and then stuck it to the tank..does this interfere with the heat transfer?

[siz]

Originally Posted by Coy

I actually like carpet under substrate for just this reason.

Do you just use repti-carpet? Can you put paper towel under the substrate to acheive the same result?

[Smilts]

paper towel is easy to move and i use that green indoor outdoor capret its hard to describe but its soft and i get it at the local carpet place for $1 a foot.

[citysnakes]

a dimmer should work fine as long as the room temperature is relatively constant and you are double checking the temp regularily.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by siz

When I asked about UTHs in my other post, Aaron replied saying sometimes he just peeled off the corners of the paper and then stuck it to the tank..does this interfere with the heat transfer?

I've never looked into if it affects the heat transfer or not. I didn't have any issues maintaining proper temperatures when I did it this way.

[siz]

Thanks for all the help guys

[Kmef07]

LOL I know, I'm not putting the UTH inside the tank..

HAHA i meant that the snake can't come in contact with the glass that the UTH is attached to because without a rheostat it is too hot normally.

[mykee]

NO heat source should be used without at the very least a dimmer (which is not acceptable in my eyes). If you're going to take the time, effort and money to purchase a ball python and outfit it's cage all pretty, the first purchase you should make is a good thermostat. No exceptions. If the excuse (that I hear all the time) is that you can't afford one, then you shouldn't have purchased a ball python in the first place.

[siz]

..I can't afford one!



HA, just joking mykee Where is a good place to get a good thermostats for the average person? (I SERIOUSLY can't afford Herpstats :P )

[mykee]

Jess; Herpstats and Helix's are the two top of the line models, there are others and I honestly don't know where to get them because I only use Herpstats.

[Smilts]

for smaller setups Alife has a decent one its not a top of the line but for a single unit it works I use it. Alife 1000 watt electronic thermostat with probe

[Aaron_S]

If you go ahead and spend the money (after saving) and buy a herpstat it will work for more than one enclosure. Although they have to be set for the same temperatures but at least it's three set-ups for say 3 ball pythons instead of just one.

[skysthelimit]

Originally Posted by Kmef07

Ya you have to make sure that the snake cant come in direct contact with the UTH because it might get burned.

Thats true, it could be a potential hazard. Why do you think many people dont like heat rocks for lizards?

As for the fir bark, I never had problems with it. Hmm.