I am not liking leaving the heat lamp on at night I have heard bad things about the under tank heating pads, I am trying to figure out maybe other ways to keep her warm with out the light, but I am afraid of hurting her. I have been told that these malfunction alot and end up heating the snake to much. Just wondering other peoples thoughts about this.
2007-08-30 15:42:48 · 7 answers · asked by kristig79 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Snakes need belly heat in order to digest their food properly. Under tank heating pads are very safe and are the best to use. They stick to the bottom under the tank. I plug mine into a dimmer switch--a little device you plug into the wall. There is a sliding switch that you can adjust the temperature with. Get a digital probe thermometer--an indoor/outdoor one works best, and put it on the bottom of the tank over the pad. Adjust temp to your snakes correct temp (my corn snake needs 85F). Forget the lamps, not needed. Dimmer switches can be bought for about $10.00 at Home Depot or Lowes, the thermometer $8.00 any garden department, Walmart, etc.
2007-08-30 16:28:11 · answer #1 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A snake expert would know that snakes need belly heat to digest. The sun beams down and warms the ground much more than the air. Since snakes have most of their body in contact with the ground, I'd say in the wild they get a great deal of belly heat.
To the asker - you need a thermostat, not a heat mat. Thermostats keep the temperature in the vivarium at a safe level, so whether you use a lamp or a mat your snake won't get burned. As an experiement I plugged a heat mat in under a vivarium without a thermostat and left it there. I came back an hour later and the temperature was 45 degrees CELSIUS. It's not safe. A lamp is just the same. If you do continue using a lamp, then make sure it's a red lamp. Snakes can't see red light so even if it is on all the time, it won't stress your snake like another colour will (after all, would you like living in constant daylight?).
Please please pelase get a thermostat. They save lives.
2007-08-31 00:09:13 · answer #2 · answered by Snake Lady 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
LOL, well...first things first.... a "snake expert" would also not have to ask how to get his corn snake home from the pet store or how soon to handle it. Two questions recently posted by Nathan.
I've also used pads for years without a single negative incident. They are far more energy efficient and quite safe. The bare surface of the glass over the pad will feel very hot but keep in mind that they are designed to be used with a particle substrate of about 1/2 inch depth. They are not the best choice if you use only a thin layer of newspaper or paper towel as a substrate.
2007-08-31 05:38:56 · answer #3 · answered by Thea 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've never had an under tank pad malfunction yet and I've been using them on all my snakes for years. Using a thermostat will almost always assure that the temperatures don't reach levels that will burn. I've used the heaters without thermostats, but I attach them to a seperate piece of glass, and tape (use tape with caution) several thicknesses of newspaper over the bottom of the tank above the uth. Then the substrate goes on top of that. Even if the thermostat should malfunction, the temperature shouldn't get high enough to burn.
2007-08-30 22:58:08 · answer #4 · answered by gallianomom2001 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First you need a larger tank . You also need a digital thermometer and put the probe on the inside of the tank . You are not getting accurate temps with a stick on thermometer on the outside of the tank . Only have the UTH under half of the tank , that way the snake can move off of the heat if he wants to . You do not want any part of the tank above 95 F . With a larger tank you will be able to get better temps .I would also use a different substrate like reptile carpet , then he will not be able to get in dirrect contact with the hot glass .
2016-05-17 13:05:55 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First things first: I am a snake expert. I know for certain that EVERY SINGLE SNAKE out there should NEVER have a heating pad. They should only have a heat lamp. The reason for this is because all snakes get thier heat from the sun, not from the ground. Thier heat absorbing scales are located on thier backs, not thier stomachs. Since you can't put the sun into your vivarium, a heat lamp is the next best thing.
NO HEAT PADS AS THESE WILL BURN YOUR SNAKE AS WELL AS FRUSTRATE IT AND STRESS IT OUT.
It isn't a case of not WANTING to put a heat lamp in, it's a case of HAVING to.
Hope I helped.
2007-08-30 23:30:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Why a heating pad? As long as the room is warm, she'll be fine.
2007-08-30 15:58:17 · answer #7 · answered by fyrefly_xyz 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋