New tank, heat mat?

[DarrenHyland]

Hey,

I was going to clean out the tank and I asked a family member to move the tank while I moved the snake and they dropped the tank. So, we bought a new one. I now have a 36" x 15" x 15". The only problem is, the previous heat mat went beneath the plastic tank and the new tank is a large wooden one.

I don't have any pictures but I will describe the new viv; it's a 36" x 15" x 15" wooden vivarium with 2 sliding glass panels at the front. On the back wooden panel, there are 2 circular round pieces of plastic with lots of little holes in for the snake to breathe.

My previous tank was plastic and the heat matt simply slotted underneath and it heated the bottom of the tank. In the new vivarium, there isn't anywhere for the heat sensor to be threaded into and I'm not sure how the actual heat mat would stay in the vivarium without leaving a gap in the glass, which, would allow the snake to escape.

Would the bottom of the vivarium be heated if we put the matt underneath? If not, can you recommend a type of heat mat to use? I'm pretty new to snake set up, so sorry if I lack detail.

 

[Caryl]

Yes, the bottom of the viv will conduct heat if you put the UTH on the wood. A word of caution is in order here though; some UTHs will scorch or burn wood. You don't want to risk a fire so check with the manufacturer's guidelines. If the tank is made of actual WOOD as opposed to plywood or particleboard, it's probably fine to put your UTH on its bottom. Be sure there's some air space as well.

Under no circumstance should any heating device be placed inside the viv. Apart from the risk of overheating or burns to the snake, there's a high possibility that the animal's waste could damage the heating device. This could lead to a nasty shock or electrocution, or an electrical fire.

I hope that helps.