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Thermostat necessary?

Maloof

Maloof

New member
Hey guys. My corn is 8 months old and I feel like I want to move him up to his new tank soon. How soon depends on his growth, but I have a 29 gallon waiting for him. The measurements are roughly 30"L X 12"W X 18"H so it's the same as a 20 long but a little higher.

Anyway, when I move him up a tank size I will need a new UTH, and I have a question. Is a thermostat really necessary? I mean his current UTH has a switch which allows you to choose between a high, medium, and low setting. I have a thermometer with a probe with which I measure the temps on the hot and cold side of his tank. In the 6 months I've had him I just switched the UTH setting depending on how cold it was, but rarely needed to change it as the warm side temperatures consistently stayed at 80-85 degrees.

So when I move him up a tank size should I get a normal UTH and get a thermostat or just get another UTH with a setting control? I know the thermostat would probably be better at getting precise temperatures, but does that really matter if I have the general temperature control and a good thermometer? What do you guys think? Do you have better experiences with the thermostat option? I guess investing a little more would be a good idea because I'd use it for a long time, but I'm just curious to see if you guys think its necessary.

Oh and when would you guys recommend moving him up? I've heard to wait until the snake is as long as the length and width of its current tank. Is this a good rule of thumb, or can I move him up sooner as long as he has plenty of hides and a very full tank? Thanks in advance for any input.
 
I, myself, think a thermostat is necessary. But I've never seen a UTH with a high-med-low setting. Are you measuring the temps in the middle of the UTH, on the glass?

I have a snake in a 20L who's been there since she weighed 6g. She utilizes the whole viv, and loves it. It's not too big for her; it is well furnished with plenty of hides, vines and a hammock.
 
Thanks for responding. The thermometer probe is kind of in between the top of the substrate and the glass, so it's halfway down the substrate. To be honest I'm not way too worried about him burrowing down onto the glass because he absolutely does not burrow on the warm side of his tank. He is either inside his warm hide on top of the substrate or burrowed somewhere on the cool side.

That's interesting to hear about your snake, as I've always heard that a large enclosure could be too stressful. I don't really have any fake plants or anything like a lot of people have. Right now I would have a fairly large driftwood piece that isn't in his current tank because it would be too big, but its about 12" by 6" and I would put that in there, and some "bendy branches" which he loves that you can bend to various shapes that I would put in there, as well as 3 hides and a water dish. Would this be enough for a `20-22 inch snake to feel safe in a new and larger enclosure? If you do think I should move him up a tank size, when should I do it? a few days before a feed day so he gets used to it? Should I back off handling for a bit to let him get accustomed to things like you do for a new snake? Sorry for all the questions but this is my first snake and I'd like to feel confident before I make a big move. Thanks again.
 
I heard of a thermostat with a setting like that but never found out the Make could you tell us the make of yours.
As for you larger viv. Just add move hides to helf the snake feel more secure. zMove your snake before you feed him or about 48 hours after you feed it and you could also hot glue the probe to the bottom on the viv, right where the UTH is.
 
The heat pads that have "high, medium, low" settings are little more then dimmers. They are no where near as accurate as a good thermostat which will turn on/off the thermostat or lower/heighten power based on the temperature you set it at (dimmers do not do this). A dimmer creates a steady stream of power based on a setting, not the temperature. This means that if there is a temperature drop or spike in the room, the dimmer will put out the same amount of power, possibly freezing or cooking your pet.
 
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