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UTH safe/fire hazard

S

Saml8

New member
I'm a new snake owner and I've read a few threads regarding UTH mats being left on versus turned off if you are not home due to fire hazard. Mine is hooked up to a thermostat. I will be gone for two days (one night). I've read people saying it should be turned off if you're going to be out of town however we still have chili weather here in Colorado and I believe it would be too cold for her. What are ya'lls thoughts and what do you do if you're going to be gone for a period of time?

Thanks for your insight!
 
This is a very good question. When I only had a few snakes in glass tanks I used pads that stuck onto the bottom of the tanks, and put a ceramic tile under it. I selected pads with wattage that wouldn't be too extreme even if my thermostat failed. I use rack systems now and never turn off the heat, but do have someone check on my snakes if I'm going out of town. If your ambient room temperature is anywhere close to 65-70 I wouldn't worry about turning the pad off for a day or two. Even when I used to brumate my corns at 55 degrees they were alert when I changed their water.
 
I've never seen a reptile Heat Pad that gets hot enough to start fire.

It takes about 365 Degrees F to combust wood. Most of my heat pads max out at around 135 degrees. That's hot enough to harm a snake, but not start a fire.

The job of the thermostat is to cycle the heat on and off, keeping the temp at or around the desired setting.

Do you turn off your home AC or Furnace if you leave for a few days?

The question comes down to - "Do you have a decent enough Thermostat that you trust?"

If you don't trust your thermostat, what's the worst that can happen?

If you do trust your thermostat, what are you worried about?
 
A normally operating heat pad or heat tape should not start a fire. However, malfunctions in heat pads can, and have, occurred resulting in fires. A quick internet search will bring up several fires that were caused by malfunctions in reptile heat pads. Unfortunately, the articles usually don't go into details and name the maker of the heat pads. I did read one article that stated a ZooMed pad malfunctioned, melting through the pad and charring the wood desk under the tank.
 
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