Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terranium??

[bigmitch]

Hello everyone!! I was wondering What is a safe temp for the floor of my terrarium?? I have a 125gallon tank for my Boy Mitch and I just bought an under the tank heater pad ( like a cobra pad) I have it connected to the reostat but, was wondering what I should set it at or what temp to shoot for. I do not want to burn my boy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks everyone.

-jAySoN-

[diablo]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

ok well make sure the tank is not sitting on the under tank heater.then put a piece of cardboard over it so he can get burnt, set it around 90-91 and make sure the hot side is about 80-85 or so then the cool side around 80.i imagine its not going to be easy keeping good temps in a aquarium that big, but good luck ;D

[bigmitch]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

Right now its an ambiant 84*F , 86*F on the floor of the hot side. 81*F on the cool side.

-jAySoN-

[diablo]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

thats perfect...

[bigmitch]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

sweet!!

[Doug]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

HI,
I had problems with a glass tank a while back, I was using CObra heat mats and placed a thermostat in the loop. ( cobra says there mats cycle at 110) I also had a two probe thermometer measuring temps at the back 1 in from the floor and a second sensor directly  above the heat mat at the floor with a sticky probe sensor. I bought this electronic thermometer hydrometer at Walmart for around 18 bucks I stil use it.
   When the heat was on  the floor hit around 140 deg above the UTH under the paper. then it would coast back down to around 84 and then cycle back up. The thermostat prevented it from overheating the floor.
    SO I guess if you have enough substrate and a thermostat its not as likely to start a fire or burn a boa belly. Some times the boa's will burrow under their substrate this allows them to be exposed to a higherfloor temp.
Almost any uth, can over heat. .
   SO be sure and use a thermostat to stop that temp from over heating the floor surface, glass dosen't insulate so the heat transfers directly to the boa's if under the substrate. Boa and python donot seem to feel pain from heat I ve seen them in a pet store actually press their nose to a uncovered light bulb (DUH) and sizzle their nose and they keep on pressing, my guess is they have differrent  sensativity to pain so they don't feel pain from  cold and or heat the way we do  and may be attracted to heat , they do sense some heat.
  My ambients where around 82 in that cage the Higher the ambients the  higher the floor temps. I have seen pictures of belly burns on boa's that came in contact with the glass above a uth without a thermostat.
this cage has three large cobra mats down the center of the cage  and two large over head heat mats ,the floor still hits 110 when the themostat cycles and drifts down to about 92  and the heat uth  is under the formica floor out side  the cage and still have a little overheating  the floor a bit. my cage usally cycles about 3 to 4 times an hour so the floor is cycling up and down., the Boa like the 110 and will lay 1/2 on and 1/2 off  the  heated portion of the floor  over that UTH heat more of that thermo regulation thing. This cage 72in/24in the thermometer is in the back it also has a sticky probe on the wood floor you can also see the thermostat sensor near the thermometer its black be sure you sense temps near the snakes level cages can have tremendous gradients  measured in inches within a cage it could be 100 deg in cage 1 ft from the floor and the floor be 72  I ve actually seen this in a 40 critter..
 I place 1 thermostat in the loop and have  it plugged in the wall and a powerstrip plugged into the thermostat and all five heat devices cycle together they are plugged in to the powerstrip  the  thermostat is rate 500 watts I am pulling around 400 when the heats on.
  here's a thermostat on a smaller cage handling two che's and one cobra mat.

heat is good but I feel it must be controled to prevent extremes, same with humidity to little bad sheds,, to much and you may have  blisster disease.

  Doug
finally in closing if you have a friend who works with AC or have access to a rayotherm thermometer , a new set up should be checked for temp extremes I had lots of problems with large cages until I re-positioned the heat controlling devices. Its really amazing how much differenece can occur in side a glass tank. ???

[bigmitch]

Re: Whats a safe temp for the floor of my terraniu

;D Thanks! I have them connected to a reostat and the current floor temp on the hot side is 90*F I have yet to put my boa in the enclosure due to the fact that I don't have the temps down yet. I appreciate all the info.

-jAySoN-