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24K views 40 replies 22 participants last post by  maxcherry 
#1 ·
Hi,

I have been keeping snakes for a couple of years now, however, i've always had 2nd hand heat mats.

I recently bought 2 new heat mats and one of them feels unusually hot! So much so that i went out and bought an exo terra thermometer probe and placed the probe between the substrate and heat mat. I also bought a wall thermometer to monitor the air temperature. The probe started at 32 degrees C, which i thought was ok, however its been monitoring the temp for around 4 and a half hours now and its reached 45 degrees c! The air temp is only 28 degrees C at the hot end of her terrarium (exo terra 60 x 60 x 45) and the exo terra lamp which i have on top has non-heat bulbs in.

Please help, i dont want my corn to burn herself!!

By the way, she is nearly 3, shedding in full and regularly and takes food weekly - very healthy.

Thank you - any advice really appreciated!
 
#6 ·
Forgive me stating the obvious but do you have a thermostat fitted to the mat? Without one the mat can get too hot and you do risk burning your snake. If you haven't switch it off! The snake will survive until you can fit one. Or at a temporary measure fit it to a timer switch and pulse it 10 mins on and 10 mins off. The thermometer is all well and good for monitoring the temps but a stat is necessary for regulating it.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for all of your replies.

I've never had a stat, what is the best kind to buy? and do i connect that to the heat mat itself? I thought the mat shouldn't have been warmer than 30, which is why i got worried after installing the mat yesterday and buying the probe today.
All of my other heat mats seem to have been much cooler than that. My snake has always been happy, and eats every week ontime, sheds regularly so i thought that she was healthy and happy in her surroundings.
 
#14 ·
Thank you for all of your replies.

All of my other heat mats seem to have been much cooler than that.
How do you know?

ANY heat source should be controlled by a thermostat. Plug the stat into the wall socket then the mat into the stat. Put the stat probe on the floor of the viv on the mat with your thermometer probe. Turn the dial up and when the thermoeter reads 26-28C (86Fish) turn the dial down just until the green light goes off.
 
#16 ·
I'm not being funny but i agree with AilsaM did you do any research at all before getting snakes, as everything i've read always mentions using a stat of some sort with a heat source?!?!
 
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#19 ·
I have been on here for 2 years but rarely visit as you will see from my average of 0.03 post per day.

You're right, there has been no harm done, and everyone replying does have to realise that this "hotter than usual" mat has been in for no more than 12 hours with my snake in the viv for less than that.
 
#18 ·
It has been an accidental mistake with no harm done - i will buy a mat stat tomorrow.

i was sold the whole set up with no mat stat and my snake is healthy and happy?

She has never missed a feed, she always sheds regularly and she loves being handled - never snapped at anyone. Sorry for being honest about my heat mat - but you do have to realise that the last mat i had before yesterday was considerably cooler!

My snake is treated like royalty and it has been a simple mistake.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Jesus christ, this is pathetic. The OP made a mistake, it happens, get over it.

It's a well known fact that for some unknown reason (some) pet shops and the like, often sell full set-ups with no thermostats. For the unsuspecting new keeper, they have no reason to question the shops husbandry techniques.

The OP simply didn't know that they needed a thermosat, now they have been told otherwise they've said they will get one. Whats the problem?
 
#24 ·
Everyones got to remember alot of petshops dont even no what a stat is, when i bought my first snake about 10 years ago, i got sold a heatmat, viv and thats it and the guy just said plug the heatmat in and go! It still happens now, i went into a local "rep shop" near me recently and they didnt even sell stats, to the OP its obviouse youve been misinformed in the past about how to correctly heat reptiles, and your snakes have been fine for some years (Luckely), but its best to buy a stat to regulate the heat, as ive seen first hand some bad burns on snakes due to no stats,

P.S Go buy a stat :2thumb:
 
#25 ·
holy crap this threads gotten out of hand :gasp:

to the op -
your snake is healthy ,
you now know you need a stat ,
all is well 8)
it may be more luck than good management that nothing has happened so far to your snake ,
but it hasnt & you are remedying previous mistakes .
good luck with it & i hope it lives for many more years to come : victory:
 
#26 ·
Don't be put off Claire, there are folks here that will offer you help and advice. That's what this place is for.

Now back to the point.

I may have a spare one next week or this depending on delivery. It's a microlite 100 good for mats.
 
#33 ·
Wow, haven't checked this thread for a couple of hours (barely use forums!) and its gone mental! I'm glad people are seeing that my snake is happy, healthy and nothing went wrong. It's right what has been said, i've read about stats before, but along the line from various sources i've been told it's not always necessary (which i know is obviously wrong now!)

Where abouts are you - shop or breeder also :)

Thanks :2thumb:
 
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#27 ·
and anyway i keep royals in a bucket next to a radiator and what!!!!!
best way imo , better than rubs , not quite as stackable but easy to clean & the car washing ones are only 97p in asda :2thumb:
& we only have the radiators on in the depths of winter so saves on them expensive heatmats etc running all the time :whistling2:
 
#31 ·
My other halves Royal spent almost 10 years on an unstatted mat, he was never sold a thermostat.
This doesn't mean he didn't do his research, as with the OP, the original mat we had was a perfect temperature (Measure with a digital probe) It was only after purchasing a new mat after the old one stopped working did we purchase a thermostat because the new mat got to over 40 degrees.

You live you learn.

No animals were harmed, all of our animals are statted now, the abuse that comes out sometimes is really un called for. And as said a lot of shops do NOT sell thermostats, it's a bad move, but if there's no ill effects then how is the new owner to know any difference?
 
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#35 ·
I always thought that was the point of forums. they are not a place for witch hunting.
correct !
my street was the ideal place for witch hunting tonight , i just hid behind the garage & waited for em to come up the drive
i managed to bag 6 of em in varying sizes ,also got me 2 skeletons , 3 ghosts:2thumb:




& i winged a frankenstein too but he ran away :whistling2:
 
#36 ·
Hi Claire. I'm in Birmingham. just another girl that loves her snakes. Waiting for my new viv so i wount need the microlite once it comes.

Have a nice night i'm off to dreamland.
 
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#37 ·
Hey claire....wow no wonder you don't post on here very often! Don't let this put you off coming on again coz likes been said...plenty of people will do their best to help with any future problems. That's part of the great thing about this forum, if you can't come here to ask for help-where can you go! Lesson learned and all that and I'm sure you will sort the issue asap :2thumb:
 
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