|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|||||
|
||||
|
|
When considering
setting up a new vivarium for an animal it is commonly accepted that there are certain fundamentals that must be provided
for your animal to thrive, breed and have an acceptable quality of life. These fundamentals include temperature control, humidity
level, correct U.V provision (where applicable) and biome (Arid, Temperate, Tropical etc.). Other considerations would include
security (for the captive, hides, burrows, plants etc) and the provision of a daily freshened water source. This article
is concerned with temperature control. Upon research of your new charge it will become apparent that it requires a certain
climate in which to thrive. This climate combined with the above mentioned fundamentals attempts to re-create the most accurate
representation of natural conditions. Unfortunately
not everyone is motivated to even try, instead opting for dangerous guess work. Consider as an example that you have purchased
a 3ft vivarium for your Corn Snake. The shop you have bought the vivarium from made no mention of the control of temperature,
instead providing a 60w spot bulb with the simple statement. “That
will be fine”. How
on Earth do they know that? Here
is an example to illustrate my point. One average day
you are leaving for work at 8.30am, your 3ft vivarium is in the living room which is at an air temperature of 17 Celsius and
the hot end of the vivarium is running nicely at 29 Celsius (perfect for your little Corn Snake.) Bear in mind you don’t have a thermostat! By 2.00pm when
you have just had your lunch break at work, you notice and comment to a friend how warm it has become that afternoon. Instead
of harbouring thoughts of B.B.Q’s and Lounging in the garden your thoughts should be directed at your poor Corn Snake.
The air temperature in the living room has risen to 25 Celsius. So, what has happened to the basking temperature of the vivarium?
That’s right it has reached a treacherous 37 Celsius. Enough to serious dehydrate and if prolonged prove fatal to the
captive. Also worth considering
is if the temperature goes down (a much more likely on these un-forgivingly inclement Hopefully this
has painted a picture of just how dangerous it can be when you don’t use thermostats. A thermostat
interrupts the feed to the heat source from the mains and decides using a temperature probe inside the vivarium whether to
add or withdraw power. These assessments are constant so as to offer a constant perfect basking temperature. It is amazing
to think that some keepers, however experienced try to create hollow arguments as to why they do not need a thermostat. I
have little or no patience for these people and more of them exist than you would think! My view is simple; if you cannot
afford the pre-requisite equipment to adequately care for your new pet then PLEASE don’t buy it. It would be the animal
that you are being unfair to, a lack of funds is not justification to keep an animal in an uncontrolled and potentially life
threatening situation. So you beg the
questions: Q1) Where can I buy a thermostat? A1) You may find that even though
some shops may not sell thermostats with their vivariums they will stock them or if not their wholesalers definitely will,
so one can be ordered for you. Alternatively there is the internet where you can buy one from an online store (these are often
at discounted prices). Ebay is an option for the particularly skint although bear in mind you have no idea of the age or electrical
integrity of used units. If you search hard enough online some real deals can be found on brand new units. Q2) How much is a thermostat? A2) This is not really an issue
that matters too much. You need one regardless of the cost, PERIOD! Plus the answer is totally dependant on the type of thermostat
you need. The recommended retail price of thermostats varies from £21.24 right
up to £165.00 for a digital solution. Q3) Are all manufacturers of Thermostats reliable? A3) In the U.K there are two
long established Manufacturers of thermostats, both have earned a loyal following and between them provide a diverse range
of thermostats for a multitude of applications. The two Companies are:
My advice would
be to stick to these two proven manufacturers, both have well established track records. Some times especially in Aquatic
Centres they tend to supply inferior South East Asian produced units. Having tried these units in the past I have found them
to burn out, lock, fuse or not provide constant temperatures. The temptation will be there as they are cheaper but believe
you may end up regretting it. The British companies mentioned above are made for our electricity and I personally have and
have seen thermostats as old as 15 years still running efficiently. Q4) How do I know what type of thermostat I need? A4) This all depends on the heat
source you wish to provide for your animal. Below I have separated the lists into types of heat source (incandescent and non
incandescent) and included thermostats fit for purpose provided from the two main manufacturers. Incandescent
Heat Sources: This basically
only includes spot bulbs of all guises. For this type of heat source the only type of thermostat you can use is a Dimming
thermostat. This is to both offer the most accuracy and also for the inhabitant to have a constant light that will be gradually
dimmed/brightened dependant upon temperature. Other thermostat types such as Temperature stats will make the vivarium more
like a disco on..off..on..off..on etc. Some ones likely to start singing….Come on Eileen! Furthermore this is likely
to stress the inhabitant as well as providing a waving temperature pattern never truly settling on the true basking temperature.
A pulse proportional thermostat by its fluxing nature will blow the bulb very quickly indeed (The filament within the bulb
being too weak). The Thermostats
available on the market for incandescent basking bulbs manufactured by the two above mentioned manufacturers are: Non incandescent Heat Sources: This totally
depends upon the heat source power rating as to which thermostat you would apply to provide a solution. A low powered heat
source such as a single heat pad would only require a mat stat which has the relatively low capability of controlling 100W
of power. This application is most common in starter kits for juvenile animals such small colubrid snakes and gecko species.
(It is worth noting at this point that whilst writing this article I am seriously puzzled as to why a Temperature Thermostat
– 300W is applicable. The lower wattage applications can be handled by the Mat-stat previously mentioned and in either
multiple heat pad applications to a single stat or higher wattage heaters a Pulse proportional Thermostat would be the product
of choice. My conclusion to this quandary is that the temperature stat was invented years ago before pulse and dimmers were
an option. Manufacturers have continued to produce the unit regardless. We will discuss application later in the article when
we concern ourselves with controlling multiple environments from a single thermostatic unit. Control of a single heat pad: Control of multiple heat pads, Ceramic
Heaters, Tubular Heaters, Power Plates and Pet Cassettes: What is day/night and why is it a
consideration when buying a thermostat? Essentially your
animal/s have a natural temperature cycle where obviously temperatures will reduce come night fall. Sometimes the drop is
minimal (tropical animals) or sometimes drastic (some temperate or desert animals). The day/night feature of any of the thermostats
listed above allow you to control temperatures 24 hours a day. Each manufacturer provides a solution to automate this process
for you so you are not forever manually correcting thermostats. Research must be under taken to fully understand the natural
climate of your captives. There are numerous meteorological sites online to show annual temperature highs and lows. Many books
will also state the preferred tolerances of the species in question. When considering breeding reptiles and amphibians many
species must be put through a period of brumation to get the males producing sperm and females producing follicles for the
coming breeding season. Three major factors are considered at this time of the year. Day time high and night time low temperatures,
light cycle changes and finally humidity increases/decreases dependant upon taxon. By purchasing a day/night thermostat you
are in complete control and can accurately map out a graph to maximise breeding potential in your animals. Below is an example
graph illustrate the day night high and night time low for a tropical Boa or Python being put through the brumation process.
You are in control of all of this and it is easy to achieve with a day/night thermostat, clever pieces of kit!
Q5) How hard is it to rig a thermostat up? A5) As long as you
understand a couple of simple principles the answer is – not very. A thermostat is governed by the temperature it has
been set to and the information received from the probe. The thermostat will increase or decrease wattage to the heat source
in an attempt to reconcile the probe temperature with the desired temperature on the thermostat casing. That after all is
a thermostats job. It is therefore imperative that the location of the probe is correct. Below is a diagram of how to rig
up a thermostat, indicating the correct location of the probe.
Because of the
active nature of your vivarium inhabitants it would be impossible to locate the probe directly under the heat source as it
is highly likely to be disturbed /dislodged and could lead to excessive or partial heating. The probe must be in a position
where it is affixed so as to give permanent true readings. I have found that the best location is on the back wall encased
in electrical conduit (trunking). The probe should always be at the end of the vivarium which is to be heated. The
reasoning behind this is that the greater the distance the probe is from the basking site, the greater a variation will occur.
The closer the probe is to the basking site the more sensitive it is to temperature changes in the immediate vicinity. Essentially
when looking at the diagram above you want point A and point B as close as possible. Still bear in mind that the probe must
be securely housed in a place where it is reading air temperature. Substrates have insulating properties that may not give
true readings. When you have
installed your thermostat to your empty vivarium (it is taken for granted that common sense says that you do not install a
thermostat whilst an occupant is present) insert substrate and the basking log or rock. It is from the top of this basking
site that we need to measure the temperature directly underneath the central beam of the heat source (by default this is the
hottest point in the tank). You set the temperature for the inhabitant by the thermometer reading not the thermostat. If for
example the basking area for your bearded dragon is 40 Centigrade the thermostat will not be set this high as the probe is
on the back wall. Thermostat may only be set at 32 or 34 (as an estimate) to achieve the desired temperature directly under
the heat source. Try not to have
the area where the animal is to bask to close to the heat source. The reason for this is that the closer the basking area
is to a heat source the less work is need from the heater to achieve the desired temperature. Below is an illustration to
help understand the above point.
The research
you conduct before you purchase your animal should include both basking and cool end temperatures. The steepness of the gradient
depends solely on the species you want to keep. Also bear in mind the temperatures required for some desert animals (Spiny
Tail Monitors (Varanus Acanthanurus) and Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps) are so extreme that the only way to ensure the
gradient is correct is to provide additional length to the enclosure, hence why a Bearded Dragon enclosure is not a 24”
vivarium (plus they grow that bloody quick in two months you would be buying a new vivarium anyway!) (N.B: Microclimate International have introduced a new thermostat to their range that is perfect for higher temperature
animals. It is the B1ME (HT) it can handle basking temperatures 10 Centigrade warmer than other Microclimate Thermostats.
It is nice to see a bit of adaptability from the manufacturers. Enquire at your local dealer. If these are not available you
will then have to move the probe further down the vivarium to be able to get the basking temperature warm enough, this will
suffice but is not perfect as control is reduced the further the probe is from basking site.) |
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
