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Summary: Heat is very important for sand boa constrictors. Learn how to place the thermometer to get the proper heat reading in the cage with expert tips on owning snakes in this free exotic pet care video.
Cordell Jacques has worked in the pet industry for more than 10 years. He is also a reptile hobbyist in one form or another. Jacques keeps more than 20 various reptiles, frogs, fish...read more
"So were going to talk about digital thermometers. A digital thermometer is going to cost you a bit more, however, the good things about digital thermometers is basically what it is... this is going to go on the outside of the aquarium and then it's got these probes that you run into the aquarium. Now these probes aren't self-adhesive. They have little suction cups, so you can move them around and you can adjust where you're judging your temperature from. You get a little bit more versatility out of them. Plus, the digital thermometers keep a record; generally, of the highest temperature and lowest temperature you're reaching your aquarium. So, by hitting a memory button, you can get an idea, even when you're not at home, of where your temperatures are while you're away. That way, you know, if you're getting something that's alarmingly low or alarmingly high you know you need to adjust your heating on your aquarium. Now, when we're placing our thermometers, we're going to talk about the dial one again for just a second. What we're going to do is, like I said, generally I recommend having two in an aquarium. So what you would do is you would take one and you would put it towards the top in the back of the aquarium on the inside, towards the top, underneath the heat lamp. And then the other one you would take and you would put towards the bottom on the opposite side. Now that's going to give you a heat gradient of the aquarium. It's going to let you know what the lowest temperature is and the highest temperature. That way you know that your whole tank is well within the limits of what you need to be. For a sand boa, we're looking somewhere around 110 degrees one side and 85 degrees on the other."
eHow Article: Placing Sand Boa Cage Thermometers