# Other Pythons > General Pythons >  help cant keeep this glass tank warm

## zacharys

i cant keep my ball pythons glass enclosure warm im warming it with a uth and a heat rock what else do i need its a 29 gallon tall

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## TheSnakeGuy

First of all, unplug the heat rock and throw it away. They are bad for any animal because they can cause bad burns. You need a thermostat to plug your under tank heater into and regulate it. And you probably need a 100-150watt red heat lamp on top to get your temps to a healthy level.

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PitOnTheProwl (04-06-2013)

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## PSYCHOTIC

I am currently using a 75 gallon tank and have one Nocturnal Infrared 100w up to 30% uvb and a little room heater and it gets to hot. Also i thought you werent suppose to use a heating rock because your snake will burn itsself on there and you might get more damaged than intended on.

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## Sita

Heat rocks are bad and can cause burns. Glass tanks are not very good to keep balls in, as they require a lot of modification to keep everything right. I'd recommend getting a professional PVC type cage (animalplastics.com, boaphileplastics.com). 

In the meantime, get some rigid insulation foam and cover three sides of the tank. You may also want to get a red bulb as suggested above. You can cover most of the screen top with plastic wrap and a towel to help hold in heat and humidity.

You should definitely get a thermostat (a Hydrofarm one on eBay sells for about $30) to regulate the heat pad, as unregulated they can cause burns. You can also find an Accurite indoor/outdoor thermometer that measures humidity as well at Walmart for about $12. The thermometers that you place on the sides of the tank are useless, since they are not measuring the hot spot, rather, a few inches above it, which can be several degrees different.

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## Raven01

> First of all, unplug the heat rock and throw it away. They are bad for any animal because they can cause bad burns. You need a thermostat to plug your under tank heater into and regulate it. And you probably need a 100-150watt red heat lamp on top to get your temps to a healthy level.


I can't recall the brand but, there is *one* (and only one to my knowledge) brand that produces regulated heat rocks that are also designed to fail in the "off" position.  Which would make them safe to use for animals known to require belly heat from basking spots.  Of course ball pythons being mostly nocturnal are not known for basking on rocks and tarmac at all so this would be a pointless addition.

I forget the brand so, if anyone knows of this please share that info.  It may be useless for balls but could be useful for some species.

And, as TheSnakeGuy says, since it is highly unlikely you have the single manufacturer's heat rock that could be considered safe and your python doesn't need it anyway unplug it and use it as decoration only or throw it out.  That will save you a trip to the vet at best or the loss of an animal at worst.

Pic's of your set-up might help.  Depending on the set up enclosures can be insulated if in cooler rooms.  Ceramic heat emitters, heat bulbs, Under Tank Heaters, or heat tape could help.

PS, if the top is open screen cut a piece of lexan, acrylic, plexiglass or similar material and dril some holes in it to allow airflow but, at a slower rate than a fully open top.  This will help retain both warm air and moisture.

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## Dehlol

Buy a cage built for a snake and not for a fish.

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## Alexiel03

> PS, if the top is open screen cut a piece of lexan, acrylic, plexiglass or similar material and dril some holes in it to allow airflow but, at a slower rate than a fully open top.  This will help retain both warm air and moisture.


i did that with my 20 gallon screen top tank, but i used a piece of cardboard covered it with some foil and poked holes in it for ventilation...its cheap and works great for keeping both humidity and heat in the tank.

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## Foschi Exotic Serpents



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## Coopers Constrictors

> Buy a cage built for a snake and not for a fish.


THIS.

Also... Do not EVER use ANY kind of "heat rock" for snakes...

Your tank needs to be insulated, heavily, from the outside to avoid the snake coming in contact with adversarial material, and to keep the heat and humidity in. You also need to get a thermostat to regulate your heat pad. OR... you can get an enclosure specifically built for snakes and NOT for fish. There is a reason why they are called "fish tanks" and not snake tanks.

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## KMG

What is the ambient cage temp?
What is the ambient room temp?

I keep a glass tank in a room that is 68. I use a uth, che for the warm side, and a 60 watt bulb for the cool side. I maintain 78-80. Unless your room is really cold I bet covering most of the screen and using a sixty watt bulb would boost the temp where it needs to be. This is just a guess though being as you didn't give that much information. 

Stop using the heat rock. Neither it or the uth is going to add enough heat to the tank to boost your ambient temps. Also like already stated you need to run the uth on a thermostat. They are very important. Buy the best you can afford.

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