Heating and Hiding

[futurebpowner]

I plan on getting a CHE and put it in a wire fixture. Is it safe to set this on the mesh top? and I plan on getting a young BP at an expo I'm assuming these are usually 100g or lighter. Are 2 mediums hides ok for a snake of this size?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Yes, you can put a CHE on a mesh top as long as it isn't too heavy. I would suggest that you get a lamp dimmer or thermostat to regulate the CHE to the proper temperature.

You will find a lot of different sized BP's at an expo... I would consider a young BP to be 300 grams or less.

Are you talking about the hides sold by reptile basics? if so I would suggest the small size for a 100 gram BP mediums are way too big.

[joefer13]

Ok I am still new at this as well so any of you people correct me if wrong. Are you using an aquarium set up I am guessing? I had my CHE straight on top of my mesh with a dome cover that way snakey couldn't reach it. only thing you have to watch out for is how hot surfaces in there might get. like my ambient got into the high 70 low 80s range but the CHEs they make objects like hides hotter so my hide itself was in the 90s...crazy I know.

as far as the sizes of the hides my bp who is close to the 200s yea he's a baby still lol, he still finds the mediums kind of big so I took two ends of a nutrigrain "i think" cardboard box cut them low and made a small hole so that he had a more tight hide that he could enjoy.

[TheSnakeGuy]

A wire cage fixture should be fine. I recommend hanging it on an adjustable lamp stand. Zilla and Zoo Med both make one for around 15$. You can also adjust the height to achieve the right temp. I use these along with 75watt red bulbs in some fixture. Your medium sized hides should be ok even for a baby ball python. They prefer cramped spaces so you could ball up some paper and put it in there to fill some space.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Here is comparing the reptile basics mini, small and medium size hides to a 200 gram Pastel Female



She was using the small size at the time.

Here is a shot of a 200 gram male pastel in a small size hide. remember they like their hides to be snug.

[futurebpowner]

I was planning on getting a light dimmer. I was wanting to get the Hagen brand hides from Reptile Supply its dimensions are 6"x3"x1.25". It sounds like a small hide should be perfect for awhile. Thank you for the awesome pictures by the way!

[iCandiBallPythons]

Your money will be well spent investing in a good thermostat instead of a dimmer

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