Temperature. Not quite a question

Hi people,

I was just wondering why we keep our snakes in the Low 90F's when our own body generates a heat of approx 36.5 celcius with is about 98F

Surely a hot spot temp of up to 98F would be better. Surely that cant burn.

What do you think ?

What real studies have been done on what temperature is perfect ?

Just some thoughts

Jim

I would suspect that someone has measured the temperatures of the rodent burrows and termite mounds that ball pythons inhabit and found that the temperatures were usually in the low 90's. Many breeders keep hundreds of these snakes with a low 90's hot spot and they all thrive. They eat, poop, breed, and lay eggs just fine.

Reptiles are not humans, not all animals need to be at 98*F to live healthy lives. There are many snakes that require much lower temperatures. My rainbow boa shouldn't be kept hotter then 85* or else it will get stressed and die.

There is no "perfect" temperature, but these temps have been tried and true.

I believe the question is more about why our body temp. won't hurt them...

The first that comes to my mind is because we're 98 deg. on the inside, not the outside.

Dogs have a resting body temp of 101F. But you'd get sick if you kept your core temp at that all the time. Because your body isn't a dog's body, and it has a slightly different set of metabolic pathways.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClarkT

I believe the question is more about why our body temp. won't hurt them...

The first that comes to my mind is because we're 98 deg. on the inside, not the outside.

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Yeah, I think we are only like 86-88 on the outside.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sirhiss06

Yeah, I think we are only like 86-88 on the outside.

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Luckily I have probes around!

I was 31.4 C (88F):D

Human bodies are NOT 98.6 surface temp. Our CORE body temp is 98.6. And yes 98 can burn a snake since they have no receptors in the belly to say its too hot or not. So they will sit there for hours to get warm, end result they get burned.

Average Human hands if you have a temp gun are about 88-93F

Well it was just a thought.

Also I think part of the question was if anyone has known of any actual experiments or field data surveys that have happenned to do with obtaining required heat levels for ball pythons.

And are we also saying our internal body temperature is hot enough to burn a snake ? ? ?

Coz thats pretty wierd IMO

Jim

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

I would suspect that someone has measured the temperatures of the rodent burrows and termite mounds that ball pythons inhabit and found that the temperatures were usually in the low 90's. Many breeders keep hundreds of these snakes with a low 90's hot spot and they all thrive. They eat, poop, breed, and lay eggs just fine.

Reptiles are not humans, not all animals need to be at 98*F to live healthy lives. There are many snakes that require much lower temperatures. My rainbow boa shouldn't be kept hotter then 85* or else it will get stressed and die.

There is no "perfect" temperature, but these temps have been tried and true.

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Actually the temps used for housing Ball Pythons are based on the actual average day/night time temps in Africa where they are found. Not from underground in ASF holes or in termite mounds. The average temp underground at 4' is 50-55 degrees f.

There are hyperthermophiles which can survive at heats of 235 degrees F, even to the point that they can still reproduce at these temperatures. One of the major aspects of survival is withstanding the denaturing of proteins. These organisms have very unique structures. Really, common sense is almost useless when trying to grasp how these organism thrive at temperatures above the boiling point of water. We just have to go on the facts. Yup it seems pretty weird, and it's true.