Setting up for my new snake!

Hey everyone,

First off I would like to say I'm brand new to the forum so if I'm in the wrong section or anything bear with me. I take criticism well so don't be afraid to tell me if I'm being stupid :P

Anyway, like in the title, I'm getting an 18 month old California kingsnake soon. I paid the store in advance and asked them to hold it while I made sure the cage was set up properly.

It's a 20 gallon long critter cage. I bedded it with 3-4 inches of aspen for burrowing purposes. I have all the basic hides and a water dish. My main question is termperature. All I have for temp. is a 75w bulb sitting on the screen. The warmest spot in the tank reaches 83F and the coolest is 66F. I know these are cool (like cold) but the room is in a basement and the weathers been chilled recently.

Are these temperature okay for the next month?
Should I get a stronger bulb?
Should I add a heating mat?

I'm not too restricted on money so any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks in advance

You need an uth with a thermostat set for 85 degrees. The uth by itself will burn the snake as it gets too warm.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheWinWizard

You need an uth with a thermostat set for 85 degrees. The uth by itself will burn the snake as it gets too warm.

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But I thought snakes could moniter themselves. Like leaving an area if it gets too warm or returning when cold.

No, my small UTH was reading over 130* before I got my dimmer. You need either a dimmer ($10.00 at Home Depot) with a temp gun (to read temps accurately) OR you need a thermostat. Can't argue with this..
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-me...(graphic)

THAT is a burn from a UTH.

Indeed, with a dimmer you have to keep checking the temp as it will vary depending on the room temp, a thermostat will adjust accordingly so you don't need to check as often. Here's an inexpensive one that I own that works well. http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1141025&sr=8-2

HOLY CRAP!
So glad I decided to consult ya'll before I actually got the snake. I'd feel awful if I caused that to happen to her. So this raises questions...
How does that thing work that you showed me?
Do I plug my mat into that, and then put a sensor near it, and adjust accordingly or what?

You plug the uth into the thermostat and tape the sensor to the uth. The uth gets attached to the bottom of the tank.