Herptek Terrariums heating

I have the 90x60x50 herptek terrarium, and just recently got a 100watt zoo med ceramic heat bulb.
I was wondering if it is ok to place this ceramic heatbulb (inserted into a 100watt dome) straight on to the square/rectangular mesh section?

Will the mesh not get way to hot and be dangerous for my ball python if it should come into contact? I have already put the ceramic heat bulb onto the mesh, and I litterally burn my hand when I touch the mesh.

Ive seen that people place their heat bulbs straight on to the mesh, without lifting the dome with a clamp or anything. I was wondering what your expierence are with that?

Do you guys also tape some of your vents in the in the herptek terrarium closed to keep the air temp up?

Thanks a lot guys, I'm picking my new Bp up on the 25th and want the perfect environment for her :)

Here's a link to what the mesh on my herptek tank looks like : http://www.lpracks.com/files/images/hta090_3.jpg

Do u have the bill for the bulb?? Id take it back and use the money on a UTH for your snake. A ball is a terrestrial snake and thus u want your heat on the bottom. A uth wired into a thermostat is a much better setup then a light. IMO. A light will sap your humidity like crazy.

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Originally Posted by Simplex

Do u have the bill for the bulb?? Id take it back and use the money on a UTH for your snake. A ball is a terrestrial snake and thus u want your heat on the bottom. A uth wired into a thermostat is a much better setup then a light. IMO. A light will sap your humidity like crazy.

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I do have UTH's already, two of them in fact, but the air temperature is what I'm concerned about. Before the ceramic bulb it was 25 celcius, now it is 30-35 without thermostat. But I'm worried that the mesh that my ceramic bulb is on is way to hot for my Bp. If I touch the mesh from the inside of the terrarium I burn my hand, will the snake be likely to toch the mesh too?

If the mesh is too hot to touch I'd not do that. I have a vision which looks very similar to yours. The ambient temps are a bit of a pain if you are not heating the room. I run uth on mine (I actually use two one hot one cool) but the ambient temps are taken care of my a fluorescent light inside the enclosure. It is on for 12 hours but it takes 3-4 hours for the ambient temps to cool down. The uth keeps it from being very cool then in the am the fluorescent light comes on again.

Here are what my temps recorded yesterday... the surface temps are basically constant 80/90ºF so this is ambient air temps I am speaking about, the room where this enclosure is was about 74-7 day and 70-68 night.

10am 80ºF
2pm 85ºF
4pm 84ºF (room temps dropping)
8pm 82ºF
2am 80ºF
5am 78ºF (coolest of the day)

I did not alter the venting on the enclosure at all. It is as it came I do use a humidifier in the room so the room stays at around 60% most of the time (53%-70% kinda range) I adjust the rate on it every few days. It is no big deal.

I hope my experiences helps some...