Western Hognose Burrowing and Thermoregulation

Just cleaned tubs today. The past few days I've been experimenting with hognose heat gradients- instead of a hot and cool side, have the whole tub/tank heated from the bottom with a UTH, and just have a very thick layer of bedding (3 inches or so), so that they burrow to thermoregulate. Obviously wouldn't work with a BP or something similar, but it really seems to be effective for these guys. Using my temp gun, it's showing 80-83 on top of the bedding, and then 90-92 against the plastic. Watching their behavior, sometimes they burrow down (Or clear a section to get to the bottom), and other times (Most of the time) they lay on top. I'm keeping some like this, and some the classically accepted ways.

Anyone see any problems with this? Thoughts? So far it seems to be working well.

I'm not very experienced with snakes, and have never had a hoggie... but it sounds very interesting, and like it would work! My only worry would be if somehow the thermostats got unplugged and it heated up the entire tub. I don't know if that would ever happen, but that is my only concern!

Neat idea :oops:

I see no issues. My hoggy is in a tank with a small uth on one side, a heat lamp over head, and a couple hides with a big piece of drift wood. The uth under the substrate stays around 90. The surface is high 70s through mid 80s in various spots in the tank. The driftwood them offers another basking area in the mid to high 80s.

She has a log hide and a box turtle shell hide. She will burrow most of the time but I have found her in the hides and basking on the log. Mine also seems to like to climb through the plants stuck to the back wall. She is not as predictable as my other snakes and really uses her whole tank.

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Originally Posted by NH93

My only worry would be if somehow the thermostats got unplugged and it heated up the entire tub. I don't know if that would ever happen, but that is my only concern!

Neat idea :oops:

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Since the uth plugs into a thermostat if it was unplugged the uth would cut off and cool the hotspot.

I think it's a really cool idea, and definitely favors their burrowing habits. I'd be very interested to see how this little experiment plays out. Keep us posted!!

I like the idea, but I think it would be more natural to heat the surface with lamps to expected surface temps from the region and then heat the substrate with a uth to maintain temps deeper especially at night so it would be like the substrate maintained the heat of the day. Ive toyed around with the idea of doing something like this for a ball in a naturalistic display.

My only concern from something like this is the fact that the heat has a harder time escaping, you'll want to monitor the temperature over a long period of time - even with the thermostat hooked up, I assume you have it connected to the mat directly? However a gradient can be achieved, the snakes willl use it. However, again, I just suggest that across a longer time period you monitor what the bottom half inch or so of the substrate is actually reading at, it may be hotter than the plastic itself.

I use eco earth that is about an inch and a half thick. I have not had any build up of heat. I have been using this setup for about a year now. One difference though is I only have a small uth so my hoggy can still borrow in cooler areas if desired.

The concept is not bad when everything go smoothly but sometimes things happen, and in this case should there be an issue and the temp shoot up your hognose would have nowhere to go.

Early this year my heat tape while plugged into a reliable thermostat overheated http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ight=heat+tape (I know it's probably not a common occurrence but it did happen) , the snake simply moved away from the heat and was not injured. Now if it was to happen to you with heat under the entire tub it would be a different story.

Just something to think about.

All very good things to think about, guys. Thank you for the input!