Correct CHE size for my snake

ok i have a year and a half old bumblebee male in a 55 gallon tank with a branch,large water dish and log hide,he has a red heat bulb over him and a regular 60 watt bulb.temp is 80 degrees and he has no trouble shedding, i do not have an UTH and dont really trust them either much. i have 3 sides of his tank covered and most of the top as well to keep the heat in. what size CHE do i need and do i also need to change out the red heat bulb when i get that or no? and if i do need to change it out, what do i change it to,i am a newbie but he has grown well and eats voraciously i think.just looking for suggestions as to keep him better and also where would i order the nice dark hidey caves at that i see ? thanks in advance

MIndy

There is not a correct size......
There are too many variables.
How cool is the room kept in?
What is 80 degrees?
Where are you measuring temperatures?
What are you measuring temperatures with?

Well are you using a T-stat? If so, you can go with something like a 150 watt CHE. That's what I use in my 40g breeder tanks but I run them on a Herpstat and hang the probe under the CHE about 2" from the floor and set the temp from 87-88 so I get a cool side ambient of around 80. If you aren't using a T-stat, I would advise go to Home Depot and buy a lamp dimmer so you can adjust as needed. In a 55 gallon tank, I would probably get a 150 watt CHE and use a T-stat or lamp dimmer. Replace the red bulb with the CHE.

As for hides, check out Reptile Basics. They sell the ABS plastic box hides. I use them for my little sunglow girl and my pied girl and my pied girl loves them. My sunglow boa cares less about hides and mostly just sits on top of it at night haha.