Question about Samira's heat

It is a little unusual to name a pet or a snake before you get it but when you have a six-year-old little girl making all the reptilian decisions in the house and we are simply funding the capital for this adventure that's how it goes LOL. So we have decided to name our new snake Samira and hoping to get a beautiful white one at an upcoming show :)

Quick question about my heat.


I am in the process of setting up my habitat… I am following the sticky thread of how to set up a tank step-by-step. I will not be getting my snake for another couple of weeks… Hopefully it will be a blue-eyed leucistic from the Atlanta Repticon I can find a nice healthy one with a good disposition for a good price!! It's been difficult to find one locally before the show.


Things are going well I have almost exactly the items listed in the sticky thread.


The only thing that is a bit different is the top as it does have plastic crossbars going right down the middle and right across the middle so it makes it difficult to set the lamp exactly in the middle of the tank. So I basically have to choose one side or the other for the infrared heat bulb to sit over.


The other thing that was a little different was that the size of my take is 24 x 18 x 12 and the ultra therm under tank heaters were 6 x 11 or 11 x 11 so I will with the larger one knowing that I can control the temperature with the thermostat.


So I am able to get my hot side pretty consistently at 90° with no problems but my cool side is down around 70. This is without the heat lamp turned on as I need to get my infrared bulb this weekend. My question is do I leave the set up mainly where the lamp is going to be as is with the red bulb sitting over the warm side or do I change it so that it shining down on the other cooler side to warm it up a bit? Putting it in the middle is not really an option since there's a plastic bar going across the top of the screen that is part of the screen top…


Pay no attention to the interior of the tank I just have the substrate down about half an inch and a couple of items inside have not put the other hides in, the water bowl or fake foliage in there yet.


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A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) is preferable to an infrared bulb as it lasts a lot longer.

Personally I would cover the whole unit and put a second UTH and thermostat on the cool side, with the UTH set for a hot spot of 82*F. A friend of mine set his tank up that way because he keeps his house at 65*F (his wife likes to be COLD) and while the ambient in the tank is still only 70*F the snake just moves from one hide to the other to thermoregulate.

While the skull looks cool get rid of it, you don't want décor with access holes that are completely enclosed because snakes get stuck in them. Pick décor where the access has an open side so the snake can slide out easily.

I use a CHE with a thermostat but you can get a cheap lutron (brand name) dimmer switch to control the temp of a CHE to get the cool side and ambient temps to where you want it. Dimmer works but you need to measure the temperature of the substrate below the CHE to dial in the dimmer to where you need it.

Dimmer example (you can get them at home improvement stores)

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-TT-300.../dp/B0000BYEF6

I have pretty much the exact same tank! Those crossbars are definitely annoying.

My house is pretty chilly, so I started with a red bulb and have now purchased a 75w CHE. I put it on the cold side, but as close to the middle of the top as I can without hitting the middle bar. It currently isn't on a dimmer as my house is about 60 degrees, and I live in the basement. I have it on a bendable lamp base with a wire dome around it so I am able to adjust how close it is to the screen, thus adjusting the heat. It keeps my cool side at a steady 80 :)

Edit: Even though it works for me right now without a dimmer, if in doubt, it's definitely a worthwhile purchase

You can also put insulation around three sides of the tank, and that will help even out the heat. My house is cold in the winter too (as low as 55°) and my BP was in a 20 gal tank until I built him his grownup house. I used a 80-watt RHP for the ambient temperature and a UTH for the hot side. I put foam around three sides plus the bottom (don't forget the bottom, you can lose a lot of heat to whatever's underneath). Styrofoam packaging or insulation panels work great, but other things will work too. Even plywood will help.

I did purchase the luttron dimmer switch. I looked at letsmart and only saw a 50w and 100w CHE - the 100w was $35 - yikes

A quick google search showed this 75w (per wattage recommendation above) but it doesn't say "reptile" does that matter? Shows in the home & garden section.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rite-Farm-...Bulb/183705408

Here is another that does say for reptiles but it's black infrared- not sure if that matters:

https://www.amazon.com/Aiicioo-Ceram.../dp/B0183PGHMI

if not is there another you guys recommend?

thanks in advance-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Night King

I did purchase the luttron dimmer switch. I looked at letsmart and only saw a 50w and 100w CHE - the 100w was $35 - yikes

A quick google search showed this 75w (per wattage recommendation above) but it doesn't say "reptile" does that matter? Shows in the home & garden section.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rite-Farm-...Bulb/183705408

Here is another that does say for reptiles but it's black infrared- not sure if that matters:

https://www.amazon.com/Aiicioo-Ceram.../dp/B0183PGHMI

if not is there another you guys recommend?

thanks in advance-

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CHE bulb color doesn't change anything. I have the same one as that amazon.com listing just in white. 100w. Been just fine.

CHE are used for chicken brooding and various other purposes. Pet-specific branding tends just to increase the price.

Some domes come with built in dimmers/rheostats, like I'm using a Fluker's. Main complaint for me is the dial is a bit touchy, to the point it can get bumped against the side of the enclosure by my GF/roomate's cats/etc and I have to end up readjusting it and there's no markings on the wheel. So it definitely needs to be monitored properly by a thermometer then fiddled with until it's sitting at an ideal temp for your snake's surface area.

Ok so now I'm a bit confused. I have my thermostat setup on bottom of tank with ultratherm UTH pressed against it. Thermometer under substrate. Reading showing 91/73 ( I know the cool side is too cool and will work on that) but when I test the heating area with my infrared digital thermometer reads much cooler. It's a cheap handheld thermometer but when I test it around the house it seems about right. I'm kinda new at this so just making sure I'm not missing something...


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