temporarily keeping my bp in a dresser?

Hey guys this is my first post here and am looking for some suggestions or opinions. I am having difficulty keeping my 34 quart Hefty brand tub at proper temps. I have a 10-20 gallon zoo med heat pad and that is definitely not enough to keep temp. The hot spot is at 90, cool side at 68. Now I know for keeping a thin plastic tub at a good temp the actual temperature of the room its in needs to be warmer. This is not possible for me so i was wondering if placing the tub in my dresser drawer with a mini space heater attached to a thermostat and fire proof insulation would be good or would it dry out the snake too much. I would drill vent holes in the rear of the dresser and drawer. This would be temporary as I got an Animal Plastics terrarium on order but will be weeks or months before i get it and will keep temps up in that with radiant heat as well as under tank heat.

That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

First off, uth mats are not meant to heat the air. They are for surface heat.

I would add a heat lamp over it. I've done it many times in temporary setups and it works fine. I prefer to use a lamp on a Zoo Med lamp stand($20 at big box stores and Amazon) that is purpose made for this and very adjustable. Plus you can raise and lower the lamp to lower or raise the heat delivered.....or get a dimmer from the hardware store.

That's what I have done and would do.

FYI, it is very likely you'll have similar issues with the AP cage using uth alone. You may need a oil filled heater to heat the room a tad. That's how I heat my snake room all year and I use one in my bedroom so I don't have to run the heater as much during the winter. They're great!

lol yeah it does sound pretty sketchy. I dont like the light idea just because it would need to be on almost 24/7, it gets pretty cold in Michigan. What about ceramic heat bulbs? would the heat be enough to penetrate the plastic lid? I just dont wanna dump a bunch of money on things that may or may not work. Fyi i dont yet have my ball python and it would be my first snake.

With your PVC cage get a radient heat panel. That will warm the air. In the meantime the lamp sounds the way to go. The dresser drawer idea sounds like it would end up with a dead snake.

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Originally Posted by Virago

lol yeah it does sound pretty sketchy. I dont like the light idea just because it would need to be on almost 24/7, it gets pretty cold in Michigan. What about ceramic heat bulbs? would the heat be enough to penetrate the plastic lid? I just dont wanna dump a bunch of money on things that may or may not work. Fyi i dont yet have my ball python and it would be my first snake.

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Either a CHE or heat bulb will work fine. I've used both. They easily pass heat through and can even provide a proper hotspot and ambient temperature once dialed in.

I once did this for months when an ordered cage took much longer than expected. That was for my large Blood Python in a under bed storage tub.

thanks I will give that a try. also i did plan on getting a good radiant heat panel for my pvc cage when i get it. ive heard good things about them

Ditto on the heat lamp idea. What I did when I had tubs was a UTH for belly heat and a dome fixture hanging from a lamp stand over the center of the tub. I used a CHE in the fixture so that it would not emit light. It is important to have the lamp on a dimmer switch so that you can adjust it to the proper temps. I hung mine about 3" above the tub top and it went though the plastic and heated the air fine.

Be careful to get a fixture and CHE that are rated correctly (i.e. the right watt CHE for the fixture and not something rated higher than the fixture).

I now keep all my reptiles in a heated reptile room, so I don't have to use the CHE anymore. I use an oil-filled space heater hooked up to a ranco t-stat.

hilarious thread title. There has to be a better way to keep temps up.

I second the space heater to help with ambient temps. Just switched to heat tape and will NEVER look at another UTH again!!! Have not yet tried the lamp because with the heater on its very toasty...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Virago

lol yeah it does sound pretty sketchy. I dont like the light idea just because it would need to be on almost 24/7, it gets pretty cold in Michigan. What about ceramic heat bulbs? would the heat be enough to penetrate the plastic lid? I just dont wanna dump a bunch of money on things that may or may not work. Fyi i dont yet have my ball python and it would be my first snake.

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I use a Che in my aquarium enclosure for me and my daughters BP it does a great job of heating and also sucking every last drop of moisture out the enclosure. I think I spend more money on water misting the cage then I would on a oil heater to up the room temp. It does work for now though till we get our pvc cage. Just a little devils advocate for ya