Does my snake need a heat mat?

I'm sure ya'll came here to look at the dumb post and laugh and state the obvious, but trust me my friend I'm asking for a legitimate reason.
I live in California and it gets to 110-120 F on average during the day in summer. We only have 1 swamp cooler and with it on, it's 80-85 F temperature in our house, with the swamp cooler on at 1 AM at night.
Inside of my snake's enclosure, it gets 85 on the cool side and 100 on the hot side (under both hides on the substrate). I realize this is way too hot for my snake and now I wonder if:
Should I keep the heat mat on during the summer?

I'm interested to see your thoughts about it. I don't have a thermostat to maintain the heat mat either. I'll be getting one very soon, hopefully.
Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kingdomall

Should I keep the heat mat on during the summer?

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In my experience: 85F ambient is fine for ball python digestion.

Your snake needs controlled temps, you should never run a heat source without a thermostat or controller of some sort on it. Unplug it and figure out a way to cool your snake so his temps stay stable and not going over 90.

I asked a similar question to an experienced snake keeper who lives in a hot climate. I was told it's fine to not have a heat mat at those ambient temperatures and they always turned their mats off in the summer. Your enclosure sounds plenty warm on its own.

No, you don't need a heat mat. I don't use any in most of my enclosures. This time of year all of my heating equipment is turned off. My snake room stays mid 80s.

PLEASE unplug the heat mat. ALL heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat. You're risking serious burns, neurological issues and even death leaving it plugged in unregulated.

If your temp are in the mid 80's there is no need, I do not provide a hot spot myself 7 months out of the year.

I agree with all the others...no heat mat while the cage is 85-90*. I'd avoid letting it get much over 90* also, & you could put a plastic jug of cold water in the corner to
offer a cooler option when needed, & see what your snake chooses also.

thank you all, I'll let you know that I did unplug the heat mat last night right before posting this.
I'll be getting a thermostat soon!

You can get a fairly cheap thermostat for about 16-30 dollars. (of course you can splurge and go 100-1000) The Inkbird has a cooling and warning feature to it too. I set mine on a fan in the summer with a warning when the temps get too high so I can address it.

Also, personally, I provide a shoebox-sized water dish (Sterlite shoe boxes) so they can soak and cool off in the winter. (I keep the humidity under control by putting it near the screen end of the enclosure.) Lets them cool off when especially hot, and they like using it for shedding purposes too. I know that most keepers usually put small water dishes in usually, but in a hotter climate, they seem to really enjoy it, and the water will keep cooler than the enclosure. (Plus mine knocked over the water dish when it was tiny too frequently, so I gave up and went bigger)

I don't get central air and my air conditioning isn't always good enough to reach without a power outage, so it lets them figure it out themselves. I also usually change the water with fresh cool water more frequently during summer so they can get a cool bath if need be.

*cool off in the summer. Didn't catch that until I posted it...