Temps<>Up and Down

I use a temp gun on my arm and it is 90? It was only 94-95 after a hot shower. Internal temperatures are higher. I am not sure what would start to burn a BP but I think mimicking natural habitat temperatures is an important part of reptile husbandry. Going beyond may impose risks and in the case of an unregulated UTH I measured and Zilla heat pad on an empty gecko enclosure at 133f.

Just my thoughts. (Sorry to the OP for contributing to the hijack)

LOL AK907 I was writing as you posted! :O

98 isn't going to give a BP a bad burn, extended exposure will make a burn worse though. Bad burns require higher temperatures.

98 is still too hot even if it doesn't pose a high risk of burns.

*EDIT*

I see I am late to the party lol

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Originally Posted by AK907

Your internal temperature is 98.6. Your skin is actually much cooler on average. 98 degrees over an extended period of time in unhealthy for a ball python. It might not burn them in the sense you're thinking of (blisters, etc) but it isn't good for them. Now, if your unregulated heat mat gets to 130 degrees, it most certainly can cause severe burns. I've seen reptiles with burns from them.

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Oh yes, I've always had a thermostat on my heating pad as I think the two people who got me into BPs would have given me a good wallop had I skipped over that detail, and his hot spot doesn't go over 92. I've just been curious about that for a while since our internal temp is within the "burn" range for them, but my hands have never caused a burn. Thanks for clearing that up for me :3

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Originally Posted by Jazi

Oh yes, I've always had a thermostat on my heating pad as I think the two people who got me into BPs would have given me a good wallop had I skipped over that detail, and his hot spot doesn't go over 92. I've just been curious about that for a while since our internal temp is within the "burn" range for them, but my hands have never caused a burn. Thanks for clearing that up for me :3

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:gj:

Nopers, you won't burn them with your hands. I worry about my wife giving ours a cold, though. It can be 114 degrees in the shade and her hands are still ice cold! :D

98º is not going to burn a snake. 100º either rats body temp is about 100º normally. The problem is that their body core temp gets too warm the body functions shut down. At 98 for too long they will stop digesting and given time liver kidneys will follow and death not far behind. Temps over 120 are needed for a thermal burn. Remember they will lay on a hot surface and the contact temps will increase from the body insulation. This can get them quite a lot warmer than the raw surface temp is reading.

I have a theory it is not backed up by tests but I have had 2 respected vets and a breeder agree it is sound.

If you are finding you snake staying on a hot surface and not regulating look to the ambient air temps. Snakes need to hold a correct core temp just like you or I do. They need to use external sources to do so. The lung of a snake is very large and runs 1/2 to 2/3 the body length. It runs past the heart, liver and all the large circulatory system. If the air temp IN the lung is cool (ambient air temps too low) the blood is chilled and core temps drop. The animal will compensate to try to raise the core temp by laying on the hot surface. With a very cool ambient air temp it is unlikely that surface temps alone will do much for the core temps. Core temp is a hardwired imperative so the snake will not move away from the heat no matter what.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I have a theory it is not backed up by tests but I have had 2 respected vets and a breeder agree it is sound.

If you are finding you snake staying on a hot surface and not regulating look to the ambient air temps. Snakes need to hold a correct core temp just like you or I do. They need to use external sources to do so. The lung of a snake is very large and runs 1/2 to 2/3 the body length. It runs past the heart, liver and all the large circulatory system. If the air temp IN the lung is cool (ambient air temps too low) the blood is chilled and core temps drop. The animal will compensate to try to raise the core temp by laying on the hot surface. With a very cool ambient air temp it is unlikely that surface temps alone will do much for the core temps. Core temp is a hardwired imperative so the snake will not move away from the heat no matter what.

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Makes perfect sense to me. Kind of like when my dog lays too close to the campfire on a cold night and we have to stop him from catching his fur! :O Just trying to use a localized heat source to warm his entire body.