New Ball is not active at night

You don't really need much circulation. The fact that the air inside is warmer than the air outside the enclosure will promote plenty of circulation as the warm air vacates the top of the enclosure and cool air replaces it. My 3x2x1 PVC enclosure only has two slots about 3 inches long and 1/4" thick on the top back sides, plus whatever air gets past the "seal" of the acrylic hinged window in the front. Plus, it's not as if snakes breathe large volumes of air, they have itty bitty little lungs compared to us. A few square inches should be more than enough circulation.

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Originally Posted by A2Lackey

I say "ambient temp" but my thermostat is actually resting on the ground of the enclosure. I will definitely lower it a few degrees though.

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the thermostat probe needs to be OUTSIDE the enclosure sandwiched between the UTH and the OUTSIDE bottom of the enclosure. a UTH DOES NOT affect ambient temps and is not an ambient heat source; you need supplemental heating, i.e. a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to raise ambient temperatures if you're struggling to maintain temps.

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Originally Posted by A2Lackey

One more question that I've been wondering, how much of the screen lid can I cover and still allow good air circulation. I probably have over half of the screen lid covered (including where the light sits). Is that too much? Could I cover even more than half?

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you can cover the whole thing; stagnant air won't have any affect on the snake. if you're worried about circulation, use tinfoil or saran wrap to cover the entire mesh top and cut two slits into it with a box cutter or other knife and that will allow air flow.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

the thermostat probe needs to be OUTSIDE the enclosure sandwiched between the UTH and the OUTSIDE bottom of the enclosure. a UTH DOES NOT affect ambient temps and is not an ambient heat source; you need supplemental heating, i.e. a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to raise ambient temperatures if you're struggling to maintain temps.


you can cover the whole thing; stagnant air won't have any affect on the snake. if you're worried about circulation, use tinfoil or saran wrap to cover the entire mesh top and cut two slits into it with a box cutter or other knife and that will allow air flow.

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I only have a ceramic heater that sits above the screen. My thermostat is set on the ground directly under the bulb

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Originally Posted by A2Lackey

I only have a ceramic heater that sits above the screen. My thermostat is set on the ground directly under the bulb

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i apologize for misreading your posts. i would recommend getting a UTH for your enclosure and placing the CHE in the middle of the mesh top if possible. you stated your CHE hot side was 95° (which is TOO HOT) but if it were lower, the cold side drops too low: my solution would be getting a UTH + thermostat which would ensure a proper hot spot temp without affecting the cold side temps, then you can use the CHE for solely maintaining ambient temps.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

i apologize for misreading your posts. i would recommend getting a UTH for your enclosure and placing the CHE in the middle of the mesh top if possible. you stated your CHE hot side was 95° (which is TOO HOT) but if it were lower, the cold side drops too low: my solution would be getting a UTH + thermostat which would ensure a proper hot spot temp without affecting the cold side temps, then you can use the CHE for solely maintaining ambient temps.

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Would I need a thermostat for the CHE too?

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Originally Posted by A2Lackey

Would I need a thermostat for the CHE too?

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all sources of heat must be regulated. with my CHE i actually just use a rheostat. i took time to dial it in and it works great, although i check temps often when it's running. if the room the snakes are in has a consistant temperature then a rheostat will work fine.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

all sources of heat must be regulated. with my CHE i actually just use a rheostat. i took time to dial it in and it works great, although i check temps often when it's running. if the room the snakes are in has a consistant temperature then a rheostat will work fine.

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Thank you! I will get a UTH right away!

You can cover up most of the screen top with something like a plastic garbage bag or something similar. That is what i do for over 3/4 of my screen top.