Ceramic Heathers?

Ball pythons do better with a heat gradient. I'm certain that he can keep HIS snakes with no heat gradient, because I've seen people keep ball pythons alive without heat, although how LONG they stay healthy is debatable.

If it's a ceramic pad that goes under the vivarium, vs a UTH(which is a heating pad that goes under the vivarium) I don't get the difference?

If you mean, does the snake REALLY need a cool side and a warm side, I would say yes, it does. You can still heat one end of the cage, but you'll still be using a thermostat to control the temps. How hot does the ceramic heat pad get? Hot enough to burn your snake?

If the heat is on one end of the cage, you should have a cooler side and a hotter side. Whether you can get the PROPER temps doing this with the set-up you are talking about is something we cannot tell you. We don't know what sort of vivarium, what sort of ceramic heatpad you're talking about, or what your natural ambient tempurtures are.

If you're just wanting someone here to go "Oh sure, do what that guy does, it's great!" you'll probably be out of luck. Generally the care of the pythons means trying to give them a temputure gradient, so they can move from warmer to cooler as needed.

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Let me see if I can picture this for you.

This person uses a large ceramic plate which sits under the tank/tub/viv, therefore, the whole enclosure is the same temperature all the time, correct?

He says he keeps all of his various species of snakes with this kind of setup, and that is why you came here to see what we thought of the method, I am right?

I know that different species all have different needs, and there is nothing to say he can't successfully keep his ball pythons with this method for quite some time.

The real question becomes, how long has he used this method, and can he say with certainty it is not harmful in the long term. I don't mean 2 years or 4, or even 10 years. If balls can live 20 - 30 years if properly cared for, has he kept them using this method long enough to be sure it doesn't shorten the lifespan, or cause health problems after so many years?

I have been to many, many ball python breeders websites, and every single one of them recommends that a ball be provided with a warm side and cool side for health reasons. Since many of these people have had balls since they were first imported into the US, I'd believe them over the opinion of one person.


Or, if you choose to use the ceramic plate he is suggesting, could you set it at the proper temperature for the hot side, and perhaps use something heat resistant under the cool side to block some of the heat and still keep your gradient? That might be a workable option if you can find something suitably heat resistant, because the plate would be around 90-95 all the time, and you wouldn't want heat to damage what you are using, or worse. Perhaps something like what we call "pot holders" here. Pieces of special cloth material which you use to pick up a hot pan.

Just throwing some ideas out there for you.

Gale

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Yes you understood me 100% correct. thanks for the helpfull info, i think i will still go with the UTH then. my only question remains, how much damage am i doing to the ball python since she has a cool side of 69-71F :/

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Originally Posted by DarkSmoke

Yes you understood me 100% correct. thanks for the helpfull info, i think i will still go with the UTH then. my only question remains, how much damage am i doing to the ball python since she has a cool side of 69-71F :/

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Its like getting sick; your crazy friend Johnny can walk around in the cold with shorts on, never gets a cold and never gets sick. Your other friend Bob catches a cold if he's out for a minute without a coat on.

Typically those cool side temps can lead to problems with digestion of food which will lead to regurgitation. Those temps are also very prone to bringing about respiratory infections. Your snake could "survive" with those temps but how long and what complications along the way depend on the individual snake and its ability to tolerate temps outside the norm.

Well she looks strong and never gave any digestion problems , but of course i didnt own her for much time. im trying hard to get her the right temps but right now im way out of the money, since it will be an expense of 70euros. i hope she doesn't encounter any problems till then.

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Originally Posted by DarkSmoke

Well she looks strong and never gave any digestion problems , but of course i didnt own her for much time. im trying hard to get her the right temps but right now im way out of the money, since it will be an expense of 70euros. i hope she doesn't encounter any problems till then.

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Try to get the temps corrected ASAP when money permits. Snakes can be sick for a very long time before they start to show signs outwardly that we can visually pick up on. Regurgitation is easy to spot but respiratory infections will not show symptoms until its well established in your snake. That will require vet visit + antibiotics; which is something you will want to avoid.

Hopefully you can correct the temp issue soon before you start to run into any problems.

One other thought, could you possibly raise the temps in the room the snake is in as a way to raise the cool side temps? Perhaps with a small room heater? Would that be an option for you until you can get things worked out money-wise?

Or maybe even resort to a small desk lamp beside the enclosure to help temporarily? Just putting out ideas for you.

Gale

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Originally Posted by angllady2

One other thought, could you possibly raise the temps in the room the snake is in as a way to raise the cool side temps? Perhaps with a small room heater? Would that be an option for you until you can get things worked out money-wise?

Or maybe even resort to a small desk lamp beside the enclosure to help temporarily? Just putting out ideas for you.

Gale

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i was suggested this option before about the room heater , but the way my house is setup it would take alot of time to heat the whole room, plus gas/electricity is very expensive here to leave the heater on for 24hr/day .

Could he be talking about radiant heat panels, rather than ceramic heat emitters?
Radiant heat panels are pretty nice. They're probably the best heating option, but they're rarely mentioned simply because they tend to be pricier here. They do last virtually forever, and they're very safe.

I would never trust an undertank heater indefinitely--they do eventually wear out. Some brands only last a couple of years. Inspect your UTH regularly for signs of discoloration, cracking, or wear. Any of these should be cause to replace the device.

If he's heating a bunch of cages, he might just buy some flexwatt and some cords, and wire the stuff up himself. Same number of thermostats either way.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Could he be talking about radiant heat panels, rather than ceramic heat emitters?
Radiant heat panels are pretty nice. They're probably the best heating option, but they're rarely mentioned simply because they tend to be pricier here. They do last virtually forever, and they're very safe.

I would never trust an undertank heater indefinitely--they do eventually wear out. Some brands only last a couple of years. Inspect your UTH regularly for signs of discoloration, cracking, or wear. Any of these should be cause to replace the device.

If he's heating a bunch of cages, he might just buy some flexwatt and some cords, and wire the stuff up himself. Same number of thermostats either way.

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by the radiant heat panel, is it ceramic? cause i google some pictures and it looks like his description.

i think this is what he means but how to you install them?

The panel above is the "1611 Complete" Panel including the wrap around "skirt" by Boaphile Plastics to give that clean look while preventing any temptation to climb around the edges of these units.

http://www.boaphileplastics.com/Radi...elcomplete.jpg