Couple questions about my young red tail

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selvis

Ok cool. I'll pick that one up then. I'm still not sure on a few things though

So would I keep the heat lamp I already use? And I'm not too familiar with che. That's like a bulb you put into a lamp? Do u have a recommendation for a good che?

Also where should I place the heat mat? In the middle of the cage? Or far end?

And the probes . Are those the things you stick into the substrate that measure temperature? Sorry for any dumb questions lol like I said I'm not too familiar with these type things


http://imgur.com/gallery/Emd9C6g here's a pic of my cage btw

---

That at heat lamp looks small. You might need a bigger one.

A CHE is like a bulb and screws in the same socket.

I would recommend a wider/bigger dome and a 60 watt CHE thermostat controlled.

Probes measure temps for a thermostat. They never go in the substrate.

please get a temp gun.

UTH goes on hot side. Lamp/dome goes in the middle of the tank or a little closer to the hot side, depending. You will have to experiment.

Also. What is securing your top? You definitely want screen top latches to secure. If not, all of this is for naught. Your snake WILL escape.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=1RQODLBTEU5KA

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selvis

Thanks for the reply . That's great! I'll buy her a frozen mouse tomorrow. See how she does. I've noticed she's a very good eater. Nothing like the ball pythons ive kept in the past. Lol

I was thinking about feeding her in a separate enclosure too. Reason being is I have her housed in zoomed forest floor which is Cypress mulch. Last two times she ate she got a huge piece of wood (or whatever that stuff is) stuck in her mouth. They were not little pieces so I didn't want to risk her swallowing them. She struggled with the pieces for a while before I had to gently remove them from her mouth (which sucked bc I could tell it stressed her).

Would feeding her in a separate tub with no substrate be ok?

---

Try coco fiber/husk. I put down a layer of eco earth first then coco husk on top. This helps to keep the humidity up while avoiding conditions that are too damp. The eco earth stays more moist under the husk. Also the husk is soft and doesn’t seem to get in their mouth. My guy likes to climb at night though so when I feed him he isn’t on the bottom of the enclosure. If you feed in a separate tub you will have to handle your snake when it’s in feeding mode and while it’s got a rat in it’s gut. Also you shouldn’t need two under tank heaters unless you keep your house cool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dakski

First, you want this thermostat.

https://www.spyderrobotics.com/index...products_id=76


Secondly, the probe goes between the UTH and the bottom of the tank.

The probe for the CHE should go in the tank about halfway down, but close to the substrate. If it's a screen top, and does not have a cutout for a probe wire, you can put between screen and CHE. I don't recommend this, but have done in a pinch in the past as to not upset the integrity of a screen top. There is always a big difference between probe and floor temp in this instance. Huge difference.

Currently, and temporarily, I am running that for Toref, my monitor. It read 100F at the probe, but is 85F at the ground 12 inches below.

The temps at the probe when not directly touching the heating element, like a UTH, will have a discrepancy between its reading and the actual ground temp.

That's where the temp gun comes in. For example, the temp gun may read 84F on the ground, but the thermostat say 88F. That's fine.

---

Yeah.... I got my thermostat off Amazon for like $30 and it works great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selvis

Ok cool. I'll pick that one up then. I'm still not sure on a few things though

So would I keep the heat lamp I already use? And I'm not too familiar with che. That's like a bulb you put into a lamp? Do u have a recommendation for a good che?

Also where should I place the heat mat? In the middle of the cage? Or far end?

And the probes . Are those the things you stick into the substrate that measure temperature? Sorry for any dumb questions lol like I said I'm not too familiar with these type things


http://imgur.com/gallery/Emd9C6g here's a pic of my cage btw

---

Place the UTH on the hot side. Also get some more foliage for her to hide. Also CHE bulbs get extremely hot so be careful of burns. Since you have a screen top you can get a holder/arm to keep it a few inches above your screen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dakski

That at heat lamp looks small. You might need a bigger one.

A CHE is like a bulb and screws in the same socket.

I would recommend a wider/bigger dome and a 60 watt CHE thermostat controlled.

Probes measure temps for a thermostat. They never go in the substrate.

please get a temp gun.

UTH goes on hot side. Lamp/dome goes in the middle of the tank or a little closer to the hot side, depending. You will have to experiment.

Also. What is securing your top? You definitely want screen top latches to secure. If not, all of this is for naught. Your snake WILL escape.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=1RQODLBTEU5KA

---

Ok so just so I'm clear - Ill be replacing the heat lamp with the che? I won't be using both right?

And twill I need another thermostat just for the che? Also what siz e dome should I get?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selvis

Ok so just so I'm clear - Ill be replacing the heat lamp with the che? I won't be using both right?

And twill I need another thermostat just for the che? Also what siz e dome should I get?

---

The size of the dome isn’t as vital as what watt it can handle. Make sure it’s built for whatever watt bulb you need. Personally I think I’d rather invest in an radiant heat panel. I really don’t like CHE’s because they get ridiculously hot and are a burn and fire hazard. Currently my enclosures ambient temp is right around 90 on hot end and 82 on cool end with just a UTH and a daylight heat bulb. The ground temp is around 98 right where the UTH is. His enclosure is large enough that he has plenty of room to thermoregulate. At night the cool end dips to about 78 though so.... I may end up getting another UTH or RHP. The nice thing about RHP’s is that the snake can directly touch it and not get burnt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MarkL1561

The size of the dome isn’t as vital as what watt it can handle. Make sure it’s built for whatever watt bulb you need. Personally I think I’d rather invest in an radiant heat panel. I really don’t like CHE’s because they get ridiculously hot and are a burn and fire hazard. Currently my enclosures ambient temp is right around 90 on hot end and 82 on cool end with just a UTH and a daylight heat bulb. The ground temp is around 98 right where the UTH is. His enclosure is large enough that he has plenty of room to thermoregulate. At night the cool end dips to about 78 though so.... I may end up getting another UTH or RHP. The nice thing about RHP’s is that the snake can directly touch it and not get burnt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Ok so would this be a good panel http://www.lllreptile.com/products/1...ant-heat-panel

And do you just put that on the top of the enclosure? And then plug it into a thermostat?

I agree, RHP are far superior. They do not dry the air as much and are safer, last longer, and more consistent.

HOWEVER, this is a screen top 20G tank. For that, a CHE with a GOOD thermostat, should work well. A $30 thermostat works until it doesn't and you are risking your animal to save a few bucks. Is it better than nothing, yes, until it fails.

Down the road, please think about a Boaphile or AP cage with an RHP. Much better for the long term.

Additionally, the size of the dome does matter.

Smaller domes usually handle only small wattage bulbs. Secondly, and more importantly, the wider the dome, the more the heat reflects and spreads out in the tank. You don't want the CHE for a hot spot - you have the UTH for that. You want it to raise ambient air and ground temps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Selvis

Ok so would this be a good panel http://www.lllreptile.com/products/1...ant-heat-panel

And do you just put that on the top of the enclosure? And then plug it into a thermostat?

---

Radiant heat panels are meant to be screwed to the ceiling of wood, melamine, or PVC enclosures, not put on top of a screen-top glass tank like a heat lamp or CHE.

When your snake outgrow the tank, which won't be all that far in the future, I would strongly suggest investing in something like an Animal Plastics T8 or similarly-sized PVC enclosure as your boa's next home. Your boa will never outgrow it and you will find it much easier to maintain the proper heat and humidity. That's the enclosure where you would use an RHP.

Thank you bcr229. A voice of reason.