Not comprehending how to heat the tank...

I'm sure that someone has asked this before, but I couldn't find the response that I needed. I have a zoomed UTH correct size for a 29 gallon tank attached to a repti-temp 500 thermostat, which is stuck to piece of glass from a picture frame and taped to the bottom of the aquarium. The tank is a little over 1/4th elevated off of the dresser. I have a digital thermometer with probe on the hot spot and another digital thermometer on the cool side of the tank. The hot spot is reading a steady 91 degrees, but the cool side is 71 degrees. I have read that I don't and shouldn't need a heat lamp for my BP, but the hot spot surface feels warm enough to the touch. The air and cool side feel entirely too cool. I've never owned a snake before and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. This doesn't seem like the correct way the cage should feel. Any help appreciated.

If ur room temps drops that low u r going to need a heat bulb with a lamp. Their r plenty of ways to modify the top but I used to use tin foil and cover the entire screen top and cut a hole just big enough in the tin foil for the lamp to sit on the screen. Make sure ur screen is metal and not that plastic type stuff.

A heat lamp or a ceramic heat emitter will help bump the cool side temps where they should be, as that is a little too low for them. Whatever option you go with, just make sure the watts of the lamp/heat emitter don't exceed the max of your thermostat when combined with your undertank heater. By that I mean if your thermostat is rated to handle 500 watts and your UTH is 120 watts and you get a 150 watt heat emitter, you'd obviously be below the threshold limit for your thermostat, if that makes sense. I know some people use UTH's on both sides of the tank, with the cool side hooked to a separate thermostat that's set to a lower temp than the warm side. The heat lamp or heat emitter will both kill your humidity, so just so you know. Good luck!

Thanks for the quick response! Do I plug the lamp into the thermostat as well or just plug it into the wall?

Posted the last message a little too soon. Going out to pick one of those up! Thank you very much for the help!

You're using a tank right? Like a fish aquarium? Then you need to almost completely cover the top. Cover more than 3/4 of the screen with foil duct taped around the edge. Leave a gap on one end or a small gap on either end for air circulation.

This will help hold in heat and humidity. Tanks are bad for snakes because they are not an enclosed reptile/snake cage like a Boaphile etc.. If using a tank you should make it as enclosed as possible.

If you do this and the cool side still won't get close enough to 80 them your house is too cool and you will need a low wattage ceramic heat emitter to compensate. I bought one off eBay a few years ago for a lizard tank. They last a couple years easy if they are not jarred around and they put off a lot of heat. Just use a good lamp with ceramic fixture to screw it into and the tank would be plenty warm. You would even be able to lower the temp on your UTH a little.

The wall with a rheostat or dimmer. Or u can use a separate thermostat to control it. Things with different cottage should not be plugged into the same temp control device.

For my glass tank I have a Ultratherm UTH, did the foil treatment to the top, and my temps stay right at 80. The difference I think is that my room temps are there too so it's easy for me. I would suggest using a ceramic heat lamp on the cool side to get the ambients up.

I use a heat lamp and covered the top of the tank with Plexi from HD works great humidity stays at 55-60% easily :P

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5501545_n.jpg

This has all been very helpful. Do you leave your heat lamp on 24/7? Does it matter if theres light on the ball python all night and all day long?? Trying to get a ceramic heater, but I wanted to cover all the options just in case.

I ended up buying a heat lamp with a dimmer already on it. It brought that side of the cage up to 78-79 with a few layers of foil on the top of the screen. I left a small uncovered part for ventilation and cut a hole out of the foil for the lamp, just set it on top of the screen. I think I'm ready now!! Thanks everyone!

i wouldnt use a light, but if that is all you have access to, I guess it will work.

good luck.

on a side note, glad I don't live with you, 71 is BRRRRR to keep a house at.

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Originally Posted by porcelainwings

This has all been very helpful. Do you leave your heat lamp on 24/7? Does it matter if theres light on the ball python all night and all day long?? Trying to get a ceramic heater, but I wanted to cover all the options just in case.

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Get a black bulb or a ceramic heat emitter (better) I fought heat and humidity for 2 years in tanks. Broke down and got a Reptile Basics 4 drawer rack, best money I've spent yet..