heating question

So I have central air in my house and realized over the last few days, my temps stay at 70-75 in his terrarium. I'm guessing its because of the AC. My wife wants to get a heating light to go along with our UTH, but everything I've read says No. I put a thick towel over the top and it seemed to have brought temps up a little.

What do you guys do who have AC?

Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a dimmer or thermostat. It will raise your ambient temps without requiring there to be a light on at all times. Yes, you might need to mist more for humidity, but proper temps are much more important than a little extra swing in humidity.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a dimmer or thermostat. It will raise your ambient temps without requiring there to be a light on at all times. Yes, you might need to mist more for humidity, but proper temps are much more important than a little extra swing in humidity.

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So no to an over head bulb?

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So no to an over head bulb?

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there is nothing wrong with using an overhead bulb to boost ambient air temps. It is always highly recommended to use a thermostat to control your temps though. the infrared(red) bulbs work better for most because they can be left on 24/7 without disrupting the snake too much. Others here on this forum have had some luck using deep blue florescent lights as well, but im not to sure where a person could buy those from? maybe other members can give advice on finding those.

An overhead bulb that is infrared will be fine, or a ceramic heat emitter (which is a special type of heat bulb)

Here are the two I would recommend:

infrared heat lamp:http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Ceramic Heat Emitter: http://www.petco.com/product/5003/Zo...-Emitters.aspx

You don't want to use a white bulb though.

My home stays at 68. I have two tanks in my living room as displays and one is a 40 gallon for my ball. I use a 100 watt che on the warm side and a dual fixture with a day and night 60 watt bulb on a timer for the cool side to keep my eminent temps right. I also use a uth.

With humid hides I still have great sheds.

My che and bulbs are not on a dimmer or tstat. I use the ZooMed lamp stands to give the correct distance needed to give me a good surface temp and good ambient temp.

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So I have central air in my house and realized over the last few days, my temps stay at 70-75 in his terrarium. I'm guessing its because of the AC. My wife wants to get a heating light to go along with our UTH, but everything I've read says No. I put a thick towel over the top and it seemed to have brought temps up a little.

What do you guys do who have AC?

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1) We set the A/C thermostat to 77*F but our daytime highs are well into the 90's so the house is comfortable, not super-cold like in many shopping centers and office buildings. It saves on the electric bill too.
2) Cover the top of the enclosure, either with plexiglass with some ventilation holes, or with Glad Press n Seal and leave the corners open slightly for ventilation. If still more insulation is needed you can put a towel on top of the cover.
3) I've found that if I use a ceramic hide as opposed to plastic for the warm side, over time it does pick up the heat from the UTH which is then radiated to the air inside the hide. It does take a while though.
4) Build/buy a rack (or 4 LOL), stick them in the spare bedroom on the south side of the house, block the A/C vents, and close the door.

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Originally Posted by norwegn113

there is nothing wrong with using an overhead bulb to boost ambient air temps. It is always highly recommended to use a thermostat to control your temps though. the infrared(red) bulbs work better for most because they can be left on 24/7 without disrupting the snake too much. Others here on this forum have had some luck using deep blue florescent lights as well, but im not to sure where a person could buy those from? maybe other members can give advice on finding those.

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So is it okay to have both UTH and bulb? My wife seems to think UTHs are fire hazards but I told her that's what the TStat is for.

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So is it okay to have both UTH and bulb? My wife seems to think UTHs are fire hazards but I told her that's what the TStat is for.

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Yes, its fine to have both. You just can't run both off of a single thermostat.

Do you have a separate room for your snakes? If so, simply try partially closing the vent registers and keep the door closed. I have a dedicated snake room, but don't have separate heat/AC and it has worked very well for me. I check on my snakes multiple times a day and if it gets a tad warm or I know the forecast is calling for warmer temps, I'll crack it open a bit more. Has worked for me perfectly.

If you don't, CHE or a bulb on an adjustable pole and a dimmer and cover 2/3 of the top with wet towels or foil. Use the temp gun to make sure surfaces inside don't get too hot.

As far as the fire hazard, bulbs are more of a fire hazard than UTH. I use Flexwatt on Herpstats and the enclosures sit directly on top of low wood entertainment centers and are stacked on top of each other (PVC AP enclosures). I have my High/Low alarms set to +/- 5 degrees and if it hits that, the Herpstat shuts off the Flexwatt. Another advantage of investing in a good thermostat. Fires are very rare, but can happen with ANY electrical appliance.

i just moved them into the living room closet no cold air in there

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Originally Posted by Willie76

Do you have a separate room for your snakes? If so, simply try partially closing the vent registers and keep the door closed. I have a dedicated snake room, but don't have separate heat/AC and it has worked very well for me. I check on my snakes multiple times a day and if it gets a tad warm or I know the forecast is calling for warmer temps, I'll crack it open a bit more. Has worked for me perfectly.

If you don't, CHE or a bulb on an adjustable pole and a dimmer and cover 2/3 of the top with wet towels or foil. Use the temp gun to make sure surfaces inside don't get too hot.

As far as the fire hazard, bulbs are more of a fire hazard than UTH. I use Flexwatt on Herpstats and the enclosures sit directly on top of low wood entertainment centers and are stacked on top of each other (PVC AP enclosures). I have my High/Low alarms set to +/- 5 degrees and if it hits that, the Herpstat shuts off the Flexwatt. Another advantage of investing in a good thermostat. Fires are very rare, but can happen with ANY electrical appliance.

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Unfortunately no. I have him in my computer room.

Have you insulated the tank in any way? I'm assuming he's in glass and not a tub since he's in your office? Glass is hard to temp control. I suggest using some kind of insulation on three sides. He'll probably like the "privacy," too. It doesn't have to be ugly. I used black foam board I got at a craft store and sticky tacked it to the sides. If I need more in the winter, I just double stack it on with stick tack. (Not much of a problem in Texas where EVERYONE has central air and it is ALWAYS 76-78 in my house whatever season. Heck, my whole city shuts down at even the tiniest snow fall, whether it sticks or not, LOL. On the downside, it's over 100 here now!) The foam looks like a blacked out back and sides. You can even put aquarium paper on the inside so it looks pretty. If you don't care about pretty, styrofoam or insulation from Home Depot works even better. I really think insulation is important for glass, especially since the terrariums from Zilla and aquariums are pretty tall and heat rises and escapes. If he's on a plastic shelf, insulate underneath as well. Wood shelving should hold heat better.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Yes, its fine to have both. You just can't run both off of a single thermostat.

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I should run a thermostat with a infrared heat lamp too?

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Originally Posted by greenacid

I should run a thermostat with a infrared heat lamp too?

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You can but most people don't. You can use a dimmer or lamp stand. If you have an extra tstat or get a Herpstat 4 and have an extra port its not a bad idea, its the safest way.

Where would you put the probe in these cases? somewhere in the middle of the tank?

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Originally Posted by KMG

You can but most people don't. You can use a dimmer or lamp stand. If you have an extra tstat or get a Herpstat 4 and have an extra port its not a bad idea, its the safest way.

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what brand of Dome would you recommend for the Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp? I Bought a Zilla Mini Halogen dome on accident lol. are those ok for heating?

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

Where would you put the probe in these cases? somewhere in the middle of the tank?

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If you are running two thermostats with a heat lamp and a UTH the probe for the UTH should be attached directly to the UTH on the outside of the tank (the best place is sandwiched between the bottom of the tank and the UTH) The probe for the heat lamp should be inside the tank directly under the heat lamp

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Originally Posted by greenacid

what brand of Dome would you recommend for the Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp? I Bought a Zilla Mini Halogen dome on accident lol. are those ok for heating?

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I would not recommend using the Zilla mini halogen dome, and I'm pretty sure that they aren't compatible with regular screw base bulbs.

I would return the Zilla dome and get one of these:

The Zoo Med Mini Deep Dome fixture.

http://www.petco.com/product/111478/...Fixture-111478

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

The probe for the heat lamp should be inside the tank directly under the heat lamp

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Like attached to the underside of the top of the enclosure?

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Originally Posted by Blitzjg

Like attached to the underside of the top of the enclosure?

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No, at the substrate level.

or suspended about halfway down the cage.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

No, at the substrate level.

or suspended about halfway down the cage.

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Hey Aaron. I got a zoo med mini combo deep dome. I was wondering if its ok to leave it on the mesh of the terrarium. At least for 2 days. Also, should I have both the basking day time light on and the infrared at the same time with the dome in the middle? Or is that way too hot. Currently using 75 watt zoo med. The one you recommended and the day time basking one. They're on a timer to kick one on or off at certain times of the day

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Originally Posted by greenacid

Hey Aaron. I got a zoo med mini combo deep dome. I was wondering if its ok to leave it on the mesh of the terrarium. At least for 2 days. Also, should I have both the basking day time light on and the infrared at the same time with the dome in the middle? Or is that way too hot. Currently using 75 watt zoo med. The one you recommended and the day time basking one. They're on a timer to kick one on or off at certain times of the day

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I leave my heat lamps on the screen tops on the few glass tanks I still use, so that shouldn't be a problem.

As for which bulb(s) to keep on that all depends on cage temperature. I would think that you only need one bulb on at a time, but during the winter months you might need both depending on how cold it gets. This is where a quality thermometer/temp gun come into play. You want the hot side of the cage to be between 88-92 and the cool side to be between 78-82

How do big breeders (BHB ECT.) heat there reptiles? :confusd:
Thanks! :)

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Originally Posted by RegiusConstrictors03

How do big breeders (BHB ECT.) heat there reptiles? :confusd:
Thanks! :)

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Most heat the entire room to 80-85 degrees using the buildings air conditioning/heating system, then use racks like these to house the BP's: http://www.arscaging.com/ars7030.html


The racks have strips of heat tape controlled by a thermostat to generate the hot side temperature of 88-92 degrees.