Yes sorry this is my first time on this post I’ve always had bigger snakes like boas and stuff but I am now due to disabilities had to downgrade to smaller animals ball pythons. Anyways I don’t know if my heating mat that is under the tank is meant for a larger snake if the bigger Heating pads put out more heat than maybe essentially a smaller one would but I picked one out that I thought was roughly the size of a ball python curled up that could comfortably lay on top of it but yes also did have troubles loading pictures I don’t have time at the moment but tomorrow when I have some free time I will check out that link that you said and I will send some pictures to you I appreciate you getting back to me thank you I’ll post tomorrow
01-08-2022, 07:24 PM
Bogertophis
Hey, we don't need photos as much as we need to know what the temperatures are in your snake's enclosure. Pix of the snake would help but please check the temperatures NOW.
All heating devices for snakes MUST be controlled, either by thermostat (optimal) or rheostat (aka lamp dimmer, IF they'll operate okay with one- not everything does).
Most heat pads get too hot for snakes to lay on, & for some reason, BPs seem especially prone to not knowing when it's too hot until it's too late & they're injured. Burns are painful, slow to heal, may get infected & may be deadly to a snake- so please please PLEASE double-check the temperature that your heating pad is achieving- You need to measure the surface inside the enclosure where the snake will lay- and push away the substrate & measure the surface, because that's often what snakes do too.
You want the heated area to remain below 90* (many prefer 88* as the upper limit for safety) at ALL times. PLEASE check NOW. If it's much above that, it's likely your snake is "burned" & need medical attention- this really should not be put off for another day.
A snake with a thermal burn from a heating pad will likely appear just slightly pinkish- do check.
This can be confusing too, since an oncoming shed cycle can look similar, but if the temperatures are too hot, it's pretty easy to guess which it is.
