UTH or CHE for boa?

Setting up my baby (1 year) dwarf boas first enclosure. I was pretty set that I was gonna have a UTH for her as that was what I was told was best. However now reading that it is better for boas with heat lamp like a CHE? I have both a CHE that I am no longer gonna use for my BP and I also have a heat mat that I bought for this purpose. Kind of reluctant to do both as I am trying to eliminate having too many devices around tanks and I just set up a little mini snake room/closet that will keep the ambient temperature covered by a oil heater on thermostat.

Would love to hear what you use and what you think is best for heating a boa tank, keep in mind that this is a small tank. In the future I might look into a radiant heat panel once I size up the tank, but not as of now.

Oh and to clarify since the question might arise I have all devices on thermostat controllers.

I'm a long-time fan of UTH but depending on how cool your house is (& not just winter, but with A/C in summer too) you may need both? I'm in mid-South &
when I had a BCI, I used UTH + overhead warmth as needed per season & time of day. Every situation is a little bit different anyway. Like if you insulate the
tank, whatever heat you add will "go further" (ie. stay in the tank). I'd say try it & see.

Thanks for your response!

I just insulated the entire mini room where I'll be keeping my snakes in so that the ambient temp stay at 76-78 degrees. Was using both CHE and UTH for my Ball python however its been a pain to keep humidity up as the CHE just zaps it even with the use of towels, moss, etc so was hoping to find a more sustainable situation to where the tank spraying doesn't become a full-time job:) I think part of why it zaps so much humidity is that our house get quite cold, and the CHE keeps coming on constantly. So now we just insulated a small space with tons of insulation materials to be able to keep that space warm enough!

For your BP, I'd be inclined to use a large humid hide (warm side) though it will dry out frequently. That's what my spotted python loves most...her humid hide,
& she's a heat-lover and basks on branches also. Definitely easier to heat smaller spaces...I've heard of ppl converting closets & such to snake areas, & it sounds
like you've got a good handle on this.

If your room ambient is warm enough then I'd only use a UTH. It draws less power so it's cheaper to operate, it won't dry out the enclosure like a CHE can, and CHE's do burn out eventually and have to be replaced.

If your "room" is warm enough and you'd rather supply overhead heat (ie. a CHE) instead of just belly heat (ie. a UTH), you may want to look into the Arcadia deep heat projectors (DHP) that hit the market a while ago. They're more energy efficient (compared to heat bulbs), last for a few years (instead of a few months like heat bulbs), and can provide a sufficiently warm basking spot for a boa without drying out the tank as much (compared to a CHE). They're definitely just basking spot providers, though - don't expect them to bring up ambient temps in the enclosure on their own (like CHEs can). Placing a piece of slate/stone/tile under the DHP can help with this, though, with the added benefit of providing a source of both flank and reflected belly heat for your boa.

For the record: I'm using a 50w DHP with my boa right now, and I've been pleased with its performance while my ambient room temps have been warm enough. When my room's ambient temps fell to the mid- to high-sixties, though, the DHP had a bit of trouble keeping up without any heat-retaining surface (slate/stone/tile/etc/) underneath it.

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Originally Posted by WrongPython

If your "room" is warm enough and you'd rather supply overhead heat (ie. a CHE) instead of just belly heat (ie. a UTH), you may want to look into the Arcadia deep heat projectors (DHP) that hit the market a while ago. They're more energy efficient (compared to heat bulbs), last for a few years (instead of a few months like heat bulbs), and can provide a sufficiently warm basking spot for a boa without drying out the tank as much (compared to a CHE).

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Now that's a very interesting product. While regular glass seems to block IR radiation, acrylic and plexiglass allow it to pass through. So, in theory you could make a plexiglass top for your enclosure or use an acrylic display enclosure at an expo, use a DHP instead of a CHE or heat lamp, and provide a basking spot for your critter.

IR radiation is also used for night vision equipment, so if you need to monitor a shy critter at night but not stress it by turning on a light, you could set up one of these and a night vision camera to keep an eye on it.

I prefer UTHs for my boas in tubs or tanks and RHPs if they're in PVC enclosures. My ambient house temps range between 68-72 during the winter months. I'll add a heater to the snake room to boost the ambient temps if needed.

I use UTH and heat the entire room. Works for me.

Thanks for the response! Will definitely look into the DHP for the future! Sounds like a great option. For now as I already bought the stuff I will probably put the UTH in for hot spot and maybe add the CHE on a thermostat so come on when it gets under 32 degrees outside as I noticed the temps in the snake room might drop under 75 degrees when it’s that cold. Looks like she is being shipped out Monday! So very excited to get my first boa 😁