Giant Python Hatchling, Hides When Using a RHP.

[CALM Pythons]

Well Ive never used a hide in my lifetime for a Burmese Python but sometimes change and new information can be good. Most know Im old school so I need a little input on this subject from those that have used Hides/Basking Shelves & RHP’s.
Jock is 5.5 months old now and since I got him I’ve used 2 hides in his 4’ enclosure. When I first got him I kept it simple for heating, the enclosure has Heat Tape from the manufacturer. That did not work out well as the probe doesn’t have a etched out area to place it under the enclosure and I have the Base with it. I took the Heat Tape out (didn’t like it anyways) and moved the RHP to the Hot side like my other enclosures. Cranked her up to 89 at 80% power and got my temps dialed in. Now here is whats driving me nuts. The cool side is 81-82, the Hot side 88.7-90... but the TOP of the Hot Hide is 94 because its so close to the RHP. Ive played around for weeks changing the Power % on my herpstat and thats the best (lowest) I can get the temp on the Hide roof. Like most of you I’m obsessive about husbandry and even though the temps steady and not fluctuating and at the correct range on the enclosure floor this high temp even though its only a few degrees has me up checking it with a Laser at night. (Yup I’m a bit nuts) lol.
Anyways Hot side ambient is 88-90 like i said, Hot Side floor is 87.5-88 and the TOP of the hot hide is 94. Now what bothers me is I keep thinking the 94 can radiate off the Hide into the Snake when he is in there. So Ive checked him with the laser and that is not happening as the hides are Jumbo and he is no where near the roof of the hide, id say 4” clearance. So he is in-fact keeping good body temps.
So has anyone else dealt with this who has Retics with Basking shelves and what are the temps on those shelves or has anyone had Hides that have the tops get hotter as they’re closer to the RHP.... or lastly, does anyone just want to slap to heck out of me and tell me Im obsessing to much hahahahaha.
This will all come to rest in June/July when his Big enclosure comes as the hight is like my other AP’s at 24”H not like his temporary enclosure at 17.5”H.
Thank you and here is a Pic showing how much clearance his Back has to the top of the Hide.


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[bcr229]

1) You're obsessing too much.

2) Those temps are perfect, even the 94*F on top of the hide under the RHP. I wouldn't want it to be any higher but that's not an unsafe temp.

3) Yes of course snakes on top of a hide or basking shelf are going to be closer to the RHP and thus will run warmer. With my larger ones I find that they don't put ALL of themselves on the shelf, just the part they want warmed (like, where the bunny is) while their heads and tails are in cooler areas.

[Hannahshissyfix]

Smack!

JK. I just double checked because I knew my burms set up runs similar and I got exactly 94 on top of his shelf too. I really wouldn't stress about 2 degrees higher than ideal. I'm sure in the wild their temperatures fluctuate more than the 10-12 degree range we try to keep most species in and 94 isn't in a range that will cause burns when they still have plenty of other areas to thermoregulate themselves. Here is how I have my guys shelf right under the rhp. He thought he was coming out but is frequently half on, half off the shelf.

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[KevinK]

I run hides under all of my RHP's in my AP T-8's......dude......94 is nothing to worry about. A lot of people actually provide a 95 degree hotspot for Burms. Just take the floor temp underneath the hide. I personally run my thermostat probe on the cool side of the enclosure and set it to my desired ambient temp (usually 80-82)

As a matter of fact I've had 101 degree temps on the top of my hides before, the larger the hide, the closer it'll be to your RHP and the hotter the top will get. Look at it this way, Burms (or whatever species) in the wild will find a scalding hot rock or stone and lay on it for digestive heat. Take the temp of a rock that's been in the summer sun all day and I'll bet it's over 120 degrees.

To me, as long as you meet your minimum heat requirements, and your maximum temps aren't going to cook your snake, you'll be alright. I kind of get a chuckle out of people who state that temps must be EXACTLY this or EXACTLY that. They are resilient animals as long as you're close.

My one JCP girl (same one in my avatar picture) will actually lay on the top of the hot side hide for about an hour after a large meal (which in her cage is usually right around 97 degrees), then move to underneath the hide for the rest of the digestion. If anything, having a true HOT spot like the top of the hide is a good thing!

[zina10]

I think you are going to be alright.

Honestly, I wouldn't want it to be in the unsafe range, because snakes sometimes do not make the good decision and overheating can quickly lead to permanent damage. But 94 degrees is not dangerous.

The main point is that she doesn't have only the cool spot or the 94 degree spot to choose from. When people use heat tape and it runs to hot, the snake can either lay on the to hot spot or the cool spot. So they could end up damaged if they choose the warm end.

You have the ideal warm end under the hide, and the snake will choose the warm side and safety of the hide. If he decides to lay on top of the hide for a bit, 94 isn't that bad of a thing.

Basically, he has choices and neither one is in the dangerous range. You are doing good !!

[CALM Pythons]

1) You're obsessing too much.

s.

You know it... sometimes I can actually drive myself so nuts that Im not even using common sense and ive been in this game 2/3rds of my life hahahaha.
Thank you.


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[CALM Pythons]

Smack!

JK. I just double checked because I knew my burms set up runs similar and I got exactly 94 on top of his shelf too. I really wouldn't stress about 2 degrees higher than ideal. I'm sure in the wild their temperatures fluctuate more than the 10-12 degree range we try to keep most species in and 94 isn't in a range that will cause burns when they still have plenty of other areas to thermoregulate themselves. Here is how I have my guys shelf right under the rhp. He thought he was coming out but is frequently half on, half off the shelf.

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Thank you, I needed to Wake up .
Sense I have your ear, what is the aprox temp of the floor of your cool hide area. Im 80 to 82. I read something by Bob Clark the other day who I got my first Burms from in the 90’s and he said Mid 80’s and that you can have a Basking area of 100 to get your mid 80’s ambient. I wouldn’t be comfortable with 100 degrees on the Hot side.
For the first 10 years of my other Burms lives my husbandry was terrible compared to what it is now with the new products we have access to. Hot Rocks and Heat Mats are all I used and ambient wasn’t a concern. I feel terrible about that now but they were healthy hardy Burms without any illness


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[CALM Pythons]

I run hides under all of my RHP's in my AP T-8's......dude......94 is nothing to worry about. A lot of people actually provide a 95 degree hotspot for Burms. Just take the floor temp underneath the hide. I personally run my thermostat probe on the cool side of the enclosure and set it to my desired ambient temp (usually 80-82)

As a matter of fact I've had 101 degree temps on the top of my hides before, the larger the hide, the closer it'll be to your RHP and the hotter the top will get. Look at it this way, Burms (or whatever species) in the wild will find a scalding hot rock or stone and lay on it for digestive heat.!

Well this makes me feel better.. I do have a feeling your the Rebel of the thread hahahahaha but that doesnt mean your not right.
I have seen the Burms laying out in the direct sun even on the FL Blacktop... thats HOT... I dont know why Im going nuts over all this but I think its because Ive been traveling and im having my wife looking after things during the week and I’m obsessing at night mowing over things...
Bob Clark has that Care Sheet saying 100 is fine to get a ambient in the 80’s.. i always thought that was really High... I never used a hide with my Old Burms so im the beginning those terrible heat rocks are what I had in the early 90’s then went to Heat Mats... God knows what those things ran for temps, in 1992 I didnt have any tstats or anything. I sometimes blame all the RI’s I see now days on bad breeding of unhealthy snakes. My old Boys were always healthy as horses and lived in terrible conditions compared to the new Technology and the products we’ve had access to the last 12 years.



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[CALM Pythons]

I think you are going to be alright.

Honestly, I wouldn't want it to be in the unsafe range, because snakes sometimes do not make the good decision and overheating can quickly lead to permanent damage.
Basically, he has choices and neither one is in the dangerous range. You are doing good !!

This is exactly what was worrying me... I have watched snakes do things that totally shows me they dont always make a smart decision. I remember watching a Python in a store 20 years ago keep bouncing off of a Light Bulb that was burning the hell out of him.. that was terrible!!!!!


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[Zincubus]

I've had Burms and Retics and currently have a 7' Snow Boa but I have never used hides for any of them ... they've all been extremely calm and tame .. maybe I got lucky each time? Who knows...

Thing is the when I got my first hatchling Burm the breeder strongly recommended that I never give him a hide as he argued they're so confident and inquisitive they do better without them in captivity... no predators etc ... Oddly enough the Retic breeder said the same thing ..plus he said you don't want a 13' killing machine shooting out of a hide coming at you ...

Anyways ... just my take on things..


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