Enclosure for Boa

[svtvenom]

I thought I was measuring the substrate not the glass temp

[svtvenom]

Id never go less than a T10. You loose Hight inside, the outside measurement is 12" . So figure interior height to be around 10 1/2 inches on a T8 and Glass slider opening only 8" ( hard to get anything in & out cleaning) versus a T10 interior is 14" and Glass slider entrance 10". You would be surprised what a difference it is from 8" to 10" and it's worth every bit of $50 more. As far as the heating yes you can go with a RHP and a UTH incase the Temp is 65-68 during winter.. Otherwise the RHP is fine alone for 68+ homes/Rooms.

As far as the Hot side temps now I know its probably been mentioned 50 times but make sure to check the Glass above the UTH not the substrate. All my heating elementa match what the Tstat & thermistate says after 24 hrs of things absorbing the heat. Usually about 1° off.
Example.. My Tstat says 91... The hot side probe thermometer says 90.7... If I then check with a Lazer it says 89.3..88.7 and 90.1 in three different places. This is all after leaving the doors closed etc for 12hrs as everytime i clean it/open it a several times during winter it takes hrs to regulate again.

Thank you for all the info! I will definitely be getting a T10. I’ll will check where the UTH is and see against the thermostat. I got a 150watt CHE and it’s keep the temp at 78 now with no problem.

[CALM Pythons]

Thank you for all the info! I will definitely be getting a T10. I’ll will check where the UTH is and see against the thermostat. I got a 150watt CHE and it’s keep the temp at 78 now with no problem.

Thats a real High Wattage for a 20gal.. Your going to have trouble with Humidity for sure and if you cover the screen that wattage is going to bang out Hot Hide temps. You dont want to dry the snake out. I bet if you check the substrate in the enclosure directly under that CHE it will be a easy 85 after a few hours because my 60 watt was above the cool hide and was a min of 78. If its to hot just raise your CHE higher above the screen or use tour Dimmer until you find the right temp. The enclosure is going to cool a little at night when the house cools but thats natural anyway.

[Sauzo]

I thought I was measuring the substrate not the glass temp

Nope, you measure the glass which is going to be the hottest part if you are using a UTH or heat tape. You measure the top of the hide if you are using a RHP or overhead heating.

[Sauzo]

Thats a real High Wattage for a 20gal.. Your going to have trouble with Humidity for sure and if you cover the screen that wattage is going to bang out Hot Hide temps. You dont want to dry the snake out. I bet if you check the substrate in the enclosure directly under that CHE it will be a easy 85 after a few hours because my 60 watt was above the cool hide and was a min of 78. If its to hot just raise your CHE higher above the screen or use tour Dimmer until you find the right temp. The enclosure is going to cool a little at night when the house cools but thats natural anyway.

You are doing something wrong lol. There is no way you can need a 150 watt CHE to just maintain an ambient temp of 78F. Ambient temp is the air temp, not an object temp. I personally have never checked the cool side temps in my cages. I go off 2 temps, the hot spot which like i said is either from the top of the warm hide if using a CHE or RHP and the glass temp or floor temp under the substrate if using a UTH or heat tape. The second temp i pay attention to is the overall ambient temp which is the air in the whole cage. I keep that temp at 77-79F depending on the room temp. This is because a snake needs to cool down and warm up. Being stuck in either only will lead to health issues.

And this was meant for the OP, not Calm

[CALM Pythons]

You are doing something wrong lol. There is no way you can need a 150 watt CHE to just maintain an ambient temp of 78F. Ambient temp is the air temp, not an object temp. I personally have never checked the cool side temps in my cages. I go off 2 temps, the hot spot which like i said is either from the top of the warm hide if using a CHE or RHP and the glass temp or floor temp under the substrate if using a UTH or heat tape. The second temp i pay attention to is the overall ambient temp which is the air in the whole cage. I keep that temp at 77-79F depending on the room temp. This is because a snake needs to cool down and warm up. Being stuck in either only will lead to health issues.

And this was meant for the OP, not Calm

Yup I get my ambient with my Acurite thermometer Unit mounted on the cool side and then its probe is run out the back and over into the Hot Side.
That Thread on how to set up a PVC is good as Gold. There is one for a Glass Tank too if I remember correctly.

[svtvenom]

Does anyone have pics lol. Ugh I’m slightly retarted. The 60 watt works but it’s still like 3-4 degrees too cold. Should I switch it out for 100 watt? They were out of stock at that store but I’ll just go to a different one.

[Sauzo]

Yup I get my ambient with my Acurite thermometer Unit mounted on the cool side and then its probe is run out the back and over into the Hot Side.
That Thread on how to set up a PVC is good as Gold. There is one for a Glass Tank too if I remember correctly.

Lol i mostly learned from trial and error. I always set up my t-stat probe on the cool side when i was running RHPs. Easier to just raise or drop the cool side a few degrees to get the hot side where you like it. At least for me. But then again, once i got all my snakes in the basement which is half underground and more constant temps and warmer , i just quit RHPs all together and went to flexwatt for everyone. So much easier that way for me plus i dont have a bunch of wires inside the cage.

[Sauzo]

Does anyone have pics lol. Ugh I’m slightly retarted. The 60 watt works but it’s still like 3-4 degrees too cold. Should I switch it out for 100 watt? They were out of stock at that store but I’ll just go to a different one.

What are your temps exactly and how are you taking them at each exactly. And pics of what?

[Sauzo]

The UTH or heat tape would go on the outside floor of the cage. Use foil tape that you get at any hardware store. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-T...7792/100030120

Tape 3 sides of it down, then slide the t-stat probe between the heat tape and the floor of the cage on the outside. Then tape down the 4th side of the heat tape.

Then set the temp on the t-stat to 88F. Wait an 30 mins to an hour and then check the temp all over the heat tape with a temp gun from the inside of the floor of the cage with no substrate on it. It will vary as heat tape isnt 100% uniform. You want it to average around 86-88F. A spot of 90F or a spot of 84F isnt going to hurt, you just want it mostly around 86-88F.

Once you get that set, you are done there. Cover the floor with no more than 1/2 inch of substrate.


Then for the CHE, if you are using a t-stat for that too, put the CHE on the same side as the heat tape. Then adjust the height to where it is just above the screen top. Hang the t-stat probe inside the cage on the cool side just above the height of the snake so it cant sit on it, poop on it or otherwise affect it. Then set it to 77F. Once it's 77F on the cool side, temp gun the top of the substrate on the hot side and see what it reads. Also, the CHE should not be on 100% for long, if it is, you have too small of a CHE and it is working too hard.

And for the cage itself, cover 3/4 of it with tinfoil. Cover the sides with rigid foam insulation like this stuff https://www.homedepot.com/p/R-Tech-1...0817/202532855. You basically want to insulate the glass since your room gets so cold so the CHE isnt working 24/7 overtime.

Alternatively, you can also place the CHE in the middle of the cage and do the above as well.