BP safe hides?

[BPmom]

My BP seems to be favoring the cardboard box I put on his cold side since I put it in his tank. I was thinking of putting it on his hot side but I’m worried about the heat lamp over the cardboard.. his UTH caused his hot hide to burn up to 100degrees F so I u plugged it for the night until I can get a temp controller for it. Will thick cardboard do any harm under the heat or to my new friend? I am new to this and only had him for a month so until a week ago, he didn’t have a hide on his cool side. I also have a plastic Maxwell House container that I cut in half but I’d be more worried about the plastic. Not sure what hide will survive the 95 watt heat lamp but even testing it makes me nervous.

Hes in a 20gal glass tank. He’s about 6 y.o at least, almost 4 ft long. I use a 75 watt white bulb during the day when the temp drops, and a 65 watt blue night bulb at night.

Any my suggestions would be great! He was ‘dropped in our laps’ about a month ago and Iv been researching how to care for him ever since!

[Ax01]

My BP seems to be favoring the cardboard box I put on his cold side since I put it in his tank. I was thinking of putting it on his hot side but I’m worried about the heat lamp over the cardboard.. his UTH caused his hot hide to burn up to 100degrees F so I u plugged it for the night until I can get a temp controller for it. Will thick cardboard do any harm under the heat or to my new friend? I am new to this and only had him for a month so until a week ago, he didn’t have a hide on his cool side. I also have a plastic Maxwell House container that I cut in half but I’d be more worried about the plastic. Not sure what hide will survive the 95 watt heat lamp but even testing it makes me nervous.

Hes in a 20gal glass tank. He’s about 6 y.o at least, almost 4 ft long. I use a 75 watt white bulb during the day when the temp drops, and a 65 watt blue night bulb at night.

Any my suggestions would be great! He was ‘dropped in our laps’ about a month ago and Iv been researching how to care for him ever since!

welcome to the hobby and congrats on your adoption. i wouldn't say your new BP is favoring the cardboard box on the cool side. he's probably just be over there b/c the UTH is way too hot (and dangerous) b/c it's 100degrees. even if u didn't have a hide on the cool side, i bet he woulda been over there in the corner or trying to burrow under the water dish. appropriately sized identical hides would be better and would encourage better thermoregulating b/c a BP wouldn't be able to choose a favorite hideaway b/c of size, shape, texture, etc.

keep your UTH unplugged, not just at night, until u can get a thermostat. 100degrees day or night is dangerous. it would also be a good idea to put your lights on a rheostat/dimmer.

[Spink]

My BP seems to be favoring the cardboard box I put on his cold side since I put it in his tank. I was thinking of putting it on his hot side but I’m worried about the heat lamp over the cardboard.. his UTH caused his hot hide to burn up to 100degrees F so I u plugged it for the night until I can get a temp controller for it. Will thick cardboard do any harm under the heat or to my new friend? I am new to this and only had him for a month so until a week ago, he didn’t have a hide on his cool side. I also have a plastic Maxwell House container that I cut in half but I’d be more worried about the plastic. Not sure what hide will survive the 95 watt heat lamp but even testing it makes me nervous.

Hes in a 20gal glass tank. He’s about 6 y.o at least, almost 4 ft long. I use a 75 watt white bulb during the day when the temp drops, and a 65 watt blue night bulb at night.

Any my suggestions would be great! He was ‘dropped in our laps’ about a month ago and Iv been researching how to care for him ever since!

i personally wouldn't use cardboard at all bc it deteriorates fast and is prone to mold build up. Heat resistant plastic, wood (not pine), and ceramic hides all work great. Make sure that there are hides on both ends.

Also at that size and age.... move up a size in the tank. They need a tank that's about as long as they are. 30-40g will be fine.

Make sure that the humidity stays stays around 65-70%.

lastly, you really should get a thermostat that controls the temperature, especially on the warm side.

I can go on and on about the basic requirements so feel free to ask anything that you are unsure of. There are also a lot of great threads on here that will help you out if you search. Best of luck and let me know if I can help anymore!!

[Timelugia]

I use cardboard hides occasionally, just as a nice disposable hide. I've never had problems with fire, but I'm also using a radiant heat panel.
As the others said, a thermostat is of the utmost importance.
Probably the important thing for hides is to make sure the edges aren't too sharp, there aren't any holes he could get stuck in, and no tape.

If you're worried that the hide will melt, then your set up is probably too hot.

I wish you luck with your new snake There are lots of really experienced and helpful keepers on this forum, so this is a great place to learn.

[Tila]

I've used plastic dog bowls from Walmart and if they outgrow that I've also used the Hefty 4.5 gallon grey storage tote with the rim cut off and a door cut out. Both types are really easy to clean, tough and are resistant to damage through heat (but regulate those heat sources Good luck!

[BPmom]

I have a gauge in his tank right now as well as a probe thermometer and an infrared digital that I use to check the temps daily. Thanks everyone!!!

Iv I’ve heard of a thermostat and rheostat for lamps, but I didn’t know they had them for UTH. That, I definitely will be getting tomorrow. I’m looking for a larger tank for him, but I wanted to see how he would do 1. In a new home, 2. In an environment bigger than the small 12” x 4” tub he arrived in.

[SMTHook]

Can you raise and lower the lamp? If it's 100 raise it 6 inches or so until you get thermostat. You can monitor temps and raise or lower accordingly to get 90 degrees. But definitely get a herpstat quick.

[dsbarnet]

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

Reptile Basics makes some pretty good/durable hides that I like a lot.