How do you keep the enclosure at a safe temp?

[Bedual]

(I do not own a reptile, I'm just researching before I do own one)

So, two things

Apparently, you shouldn't use a heat lamp to try and maintain a certain temperature because it dries everything out along with a couple of other things. Heating mats are a must, and I don't want to get one that's too hot because I don't want the snake to burn itself by accident. I'm worried that just a heat mat alone won't be enough to maintain a good temperature for a snake.

The other thing is, I get pretty hot at anything above 50°F (10°C), so I usually keep my room at a pretty cool temp. But I'm worried that the enclosure will be too cool because of this. (Take note that my room is the safest room to keep the snake since I have huge dogs and curious cats in every other room but my own.)

How do I keep the enclosure at a safe temp while not getting heat exhaustion myself from adjusting the temp of my room?


(Extra question, would the snake get too cold in my if I took it out of its enclosure for a while with my current preferred room temp? Or is it fine because it's only for a little while?)

[Bogertophis]

I would advise you NOT to get a ball python or other reptile that needs higher temperatures...it's not impossible but will be much harder for you to keep them
successfully, and yes, it would NOT be good to handle them at anything near 50* either.

FYI, snakes brumate at 50* so even snakes that are more tolerant of cool temperatures may give you trouble unless you choose carefully (some Asian snakes
totally require cool temperatures, for example) or unless you really modify the kind of enclosure you use. The best way is a cage within a wood cabinet: wood
is great insulation...you could convert some sort of furniture/cabinet/wardrobe/etc but it would then be awkward to get into for you. As far as safely heating a
snake's cage, the best way is to use a reliable (& not the cheapest!) thermostat to control each heating device (UTH, light, CHE, RHP).

Good for you, doing your research ahead of time. I'm not sure a snake is the best pet for you, given the cold room you yourself need. Even a short time at such
chilly temperatures while handling would make many snakes think it's time to brumate & they might then refuse food. You want to look for species that exist in
the wild at cool temperatures...often they are mountain species...but you then have to make sure you can meet all their requirements as to food etc. Hopefully
we can think of some kinds that might work for you with a little group 'brainstorming" here.

[Toad37]

All I can think of is a grass snake and maybe a rubber boa. Good luck finding them CBB

[Neal]

All I can think of is a grass snake and maybe a rubber boa. Good luck finding them CBB

He's still around a minimum of 15 degrees for the rubber boa, and that's minimum, and to get 15 degrees in that kind of temp would be terrible with humidity, and I don't know the exact requirements as I don't know much about them, but to do that 15 minimum degree swing I'd say the humidity would be under 20%. Also you'd have to do that for the whole tank, not just the warm side. Just not feasible to be honest and not worth killing the animal.

The grass snake requirements would be higher than the rubber boa so it's still a bad choice.

[Toad37]

I'm no expert so I have no clue about their temperature requirements I just know they live in colder regions. Thanks for the info. A snake is just simply not a good choice for u. Sorry!

[Bedual]

DON'T USE HEAT ROCKS! They can seriously hurt your snake. Use heating mats, but do your research on certain brands; some get too hot and can also hurt your snake.

[Bedual]

I would advise you NOT to get a ball python or other reptile that needs higher temperatures...it's not impossible but will be much harder for you to keep them
successfully, and yes, it would NOT be good to handle them at anything near 50* either.

FYI, snakes brumate at 50* so even snakes that are more tolerant of cool temperatures may give you trouble unless you choose carefully (some Asian snakes
totally require cool temperatures, for example) or unless you really modify the kind of enclosure you use. The best way is a cage within a wood cabinet: wood
is great insulation...you could convert some sort of furniture/cabinet/wardrobe/etc but it would then be awkward to get into for you. As far as safely heating a
snake's cage, the best way is to use a reliable (& not the cheapest!) thermostat to control each heating device (UTH, light, CHE, RHP).

Good for you, doing your research ahead of time. I'm not sure a snake is the best pet for you, given the cold room you yourself need. Even a short time at such
chilly temperatures while handling would make many snakes think it's time to brumate & they might then refuse food. You want to look for species that exist in
the wild at cool temperatures...often they are mountain species...but you then have to make sure you can meet all their requirements as to food etc. Hopefully
we can think of some kinds that might work for you with a little group 'brainstorming" here.

Thank you! Honestly, I can keep my room at higher temps, but I do have to literally wear ice packs. I'd honestly do anything to own a bp because it's been my dream since I was 11. I don't know, maybe I just have to be in the heat more to adapt a tolerance for it. 🤔
I guess I'm going to try and train myself to tolerate higher temps before I own a snake, that's for sure!

Yeah but other than the whole room thing, I was worried about the heat lamp because I heard from some people that they would recommend having one but then others were saying that you shouldn't have one and I just want my snake to be happy and warm.

[Neal]

Thank you! Honestly, I can keep my room at higher temps, but I do have to literally wear ice packs. I'd honestly do anything to own a bp because it's been my dream since I was 11. I don't know, maybe I just have to be in the heat more to adapt a tolerance for it. 🤔
I guess I'm going to try and train myself to tolerate higher temps before I own a snake, that's for sure!

Yeah but other than the whole room thing, I was worried about the heat lamp because I heard from some people that they would recommend having one but then others were saying that you shouldn't have one and I just want my snake to be happy and warm.

If you have another room that is warmer, that would work for you though, just a thought as somebody else suggested.

[Bogertophis]

Thank you! Honestly, I can keep my room at higher temps, but I do have to literally wear ice packs. I'd honestly do anything to own a bp because it's been my dream since I was 11. I don't know, maybe I just have to be in the heat more to adapt a tolerance for it. ��
I guess I'm going to try and train myself to tolerate higher temps before I own a snake, that's for sure!

Yeah but other than the whole room thing, I was worried about the heat lamp because I heard from some people that they would recommend having one but then others were saying that you shouldn't have one and I just want my snake to be happy and warm.

I don't see this working for you, I'm sorry. Wearing ice packs is no way to live & the gap between what you need to make this work to keep a BP healthy & safe and your
own personal need or preference for a cold room is just too big of a bridge to cross. And using a heat lamp & other methods of heating a snake enclosure is going to raise
the temperature of your room...it's really a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. When you ask too much of heating equipment it becomes a safety issue. Wanting a pet and
being the right owner for the animal are two very different things. You say that you "want my snake to be happy and warm" so obviously you know what they need & care about the welfare of the animal- I'm sorry to say that it's just not compatible under these conditions. I don't know how old you are now, but maybe in a few years, if your living arrangement changes and you have a room that is warm & safe, where a snake can be properly kept, that may be an option to look forward to. But please don't waste your money or risk the life of a pet snake by trying to do this now. It's both a health & safety issue for you AND any snake you'd get.

[Bedual]

I don't see this working for you, I'm sorry. Wearing ice packs is no way to live & the gap between what you need to make this work to keep a BP healthy & safe and your
own personal need or preference for a cold room is just too big of a bridge to cross. And using a heat lamp & other methods of heating a snake enclosure is going to raise
the temperature of your room...it's really a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. When you ask too much of heating equipment it becomes a safety issue. Wanting a pet and
being the right owner for the animal are two very different things. You say that you "want my snake to be happy and warm" so obviously you know what they need & care about the welfare of the animal- I'm sorry to say that it's just not compatible under these conditions. I don't know how old you are now, but maybe in a few years, if your living arrangement changes and you have a room that is warm & safe, where a snake can be properly kept, that may be an option to look forward to. But please don't waste your money or risk the life of a pet snake by trying to do this now. It's both a health & safety issue for you AND any snake you'd get.

Okay, thank you for the advice! Maybe I'm not suited to own one at the moment, but I think in the near future I will because I definitely need to get my heat tolerance up anyway. My family always tells me that I live in insane temperatures and that I should try to fix that. The highest I'm able to tolerate at the moment is around 75°and I'm told by my family that that's still way too low compared to what they can tolerate. I think this summer they're going to push me to my limits with this whole heat tolerance thing... So yeah, hopefully, that little push this summer will give me a way higher tolerance level (it gets up to the 100s where I live) and then I might finally be suited to own one! Wish me luck?