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  1. #1
    Registered User Cee Jay's Avatar
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    Darwin's Carpet - Humidity, Heat and the Nitty Gritty: 4x2x2 PVC Enclosure Help!

    Tired of searching and searching, so hopefully this question can help many newer people out there.

    I have a 100W Night bulb and a 100W CHE heating a new setup for a carpet python right now. I was told UTHs were initially a bad idea for PVC, so I tried heating from the top. My questions are these:

    1. Is the daylight in the room sufficient for day/night cycle, or should the black bulb be exchanged for a daylight-style basking bulb for light along with the CHE.

    2. The heat emitting from these sources is definitely lowering the humidity in that area to the 40s, but the rest of the tank is reading 65~ with occasional misting, water bowl presence and a bowl of moss on the heat side for some evaporation.

    3. Inside his warm side hide (Darwin Carpet Python Adult) is reading about 86* with a heat gun, his body only about 85 ish, but the top of the hide reading is 95. Cool side of the enclosure is reading around 80* for a gradient. He doesn't currently even go over there, but there is one. Areas above the warm hide like wood, side of enclosure higher up by the bulbs are reading 100 - 105+ due to their proximity to the bulbs. Does the snake's body need to be reading at ~92-95ish for it to be considered that temp for him? Do I need to get an even hotter CHE or something to penetrate to make his body warmer way down there? I feel like if I do that, the ambient temps will be even hotter. Obviously more ventilation could solve that. He is a new acquisition who is not mobile during the day, or really at night. Just moved him from a large tub setup after getting him about a week ago, so hoping he will settle in and get comfortable to seek heat higher up. Another question is: how much different or more would a RHP really be coming from the top vs. these two heat sources coming from above as well? This enclosure is from DIYCages and I am not really happy with the material or quality at all. My plan is to get a piece of 1/2" plywood and use that for the bottom piece at some point, vice the PVC.

    4. Lastly guys and gals, which heating source do you all recommend for a 4x2x2 PVC Foam enclosure so my mind can settle. His tub had an UTH set to 95* but I feel like he will never move if he gets that again. I've seen most carpets should be active and explore and I want him to do that - not for me, but for the well-being and exercise that goes along with that. So, RHP, CHE, UTH, combination of these? Very open and eager for responses for people who have been in this situation. House is kept around 75* in Southern California. He is in the guest room where I only really play guitar, so the vent in there for AC can be shut to limit that cool factor.

    Long post, but I can only watch so many YouTube videos seeking info. Thanks to all put that content out there, but :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r:, I feel like I should start a channel and put my experiences out there haha. Cheers to all, hope to hear something back from you good people.

    Cee Jay
    Male Darwin's Carpet Python
    Morelia Spilota Variegata
    Born 2002

  2. #2
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
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    Re: Darwin's Carpet - Humidity, Heat and the Nitty Gritty: 4x2x2 PVC Enclosure Help!

    My snake room gets pretty good natural lighting so I don't provide any additional light source. I use UTH's, CHE's and RHPs for my carpets and they'll all work well when properly regulated with a thermostat or dimmer. I think RHPs are the best heat source for carpets especially in a pvc enclosure. I give my carpets a hot spot of 86-90 and an ambient temp of 78-84 during the summer months and a few degrees cooler in the fall and winter. If you have a good thermal gradient the snake will go back and forth as it sees fit. I have a few carpets that like to be close to their heat source and others that only use them when they're digesting or shedding.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

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    Cee Jay (08-02-2019)

  4. #3
    Registered User Cee Jay's Avatar
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    Re: Darwin's Carpet - Humidity, Heat and the Nitty Gritty: 4x2x2 PVC Enclosure Help!

    I don't know if my guy is just scared as a new acquisition, but once he found his warm hide he is staying in there all the time. Pretty worrying.

  5. #4
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Darwin's Carpet - Humidity, Heat and the Nitty Gritty: 4x2x2 PVC Enclosure Help!

    Normal snake behavior. It went from a tub, to a new owner, to a new enclosure all in a week. Very likely just stressed out a bit. Also could be going into shed. Also keep in mind that this is a nocturnal animal. Could be that it’s just out and about during the wee hours of the night/morning


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  6. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to jmcrook For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (08-02-2019),Cee Jay (08-02-2019),EL-Ziggy (08-02-2019)

  7. #5
    Registered User Cee Jay's Avatar
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    Re: Darwin's Carpet - Humidity, Heat and the Nitty Gritty: 4x2x2 PVC

    That totally makes sense and is what I am hoping as well. The night I finished his new enclosure (damn did I put a lot of work into it), I watched him with only a night heat bulb on and he was out exploring, which was very promising - I hoped he had felt like the grips of the bin had been let loose. But once he found the hide he went straight for it and has been nestled in there ever since. I haven't noticed any true signs that he has moved about since, i.e. debris in water bowl, small movement of vines, etc. The important thing to me is that he is at the right temps having had switched from an UTH in his large bin to top heat now.

    I cut a piece out of the PVC enclosure's top before putting him in there and mounted a 10gal screen top to it with wing nuts to be able to use lamps externally and not have the heat source directly inside the enclosure. Yesterday I did an experiment and mounted my XL UTH to that piece and turned the thermostat up to 105 or whatever it goes to to see if A: it melted the PVC, and B: how hot it was able to get it. To my surprise, it only was able to get it to around 90*, which I have heard is a bit low for Darwins. So that is the battle I face. Use top heat and lose humidity in that direct area, or try to use heat tape (which I just ordered from Pangea), which at its max safe level of >105, I believe will produce the same temp results as the UTH test I did yesterday.

    I never thought it would be so complicated to get the heat temps right, but what do you all recommend as far as where the heat comes from for carpets? What's scary is the temp above his hide under the heat lamp/s is hotter than the 92-95* right by his hide. Is that dangerous? I assume the same would go for a RHP, would it not.

    Thanks for all your responses so far as I learn the ropes here - much appreciated!

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