Ambient temperature in cage in cold room

[qwerty53]

Greetings,
Here are unchangable facts that I don't want to discuss here
1. Room is cold (50F let's assume)
2. Snake in cage in that room
3. Snake has heatpad for Hotspot.

Here is my question I'd like to ask you to help with: how do I create well controlled (to 1F steps) ambient temp in the cage (18 inch high)? I have herpstat but what heating device to use?

Much obliged!

[jmcrook]

Greetings,
Here are unchangable facts that I don't want to discuss here
1. Room is cold (50F let's assume)
2. Snake in cage in that room
3. Snake has heatpad for Hotspot.

Here is my question I'd like to ask you to help with: how do I create well controlled (to 1F steps) ambient temp in the cage (18 inch high)? I have herpstat but what heating device to use?

Much obliged!

1. 50* is nearing refrigeration temps and you're never going to achieve a proper climate for an African python species in those conditions. Don't assume it's 50*, measure the temperature.
2. Put snake in different room that is warmer.
3. Heatpad will do zero for those ambient temps.

Get back to us with the room temps and maybe we can offer a solution. If the room is indeed that cold you'll need to heat the room. Even insulating the sides and top of the tank and using a CHE you'll run into issues with the room temp that cold.

[Hugsplox]

A lot of unknowns here. What size enclosure are we talking, 18 inches high doesn't tell us much, and what kind of enclosure? Glass, PVC, wood? This whole "I don't want to discuss these facts" is silly. 50 degrees with nothing but a heat pad and no ambient warmth in my opinion is dangerous. You may not want to discuss it, but it's relevant to the health of the snake.

[qwerty53]

Pvc enclosure. 4 feet by 3.5 feet

[bcr229]

Pvc enclosure. 4 feet by 3.5 feet

4'x3.5'x1.5' high is a lot of volume to heat. You will need a large RHP to get it done and I would use two UTH's, one set at 90*F, the other at 80*F.

Any way you can put the enclosure into a bedroom, close the door, and just heat that room? Can you put a small chest freezer containing snake food in that room and close the door, so the exhaust from the freezer bumps up the room temp?

[Bogertophis]

Honestly, I wouldn't consider keeping a snake, much less a ball python or any species that needs a similar warmth level to survive. One little slip (like a power outage you can't control) & you're going to have a sick snake- & probably a dead one. There's a limit to what one can reasonably overcome.

What happens when you have to service the cage or feed the snake? Even if you insulate it totally, you'll have to open it from time to time. Doing so less often means a snake living in it's own filth & getting sick. Doing so at just normal frequency & you have RI's & refusal to eat.

Please, if you love snakes, don't put one through that. It's not fair to the snake. 50* is hibernation temperature for those that brumate- BPs do not. Either way, that's not a snake room, it's a garage or a tool shed.

The first rule of keeping any kind of pet is to only keep that which you're able to take proper care of, & I'm sorry but I just don't think you can under these conditions. No matter what you do in life, no matter who you are, we all have "limits" to what we can reasonably do. This idea is just a failure waiting to happen.

[Hugsplox]

Honestly, I wouldn't consider keeping a snake, much less a ball python or any species that needs a similar warmth level to survive. One little slip (like a power outage you can't control) & you're going to have a sick snake- & probably a dead one. There's a limit to what one can reasonably overcome.

What happens when you have to service the cage or feed the snake? Even if you insulate it totally, you'll have to open it from time to time. Doing so less often means a snake living in it's own filth & getting sick. Doing so at just normal frequency & you have RI's & refusal to eat.

Please, if you love snakes, don't put one through that? It's not fair. 50* is hibernation temperature for those that brumate- BPs do not. Either way, that's not a snake room, it's a garage or a tool shed.

Agreed, I don't know how you do anything with a room that cool. If 50* is what the temperature is, you can't move to a warmer room, and you can't increase the temps in the room, I wouldn't even attempt keeping reptiles in there. Even with a PVC enclosure, MAYBE you could get into the 70s with a heating element running 24/7 but as Bogertophis said, one flick of the power, one bulb burning out, any short time spent without that element on, and you have a sick or dead snake.