I'm getting mixed advice. Can I put a ceramic heat emitter INSIDE the enclosure?

[SarahLeeee1]

Im getting a juvenile bp next week and am confused about the lighting. CAN I MOUNT a heat emitter inside his enclosure?

Its 31 long, 19.5 tall, 19.5 depth.

Here is a link to a start of his enclosure
https://www.reddit.com/r/ballpython/...losure_so_far/

I would be putting the heat emitter in the area with the least climbing space, like front left-middle

This is the heat emitter i wanted to buy and mount


with this cage

[Lord Sorril]

Why wouldn't you just put the emitter in a heat reflector hood outside and pointed down into the enclosure? This is a pretty standard method for most reptiles. You could avoid a lot of potential issues that way...

[Bogertophis]

So much can go wrong with any kind of hot bulb inside an enclosure, even if there's a mesh cage around it. Getting splashed with water will probably make it explode. And if your t-stat fails, your snake is really in an "oven" (much faster than if the heat was rising outside the enclosed space). And I know BPs aren't known for their climbing skills but that doesn't mean they read their own instruction manual...I'll bet your snake can pop open that bottom trap door, if not right away, then after he grows longer & you don't expect it because "he never did that before".

[Homebody]

CAN I MOUNT a heat emitter inside his enclosure?

I think so. The purpose of those cages are to protect your bp from the heating element. It should be constructed of material that doesn't get too hot. The clasp that holds the trap door closed should be secure. Don't get a cheap one. It's not the place to save a few bucks.

Where would you put it though? You can't put it in the middle. Your bp needs a heat gradient, a warm and a cool side. Put it in the middle and you'll heat the entire enclose. There will be no cool place for him to retreat to. Place it on the left and those ledges will make it easy for your bp to get too close to it. There is no place in the enclosure that will stop your bp from touching it with his nose. That won't hurt him, but that high ledge would allow your bp to literally wrap himself around it. That's dangerous. Install it in the right rear and you have the same problem. Just a little less likely because the ledge is smaller. If I was to put a CHE in that enclosure, I would put it in the front on the left. You still have one small branch there, but I think it's the best placement for this set up. But even if you can install it safely, that doesn't mean you should.

Have you considered using a radiant heat panel instead? CHEs can dry out an enclosure, and that enclosure has a lot of ventilation. Put a CHE in there and I'm concerned that you will have trouble maintaining humidity. I think a radiant heat panel would work better. They don't dry out the enclosure the way a CHE would. As a bonus, they don't get as hot, so they're safer.

[SarahLeeee1]

TYSM for the insight! I made the enclosure with the intent of putting the heating in the front left. I cannot afford a deep heat projector. I do not like heat lamps, so I was going to get a heat mat or a CHE. And i wanted CHE cause i did not want my bp to be burried all the time.

SO maybe i will try and get the CHE and cage and test it by touching the cage.

[Homebody]

TYSM for the insight! I made the enclosure with the intent of putting the heating in the front left. I cannot afford a deep heat projector. I do not like heat lamps, so I was going to get a heat mat or a CHE. And i wanted CHE cause i did not want my bp to be burried all the time.

SO maybe i will try and get the CHE and cage and test it by touching the cage.

Yeah, get it all up and test it thoroughly before you put your bp in there. I'm not sure what an unsafe temperature for a CHE cage is. I use a radiant heat panel and it gets to 145F.

For what it's worth, I think you've made a nice start to your set up. Post an updated pic when you're done. I'd love to see the finished product.

[Malum Argenteum]

One nice thing about a radiant heat panel ("RHP", which is not the same thing as a 'deep heat projector') is that they can be installed so that it is very difficult for the snake to contact it in any real way. They're flat, and are attached underneath the top of the enclosure, so a snake would have to telescope up and hold itself against the ceiling to contact it.

Whatever you end up using for the heat element, don't skimp on the thermostat. I strongly recommend Herpstats.