Ambient air temps of 70 are quite cool typically 78-84 air temps. This is AMBIENT AIR temps not surface temps. I'd also try to insulate the sides and back of the tank with ridgid foam insulation to try to keep some of the heat you are generating in.
Snakes have one long lung and a short lung, the short lung is at best an aid in respiration so it doesn't matter for this topic. The long lung runs past the heart and kidneys and the major parts of the circulatory system. The temperature of the air inside the lungs effects the body core temp to a large extent. Cool air temps like 70ºF will drop the core temp and the hot spot surface temps will simply not be able to cancel out the effect of cold lung temperatures.
Ambient air temps of 70 are quite cool typically 78-84 air temps. This is AMBIENT AIR temps not surface temps. I'd also try to insulate the sides and back of the tank with ridgid foam insulation to try to keep some of the heat you are generating in.
Snakes have one long lung and a short lung, the short lung is at best an aid in respiration so it doesn't matter for this topic. The long lung runs past the heart and kidneys and the major parts of the circulatory system. The temperature of the air inside the lungs effects the body core temp to a large extent. Cool air temps like 70ºF will drop the core temp and the hot spot surface temps will simply not be able to cancel out the effect of cold lung temperatures.
Could not have said it better myself. A lot of people forget the importance of ambient temps. The foam insulation works and covering the half the screen with tinfoil/towel works well. In a room that is 65 I am able to keep my ambient temps in a 20 gallon tank at 82 using just a 75 watt bulb.
I'm confused. The hot side is 83.4 inside the hot side hide. That's inside the hide not under the mulch. My heat lamp raised the temp above the hot side temp to 95. Cool side is 75. What should I do?
The towel on top helped. Not sure why the inside of the hide isn't warming up. Please help
My ball python has been fine with eating & shedding for three years +. But I'm just rethinking & making sure I'm doing what's best for them. Should I continue what I've been doing? Or switch it?
No don't switch. They do adjust and so many never check the ambient temps that they ahe no idea of what they actually are also tanks typically have micro climates a climate inside each hide and close to the 'floor' as well and often they stratify the temps as you get to the top it will change. The best indicator of husbantry is health of the animal they suffer under incorrect conditions and that 90% of the time translates into sick animals. It sounds to me like you have a fair bit of substrate over the UTH you might thin it out some and use the lamp with a bit farther distance to drop the effect.
There is no right and wrong way just ones that work or not. If you had a working method don't change it just get back to where you were.
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Originally Posted by kitedemon
