Heating question

[Hgray]

Hello all. I'm new to this forum. Not really new to snakes though
I'm just trying to make the best cage possible. I've turned my 72gallon bow front into a snake home. (For my ball python)
I placed an under tank heater on the left w a rock enclosure over top so the snake may get inside (which it does)
I have a waterfall going in the middle. & some branches for it to climb on
Only issue is.. I've been reading too much & seeing a lot of ppl saying not to use hear lamps.
But..my tank is only about 75 degrees..not warm enough
I'm not sure how else to get to the temp I need w/o a lamp.
& do I need an infrared lamp for night time?
& if I do use a lamp..do I place it on same side as heat pad, so it has a hot & cold side
Any suggestions would be helpful
Here's a pic to get an idea of my enclosure
Thanks..


Athens Staff

[Crazymonkee]

What are you using to check temps? Personally I would put the lamp in the middle, others will probably chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. I would say middle because it will give more of a gradient. Hot spot, then a middle temp to coolest side. Only problem I really see with lamps is it wrecks the humidity (from personal experience) Also I don't see a hide on the cool side?

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[Hgray]

I'm using a simple thermometer to check temps.. I have a hide spot on the cool side now..just wasn't there when I took the pic. I thought about putting the lamp in the middle, but I read not to put heat over your water??


Athens Staff

[Hgray]

Oh yeah..
& if everyone thinks I should use a head lamp,
What size lamp?
If everyone is against a lamp
How else do I heat it up?
& with ventilation being important, it's hard to keep humidity & temp stable..
Help me out..lol


Athens Staff

[kat_black181]

I use a simple dome lamp with a red bulb. I'm not sure about the wattage you would need for a tank so large, though. Maybe a more experienced member could guide you there...

Also, try draping a large towel around three sides of the tank and part of the top as well. The entire top of the tank doesn't need to be exposed or open if you are using a screen cover, just enough to allow some airflow so that the air inside doesn't get stagnant.

To keep my humidity levels up, I have a damp towel over part of the top, and I mist it a few times a day. It's about 55-60% humidity inside.

I hope this helps a bit.

[Hgray]

It helps...just need to fig out wattage I need. & how often do I need to keep it on?
24hrs
12hrs
?


Athens Staff

[Crazymonkee]

I would say at the minimum 75 watt. I use the red infrared bulb. It depends on how well the tank hold the heat... if it drops as soon as the light goes off you may need to run it 24/7.
Agree with the towel it does help. My bulb is right over my water dish

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[kat_black181]

It helps...just need to fig out wattage I need. & how often do I need to keep it on?
24hrs
12hrs
?


Athens Staff

Someone will pipe in with wattage soon.


Also, the red bulb is not for lighting, just heat. Ball pythons have no lighting requirements, but their heat needs to be stable at all times. Mine is on at all times.

[LooptyLoo]

It helps...just need to fig out wattage I need. & how often do I need to keep it on?
24hrs
12hrs
?


Athens Staff

I am extremely new to snake keeping, but I can at least let you know what has been working for me. I have a 40 gallon tank in a house that stays pretty cool. I have an infrared heat lamp, 100 watt. It stays on 24/7, as the temps drop too low without it.

For humidity, as a previous poster suggested too, I use a damp towel to cover half the screen. My temps stay perfect and my humidity stays between 50-60% with the towel and the occasional misting if needed.

[Darkbird]

Me personally, I would use a ceramic heat emitter of around 100w and a thermostat to control temps. You could play with the placement a bit to see if it helps humidity keeping it over the water feature and so on. As for keeping the humidity, cover every square inch of screen or get rid of the screen completely. It's a snake, not a hamster, and doesn't need large amounts of ventilation to be healthy. You can uncover screen or add holes as need to maintain proper humidity.