Anyone use no supplemental heat?

[classdwhite]

I tried searching and didn't come up with much. Does any1 here not use belly/back heat and only heat the room ambient temp? What temps do you aim for? How low do you cycle for breeding?

[nightrainfalls]

It is not the best way to go. Snakes should have a temp gradient so they can select the temps they like. There should always be hot and cool spots in the cage. Supplemental heat makes this possible. Heating a whole room to keep a cage warm is also a wasteful way to go.

David

[PitOnTheProwl]

One of my friends only heats the room in cooler weather, other than that its whatever the outside temperature is.
He also does not have central air either so there is no cool air leaking in there during out 100+ degree summers LoL

[DennisM]

I don't use supplemental heating. I live in south florida and for 9 months of the year it's python weather, upper 80s and humid. I just leave the windows open in the snake room, which has it's AC blocked. In the winter I close the windows and heat the whole room with an oil filled heater. I set temps at 82 during the day and 74 at night.

[DennisM]

?... Heating a whole room to keep a cage warm is also a wasteful way to go.

David

Not if you have a room full of snakes!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It is not the best way to go. Snakes should have a temp gradient so they can select the temps they like. There should always be hot and cool spots in the cage. Supplemental heat makes this possible. Heating a whole room to keep a cage warm is also a wasteful way to go.

David

Always?

Do you have experience with keeping your animals at room temps with no hot spot?

Did you know that the Barker kept their collection like this?

Did you know that if you have a number large enough this method might actually be cost efficient?

Did you know that sometimes keeping the animals at room temps actually involve no cost at all?

Now to the OP

While I generally do not recommend this method to new owners that are getting started, I however will not hesitate to discuss it with people that want to experiment and learn about "alternative" husbandry methods.

First let me start that I live in the south and that my snake room is located right under my roof (spare room above the garage), during the winter my snake room is heated at 75 and a hot spot of 88 degrees is provided to my BP, during the warm months however everything is turned off (oil filled heater and heat tape), because of it's location the room gets around 85/87 degrees during the day and therefore I have no cost from May to September.

Of course I could cool the room to 75 and have a hot spot of 88 but it would not make much sense, it would be counter productive and not very energy efficient.

As far as my collection I have done this for 5 years straight now since moving to my new house, all snakes are healthy, stress free, eating and breeding, so I think that tells a lot.

[EasiGregory]

Always?

Do you have experience with keeping your animals at room temps with no hot spot?

Did you know that the Barker kept their collection like this?

Did you know that if you have a number large enough this method might actually be cost efficient?

Did you know that sometimes keeping the animals at room temps actually involve no cost at all?

Now to the OP

While I generally do not recommend this method to new owners that are getting started, I however will not hesitate to discuss it with people that want to experiment and learn about "alternative" husbandry methods.

First let me start that I live in the south and that my snake room is located right under my roof (spare room above the garage), during the winter my snake room is heated at 75 and a hot spot of 88 degrees is provided to my BP, during the warm months however everything is turned off (oil filled heater and heat tape), because of it's location the room gets around 85/87 degrees during the day and therefore I have no cost from May to September.

Of course I could cool the room to 75 and have a hot spot of 88 but it would not make much sense, it would be counter productive and not very energy efficient.

As far as my collection I have done this for 5 years straight now since moving to my new house, all snakes are healthy, stress free, eating and breeding, so I think that tells a lot.

Do you mean you unplug the racks from the thermostats? If so is there a setting to only monitor the probe and not "attempt" to route power to whatever is plugged into the thermostat? If not I wonder if it trying to route power to the plugged devices actually draws any power?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Do you mean you unplug the racks from the thermostats? If so is there a setting to only monitor the probe and not "attempt" to route power to whatever is plugged into the thermostat? If not I wonder if it trying to route power to the plugged devices actually draws any power?

I unplug the thermostats nothing is running.

[Asherah]

I know several breeders/keepers with large collections who only heat the room. I believe for several of them 86 is the magical temp.

[kitedemon]

I think I can say that every large group I know of uses ambient air temps and does not rely on hot spots. I know at least two zoo set ups that also rely on a ambient base with small adjustments here and there to provide heat to a wide variety of species. It is the most efficient system for a mass grouping.

Should everyone use it, no. Husbandry is always a balance of animal needs, keepers abilities, local environment, and available technology. There is no right or wrong way there is only what balances and what does not. The balance depends on too many factors to make a sweeping statements.