2 Heat lamps and a UTH, is it okay?

[Soups]

Well, I put another thermometer in the basking side, it was hotter. I unplugged the uth, getting a digital thermometer today. Ill get a heat gun asap, I feel bad for him... I cant get a perfect temp...I just need a 80w bulb. Ill buy one along with the thermometer. He ate yesterday so that's good. Thanks alot for the help, without you guys this noobie would have a unhappy snake

Edit: Im going to grab a infared thermometer as well. Better safe than sorry. Ill say goodbye to my new watch haha.

[KMG]

YOU NEED A DIMMER, NOT ANOTHER BULB IN ANOTHER WATTAGE. Its will be far easier and cheaper it you just buy a dimmer and reduce the power of the bulb you have. Buying another bulb that may still be to hot is a waste of money. I added a link to what I am talking about a few post back.

In a 20gal an 80w is probably still way more than you need and when you get a temp gun and see the high numbers it is creating on the cage floor you will understand.

[Soups]

Okay, thanks for the help. Sorry if i'm being annoying about all of this, got the snake as a gift, with all of the husbandry items inside. If I got him myself I would have done some more studying.

[O'Mathghamhna]

Okay, thanks for the help. Sorry if i'm being annoying about all of this, got the snake as a gift, with all of the husbandry items inside. If I got him myself I would have done some more studying.

It drives me nuts when people give animals as gifts; especially snakes, which require more care and maintenance than most folks are aware. The fact that you are here, learning, and willing to sacrifice some personal items (see ya, watch!) for your new snake gives me hope in humanity. You're not annoying at all, and post all the questions you need until your snake is all set. Good luck!

[Soups]

Thanks!

[Soups]

Alright, so I got my heat gun, no dimmer (yet!). I measured ground temps throughout the tank, it was hitting about 75-80 degrees F and measured temps on the hides and branches I have in there and it was hitting about 80 on the cool side (which has a 20w on it right now) and 70 on the basking side... Really odd... basking has a 60w on it. Air temps seem to be the same throughout which is about 75 degrees F on both sides. And the uth... I have it under one of my hides, It was the smallest uth at petsmart so like 10 inches by 10 inches, it was hitting about 90 degrees - 100 degrees on my temp gun so I decided to unplug it cause he never goes and hides under that hide and it was a little hot for my taste. So my house was getting REAL cold (55 degrees F) and I could NOT heat the thing up... I finally put a space heater in my room and its getting to a cozy 77 degrees in here. Its great for me and my python! Im excited for the summer to come along (I live in Arizona so it gets nice and hot) I wont have to worry as much about cold... Ill have to worry about humidity lol... I have one more question, does a regular light bulb produce more heat than a CFL bulb? that might be why my hot side is the same as my cool side...

[KMG]

As the room warms recheck the temps in the tank.

To bring up the heat in the tank you can insulate the sides of the tank. I used thick art paper to cover three sides and it helped retain a couple degrees of heat. You can also use foam, cardboard, really anything with an insulating property.

The same can be done to the screen. I cut cardboard out for my lid and made windows for the heaters. I then covered it with foil.

[das_nooblet]

My BP is currently in a 36x18x18 tank, with a UTH on a thermostat and two lamps with 75W bulbs on a dimmer. Keeps it warm enough here in Calgary for her, though I do change out to 50W bulbs once it starts warming up outside

If no one has mentioned it, when you do get a thermostat, I'd make sure you get a proportional one instead of an on/off. They're pricier, but (in my opinion) safer for your snake, as the on/off variety simply allows your UTH to go full-bore, and then shuts it off once it gets to the designated temp. This results in temperature spikes and drops as opposed to a constant, sustained temperature

One thing to add to your list would be a cheap spray bottle (the Dollar Store ones work fine) for misting. Even with the cardboard/foil covers KMG suggested, you'll have trouble keeping the humidity up (at least in the winter) with 2 lamps.

[KMG]

My BP is currently in a 36x18x18 tank, with a UTH on a thermostat and two lamps with 75W bulbs on a dimmer. Keeps it warm enough here in Calgary for her, though I do change out to 50W bulbs once it starts warming up outside

If no one has mentioned it, when you do get a thermostat, I'd make sure you get a proportional one instead of an on/off. They're pricier, but (in my opinion) safer for your snake, as the on/off variety simply allows your UTH to go full-bore, and then shuts it off once it gets to the designated temp. This results in temperature spikes and drops as opposed to a constant, sustained temperature

One thing to add to your list would be a cheap spray bottle (the Dollar Store ones work fine) for misting. Even with the cardboard/foil covers KMG suggested, you'll have trouble keeping the humidity up (at least in the winter) with 2 lamps.

I got tired of spray bottles breaking so I got this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...rch_detailpage

Best thing for misting your collection. Ive had it since Nov 14' and it is still going strong.

[O'Mathghamhna]

Nice! I have the Zoo Med Reptifogger (http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryD...D=2&SearchID=5), and it makes my life sooo much easier. I can't wait to get a timer for it; I'm just concerned it might poop out on me. I've seen a lot of reviews where some people use them for a few months and then they break :/ but so far, so good for me *knock on wood*