Temperature gradient and heat sources: the never-ending headache!

[dkatz4]

ok, here a few shots of my setup, its not pretty but its been working so far - note that many of the vent holes are taped over, it took about 2 weeks for me to realize that 45 large holes might have had something to do with my inability to retain humidity.
The probe is usually all the way to the left, i moved it to double check the RHP's output and the analog thermometer's accuracy (pretty good surprisingly) the hot side probe is under the temple, as is the thermostat probe. A UTH extends from the right edge to just about the outer edge of the temple and all the way form front to back. Humidly is reading low b/c the tank was just open for a while while i put Irwin back in (you all know what its like trying to get them back into bed after a play session).


Dimensions are 33" wide, 15" deep, 14" tall.


the front cover is pretty bad for viewing, but its not a display tank anyway.

[bcr229]

I am totally of the less is more School of thought in terms of feeding; my only reservation is that at two years old he still has a bit of growing to do before he hits his adult size and while I certainly don't want to power feed him to grow him faster I don't want to stunt him either. I think you and I may have actually had this discussion on one of my previous posts? For the time being I have him on a 14 day feeding schedule on the smallest small rats I can find. I figure when he's three I will really start spacing out the meals leting him poop and get a little hungry. - unless you think that would be really bad!

When feeding boas less is more, their metabolisms are slower than pythons. You can also kill them at a young age by over-feeding. Once mine hit two years old I like to give an appropriate-sized feeder, usually a rat or young rabbit that leaves almost no discernible lump - every three weeks.

[Gio]

ok, here a few shots of my setup, its not pretty but its been working so far - note that many of the vent holes are taped over, it took about 2 weeks for me to realize that 45 large holes might have had something to do with my inability to retain humidity.
The probe is usually all the way to the left, i moved it to double check the RHP's output and the analog thermometer's accuracy (pretty good surprisingly) the hot side probe is under the temple, as is the thermostat probe. A UTH extends from the right edge to just about the outer edge of the temple and all the way form front to back. Humidly is reading low b/c the tank was just open for a while while i put Irwin back in (you all know what its like trying to get them back into bed after a play session).


Dimensions are 33" wide, 15" deep, 14" tall.


the front cover is pretty bad for viewing, but its not a display tank anyway.

Nice job with that. I'm rather impressed and think it looks pretty good.

My previous post was a list of possibilities and certainly nothing to note as gospel.

If you've only had him a short time, he could just be getting comfortable and feels safe enough to move around.

Josh has some good info too. I believe there are a lot of "ideas" on how to do things because there is probably no 100% right way. We do our best to provide the right climate, food, shelter and options.

If you are able to get them to eat and show growth, good sheds and if you become interested, get them to breed, you are usually with in the range of doing it properly.

[Sauzo]

Not bad looking for a little tub set up. And like mentioned, less is more with boas on food. I feed babies to 1 year old every week. 1-2 year old every 2-3 weeks. 3+ years old every 3-6 weeks. Just extend it out slowly the older they get past 3 years old. Now once in awhile the rat god smiles on them and tosses them an extra rat...or I should say my BP is a pita and decides she wants to play games lol.....

The only thing I would worry about is if your boas are like mine, they try and find the worst place to take a piss or poop which in your case would mean the front of the tub so the liquid leaks out and drips all the over the floor and smells like.....well...piss Or for mine, it means lets find the acurite gauge and drop the biggest deuce we can right square on the unit....or course this is after we push it flat on the aspen so we can get the biggest coverage

Oh and you truly know your boa is feeling comfortable when they stretch out in the cage and you open it and they only turn their head about a quarter turn, sniff the air for a rat and then lay back down. That's when you know you got a content and lazy boa lol.

[dkatz4]

I am truly tickled pink that you folks like my snake tub - its one of those projects that i am embarrassed of b/c its so modest, but also proud of b/c i worked so hard to get it as good as it could be. I am planning and putting together a materials list to build a more permanent display quality setup that will be mounted into a set of built-in book cases in my study. Waiting about a year until i have a more accurate idea of his adult size and (fingers crossed) i get the chance to pick up another boa to join him (not in the same enclosure, of course, but mounted in the same wall unit).

[bcr229]

I am truly tickled pink that you folks like my snake tub - its one of those projects that i am embarrassed of b/c its so modest, but also proud of b/c i worked so hard to get it as good as it could be.

Don't be embarrassed - it is simple, inexpensive, effective, and provides a much more healthy environment for your snake than more costly setups.

[JoshSloane]

that is a super interesting notion, although i'd be a little scared to try it, "hedging bets" is a very good way to put it. Let me ask you about RHP's, i have a 40 watt (in my OP i said 80, but its 40) and it heats the surface 14 inches below it to about 82.5 F, which is great, but it's "footprint" is rather small. That is to say there is a very definitive line where the heat stops and beyond it the temp drops about 6 or 7 degrees. Would a more powerful one cast wider, or would it simply be able to get the same size area hotter?
i just checked out the T8, great price for great floor space, but the height (12") seems a bit short, especially with a RHP a few inches thick on the ceiling. what do you think?

So the thing with heating is that it isnt always about the wattage of heat that matters, but it is more the retention of heat that plays a bigger role. AP T8s are a standard these days for both boas and bps. The foot height is plenty. Some people provide higher enclosures to allow their animals to climb, but it never really seemed that necessary for me. A smaller height will allow you to maintain an ambient air temperature easier. The t8s hold heat extremely well, and will help you get a nice even ambient temperature. RBI claims that a 40w is sufficient to heat a T8 in a room that is above about 72 deg. Pro Products would sell you a 65w model for the same cage. Either of these work fine, Pro Products RHPs are thinner however. A larger RHP will give you a larger footprint, but honestly if you insulate well enough it shouldnt really matter. I wouldnt be scared to try the ambient heat only method. As long as you maintain this single temperature uniformly you will be fine. I would place the RHP in the middle of the enclosure, and take temperature readings of the air down by snake height.

[dkatz4]

So the thing with heating is that it isnt always about the wattage of heat that matters, but it is more the retention of heat that plays a bigger role. AP T8s are a standard these days for both boas and bps. The foot height is plenty. Some people provide higher enclosures to allow their animals to climb, but it never really seemed that necessary for me. A smaller height will allow you to maintain an ambient air temperature easier. The t8s hold heat extremely well, and will help you get a nice even ambient temperature. RBI claims that a 40w is sufficient to heat a T8 in a room that is above about 72 deg. Pro Products would sell you a 65w model for the same cage. Either of these work fine, Pro Products RHPs are thinner however. A larger RHP will give you a larger footprint, but honestly if you insulate well enough it shouldnt really matter. I wouldnt be scared to try the ambient heat only method. As long as you maintain this single temperature uniformly you will be fine. I would place the RHP in the middle of the enclosure, and take temperature readings of the air down by snake height.

good point about the shorter height keeping the ambient temp more consistent. I think part of my problem is that my basement is chilly (about 65F). I had an idea to look around for an appropriate small sculpture or tchotchke made of soapstone to put directly under the RHP, obviously something that my snake could enjoy as furniture, but genuine soapstone should (theoretically) absorb, retain, and evenly emit the heat very well. Have you ever tried those heat vines? I don't know if they actually radiate any heat or if they are only warm to the touch, but i thought of wrapping a log or something with them to act as a little in-tank radiator. but before installing sculpture or electric heat i will probably just make a tank cozy out of some old blankets and see if the extra insulation boosts the effectiveness of what i already have.

[JoshSloane]

I wouldnt mess around with heat vines or the like. Like I said earlier, keeping things simple is often the key to success. I really like to maintain one heating element, and one temperature. Insulation is going to be your friend here with this issue. You can head to home depot and they have a plethora of options for insulating. You could buy some actual insulation made for houses, or simply get some styrofoam slabs and affix it to the sides of the enclosure. They also have spray insulation in small canisters.

This is why AP T8s are so popular. They have 1/2 inch PVC that really holds the heat great.

65 deg is considered pretty cold for a snake enclosure to be in, but can definitely work given the proper insulation.

[bcr229]

65 deg is considered pretty cold for a snake enclosure to be in, but can definitely work given the proper insulation.

A couple of nights this winter my heat pump* couldn't keep up with the low temperature outside and the house temp dropped below 65*F. I put a wool blanket over the racks on those nights, which did the trick nicely at keeping the ambient temp in the tubs warm enough. I removed the blanket as soon as the house warmed up during the day.

*Tip: don't get a heat pump if your outside temps can regularly drop below 20*F.