What do y'all use to keep ambient air at 80 in plastic tubs?

[Billingsca91]

Title pretty much says it all. I have a plastic tub setup with a UTH hooked up to a thermostat. As of right now I have newspaper down as the substrate. I don't have the ball python yet. Everything seems to be perfect except the ambient air. The temp is between 72-75 on the cool side. How do I raise it to 80? I've seen where people use space heaters in a room but I'm trying not to do that considering I will only have one snake. Is there any other ways? I was thinking maybe aiming a ceramic heat emitter at the tub and that would heat it up? Idk if that is safe though. I could put it on a thermostat but wouldn't the thermostat turning it off and on kill it? Maybe put it on a dimmer? I'm not sure. I'm just wondering what other ball python owners who use plastic bens are using?

Thanks!

[Godzilla78]

I use an infrared space heater aimed at tub (rack of tubs), set on thermostat. For one snake, I would use a CHE aimed at tub, set on thermostat or dimmer.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1# You don't have to raise it to 80 if you can maintain a stable 75 degrees on the cool side you are fine.

2# Depends on the number of animals you have, I have a dedicated snake room with breeders and hatching so I have a oil filled heater set on 75.

Now if you only have one snake the best method is to buy a second UTH and a second thermostat.

I would not recommend a che with a plastic tub.

[Starscream]

I'm sorry, Deborah, but CHEs with tubs do work.


I cut a hole out of the tub lid, put pizza mesh in its place and attached it with zip-ties, and then placed the CHE/UV light fixture on top of it. Works like a dream.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Godzilla78]

1# You don't have to raise it to 80 if you can maintain a stable 75 degrees on the cool side you are fine.

2# Depends on the number of animals you have, I have a dedicated snake room with breeders and hatching so I have a oil filled heater set on 75.

Now if you only have one snake the best method is to buy a second UTH and a second thermostat.

I would not recommend a che with a plastic tub.

Back when I had one snake, I used this method of two UTHs, plus insulation, and it brought ambients up.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I'm sorry, Deborah, but CHEs with tubs do work.


I cut a hole out of the tub lid, put pizza mesh in its place and attached it with zip-ties, and then placed the CHE/UV light fixture on top of it. Works like a dream.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Never said they did not work, I said I do not recommend them, they are just not has efficient, heat travels up not down so most of the heat is wasted

[Billingsca91]

Ahh, I really didn't think about putting a second UTH. I didn't know if that would work cuz the UTH that I have doesn't seem to warm up the air, just heats up the bottom. I'm using the reptitherm UTH.

[cchardwick]

I heat a small room with a space heater and a greenhouse thermostat and keep ambient temps at 82F. I'm wondering if you could heat a small enclosure, something like a glass door cooler and put the whole setup in there, similar to a home made incubator? All you really need is some heat tape, another thermostat, a small fan for air movement and something to enclose the whole tub. This is my home made incubator, you could do something like this only smaller and put the tub right in it. Then you wouldn't have to heat the whole room. You could even use a small wine cooler that's modified. Just a thought...