So much helpful info! Do you happen to have pictures of your set up!? I’d love to see esp with the foam how you do it with the airflow on top of the tank since you use glass like we doOriginally Posted by craigafrechette
Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping.
1) Yes, one UTH is fine. The UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot and not for ambient temps. Your UTH should be regulated by a thermostat to prevent dangerous heat spikes which can cause serious burns or worse to your snake. Your substrate in top of the UTH should be about 1/4" deep, although your snake will most likely push most of it out of the way anyhow. For this reason, you want to measurethe actual surface temp, not the substraye, using a temp gun. I keep mine at 90 for my BP.
2) the probe should be outside the enclosure sandwiched between the UTH and the glass.
3) feed inside the enclosure. Using a seperate feeding tub is old school and proven counter productive. Moving to a feeding tub a) stresses the snake increasing the risk of the snake refusing to eat, b) increaes the likelihood of the snake regurgitating it's meal when moved back, and c) increases your odds of getting tagged. I've fed in the enclosure for years and none of my snakes have ever struck at me inside their enclosures (well, except for my Kingsnake when he's in shed, but that's a different story altogether). I have also never had impaction issues due to substrate. If you're worried about that, lay a paper plate or something over the substrate prior to feeding.
Using glass works just fine once set up properly, I've been doing it for years. It jyst takes a little more effort, but really only in the winter months.
I wrap the back, sides and top of my enclosures in 1/2" foam board insulation and that helps tremendously with keeping temps and humidity on point. Just cut a circle out for the heat lamp with a little extra room for airflow.
This also helps to offer the snake a sense of security. BPs do best when they feel as safe and secure as possible. The glass sides often make them feel too out in the open and can stress them.
I hope I helped! Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
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