Quote Originally Posted by Jakob_Ansel View Post
The heat mat came with the terrarium, I'm not sure what I should look for on size but I read the bottom and found: 120VAC 60Hz 8W. Since it came with the terrarium I assumed it was the right size but if it's not please let me know. The substrate also came with the terrarium, it is Aspen shavings. And thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely think about it!
BPs need more heat than many other types of snakes, so it's hard to say whether what you "got" is what you "need". I go by physical dimensions of the heat mat, compared to the floor of the cage: ie. length x width of each one. What are the measurements of each? And what portion (%) of the floor does the heat mat cover? (some tanks are tall, others longer & lower)

It depends what kind of snakes you're housing- my corn snakes like 'room temps' & only use UTH in one corner of their tanks- about 1/6th or less of the floor. When I kept a BCI, I used UTH under about half of her home (controlled of course!). For a BP, & especially in a cool room, you might need UTH that takes up half or a little more of the floor- never more than 2/3 for safety (!) & even that is pushing it some- it must be controlled by a quality thermostat to minimize risk of overheating your snake.

Aspen is best for something like a king snake- it's "bad" for humidity (ie. doesn't help retain humidity). I suspect your "all inclusive terrarium deal" was not really geared for a BP, & I suspect your UTH is too small as well, or else they expect you to augment the heat with over-head options. That's another way to go. All this is why we recommend setting up enclosures & running them for at least a week before they're occupied, so you can work out all these details without the risk of keeping a snake too cold or too hot.

BTW, UTH typically doesn't need a lot of wattage to put out good heat, but w/ different brands & all, I have no way of knowing much about your "8 watts" UTH- sorry.