Hi,


Well , as you said it depends on room temps, where I live for example is considerably cooler than where you are so most of my tanks need 2 heat sources to keep within the right range. In fact the only two that don't are using ceramic heaters designed to dry car paint and can reach a surface temperature of 700 degrees C. Before everyone panicks they are on proportional thermostats and are well gaurded so they never reach that temp and the snakes cannot get burned.

When I finally get my finger out and build a rack it will need flexwatt on both sides just to make sure the cool end is high enough.

But on the cage arrangements I would go with an identical hide on each side andf the water bowl near the cool side hide - though if humidity is low you can move it nearer the heat source as they really don't care what the water temps are.

AiSuki,

Sadly the only way to make a heat rock safe is to cut the cord off. Their problem is not so much the entire rock getting too hot ( though they will if unregulated) but that small patches of the rock get far warmer than the rest of it - hot spots. These can be hot enough to burn your snake so we never advise anyone to use them as anything but decoration.

Just to clarify a "hot rock" is a commercially sold resin block with a heating element buried in it - a hot rock is one that's been in the sun and is fine as cage decor.


dr del