Quote Originally Posted by TheMadNucleus
Thanks Again - hope you folks are right, I'm going to apply your advice.

On other question: I have a 55 gallon (4' by 1' floor space) and I have 2 22watt zoo-med heat pads under it.

I have 2 50 watt haolgens on top and 2 50 watt incad. red lights - the halogens are on during the day the red lights are on in the evening.

The heat pads are always on. The temp in the tank runs a bit over 82 deg during the day and 75 degs at night.

Sound ok?
The tank sounds large even for an adult BP for your little guy the large open space will add to his stress. I think you will be better off ditching it entirely and switching to a tub - see the FAQ section for this. If you are sticking with the big tank then you need to make sure that there are lots of hiding space - at least two hides that are a snug fit.

Re: the temps - I'm afraid your set up does not sound ideal. BPs need a heat gradient in order to thermoregulate. The cool side or ambient temp should be around 80/85F the warm side needs to be 90-95F (one of the hides needs to be on the cool side one on the hot side). Properly heating such a big tank will be a real challenge - 75F at night is too cold really and BPs do better with constant day/night temps. Heat lamps are useful to raise ambient temps but tend to dry the humidity out a lot.

My real concern is those heat pads - they can cause potentially lethal burns to a BP unless they are connected to a thermostat - they should *never* be directly plugged into the wall.

I mean this as helpful advice - others who are more knowledgeable will doubtless add their wisdom but in the mean time I would advise that you read the caresheets available here. I think a 55gallon tank is unfortunately a very bad home for a BP, although with a lot of work it can probably be made to suffice. Plastic Tubs are cheap and considered the best way to house a BP - I'm afraid they fail on the aesthetic front though which is why I went with a custom built cage - but they are pricey.

Good luck.