Randall is correct. Unfortunately glass tanks are not effective cages for large boids that require a rather narrow temperature range (narrow compared to for colubrids).



Glass is not a good insulator, it is a conductor. When the room temp is warm, so is the tank. When the room temp is cold, so is the tank. It can take slot of wattage to heat a glass tank in a cold room. And screen tops are the worst things ever. Definitely not made for snakes. Bearded dragons OK, but not snakes.



The answer is to insulate the tank. My advice is to get pink insulation foam, often sold in 2ft x 2ft squares at Lowes or Home Depot. Tape those on the outside of the glass - all sides. An alternative is to use a product often called "Reflectix" sold at the same stores. It is a roll of bubble wrap coated in shiny metal film. It is really easy to cut and tape to the glass. You can mount reflectix to the inside of the tank to make it really effective. I use it alot because ambient temps in Winter can be a problem without using insulation on my boa cages to some degree.



Next I would spend the money and get a radiant heat panel (RBI makes a nice one, so does Bean Farm (which is the same one as Boaphile). You can lay the heat panel on top of the screen I think.. please ask the seller before you try it. Get a large one. 28W is too small, 40 is better, but the next size up is best.



Finally get a thermostat, a proportional model from RBI, Bean Farm, wherever, all are great.



My last bit of advice if you really want to keep boids - get a plastic cage where you can mount a radiant heat panel inside on the ceiling. You will not be sorry, and you will never look at glass tanks again. Dragons 4 You makes an excellent affordable cage suitable for Dumerils that is 42 inches wide and 21 inches deep. Paul Mitchell Jr sells a line of polystyrene cages that are very affordable as well. Of course, there is always Boaphile. Even a wood cage with a glass front is better than an all-glass tank.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]