Another thing you can do is to use a ceramic heat emitter in place of the light bulbs. Just one on one end of the cage should be fine. The cage has to be large enough so the snake can get away from the heater if necessary.



Wattage to use with a CHE depends in part on the height of the cage. A 30 watt CHE for example does not do too well if the cage is 12 inches high, but does great at 6 to 8 inches of height.



I've kept Cals under CHEs, and they are just as effective if not more than heat pads. The gradient achieved is truly wide, even extending down into the substrate. With a CHE, a deep substrate has meaning.



CHEs use more energy than heat pads, and they get very hot to the touch, so be careful. But the snake can thermoregulate effectively with them, both side-to-side and top-to-bottom. Use a regular old lamp dimmer to keep it down in Summer. You can use a lamp dimmer on the heat pad as well if you use that instead of the CHE.



Heat pad/tape/rope is a great heating method for ground dwelling snakes, so you can always do that if you want. But some folks end up with scenarios that have a 110 deg heat pad surrounded by unheated cage. With a CHE, you don't get the all or none result.

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