What I meant to say was that IMO glossies are not as adaptable as a kingsnake to the common captive conditions used most widely.



My glossies back in the day were cooled in Winter because they avoided heat during those months. They almost seemed uncomfortable with any heat on.



I am no expert on glossies. I just tried some stuff that seemed to make things better. Their thin skin is a clue that even though they are a desert snake, they cannot tolerate dry conditions for too long, conditions that for example a gopher snake would have no problems with.



One thing I am doing with all my snakes now - being that I have far fewer now - is that I use overhead heating in the form of ceramic heat emitters and radiant heat panels. For one reason or another, the snakes really seem to thrive with these heaters, and you can see them really fine-tune their basking habits. Especially effective for young boas/pythons. I provide a tiered layer of shelves, and they will choose the desired basking spot vertically to suit their needs. I guess with a heat pad they can adjust horizontally and percentage of body over heater, but there is a much more gradual gradient with a ceramic.



For a glossy, perhaps it can be tried. You would have to build up the substrate so it is about 8 inches below the top of the tank. Then you could use a ceramic heater. The snake could then sit under the substrate close to the surface to warm up, or deeper to cool down, or just move away altogether. A layer of newspaper covering the substrate will work nicely - that was my trick for rosy boas with the result being a voracious feed response. Might be worth a try. I have maintained kings this way with great results as well. Ceramic heaters are better than lamps - the heat penetrates substrates better and is more focused on the area below the heater.

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