Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 29 gallon with a baby ball python, and its hidespot on the right and basking spot on the left... now I was told to have the heatpad under hide spot.. ok well I had a 150W Sun Glo bulb... and it would only get 84-85F in baskingspot... my house stays at 70-71 degrees F all the time...somtimes 72 if my mom messes with it...But im in the basement. So its probably around 69-70. Now shouldnt the 150w bulb easily provide the basking spot with a bit higher of a temp? isnt it supposed to be closer to 90 ..or is mid 80's ok?..

I have to go buy a new bulb anyways, today the bulb randomly went dead. Any help helps... Also should I get another UTH for the basking side at nighttime... to keep tank temps up at night time? it hits like 70-72 at night... even tho I have a UTH under the hidebox.

Sorry but Im new and didnt think i'd run into what seems a simple problem..but I just want to consult people that have maybe ran into this before ... before I do somthing wrong.

-- Paul

well first off, if you use a heat lamp for snakes, no need to buy expensive bulbs. They dont benifit from them any more than the walmart special. Yes, you would think a 150w buld would be very hot at that range. I would say forget the heat lamp if you have some money to get a good heat mat. You dont really need it "under the hide", they will find the heat when they need it. Make sure the entire cage is warm though. you will want around 75F in the cool spots during the day, the lamp can help with this if the room really stays 69-70 during the day.

How did you measure the temp from the lamp?

I have a stickie thermometer and a round on that sticks on the glass... and they both seem accurate. But yes... So what kind of bulb do you recomend.. just a reg lightbulb? Should I get one of those laser thermometers that is accurate? that you point at the area and it meassures it?.

Money is no object to me really.. I mean its limited..But I work everyweek..im younger(18 about to be 19) .. So I live in my parents house and dont have to pay rent or bills...so all my money goes to myself.

Any suggestions I can also get a pic of the tank set up if you'd like.

-- Paul

Thermometers that stick to the glass tend not to measure the temperatures that the snake sees. The flat ones measure the temperature of the glass which is heavily influenced by the room temperature. The round ones that sit slightly away from the glass are better, but I've found a gradient within an inch of the glass. The best ones are the digital thermometers that have a probe that you can place in different spots around the enclosure. Ideally, you'll measure the temperature just on top of the substrate at a couple of places in your enclosure. Most of us love temperature guns. Pro Exotics sells a few models that work very well. I think their base model is without a laser, but the laser isn't necessary for accurate measurement. The laser just points to the spot where the measurement is taken.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Well ok.. would a temp gun be suffitient for my needs or would a probe be better...or should I just go all out and get both to be super accurate ^_^.

Also I see in alot of cages they have a dirt type substrate.. im using reptile carpet..which you find to be the best substrate for heat and easiest to clean?

-- Paul

I think that more experienced people could give you better answers to both of your questions, but I'll give you what I know or have concluded so far.

Personally, I have and use both a temperature gun and probes. A temperature gun measures surface temperatures. In many cases, surface temperatures tell you what you need to know. Specifically, a temperature gun will tell you whether you have a hot spot that could burn your snake. A digital thermometer will tell you the temperature of the probe as it sits in the cage. The nice thing about the digital thermometer is that the probe is experiencing the conditions that the snake is experiencing and is reacting to changing heat conditions. Another nice thing about a digital thermometer is that you don't have to open the enclosure to get a reading. A temperature gun requires that you move your hand and arm all around to get different readings. The digital thermometers can be purchased on the web for about $5 each when they are on sale. I'd start with a few of them although less expensive thermometers at Wal-Mart might do the job in many cases. The least expensive temperature gun from Pro Exotics is about $25, and you could wait to get that one when you have a little more money.

I've only used Repti-bark with a little cypress mulch for my ball python. I've heard of people using the carpet very effectively. If you have a second carpet so that you can always change and clean one when your snake goes to the bathroom, the carpet is probably fine. I like the look of a substrate like Repti-bark, and spot cleaning is easy enough.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

I was wondering about the reptibark with the other stuff because I like the look of that also... but I'll stick with my carpet till I get all this heat stuff figured out..I have a digital with a probe just earlier... And I bought a 150w bulb... and a new lamp that was rated for 150w's... and the bulb exploded with in 10 minutes of use... which is weird... it like completly exploded..nothing got in the tank or anything.. but it was really scary.. why would it explode? thats weird.. I have a reg 75 watt lightbulb in there to provide some kind of heat..and its only getting to 78.5 in the basking spot...I'd think even 75 watt's would be suffitient..but I guess not..

Im just hoping nothing will happen for the next few days if its in the upp 70's...im doing everything as fast as possible to fix this heat problem..

-- Paul

Well aparently the UTH came unplugged...now the cage is around 80.2 and it seems to be rising steadly... we will see where it goes and ill keep you guys posted... thanks for all the help thus far... From reading posts and stuff...seems like an amazing community ^_^

-- Paul