Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm currently just keeping 1 ball and have no plans on getting any other snakes for a while, so investing in a rack system and heat tape thermostat seems like a waste of money.

Is attaching a rheostat to a commercial adhesive type UTH and just monitoring the temperature to keep it at 80-85 good enough? I have a hide box in both the warmer and cooler section of the tank, with the cooler one also acting as a humidity box, and I've observed the snake haging out in his warmer hide around dusk, then heading back to the cooler side later in the night.

Is this good enough for a snake? or do they need an actual gradient in the truest sense of the word, with temperatures changing gradually across the entire bottom surface of the tank?

Thanks!

I have a medical-grade UTH on one side of my tank, connected to a rheostat, similar to your setup. As long as there is some difference between the hot and cold sides (my hot side is around 87 or so, and the cool side is slightly warmer than ambient (usually around 70), they can choose any spot in between. Just be sure to provide hiding spots all around so they can pick their temperature.
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