Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a python mulurus 5 month old.
I read that the optimum temp.in the warmest corner should be about 30-32'C. However,in my case, when the temp. in the warmest corner gets around 30'C my python always goes to the coolest place.
Now the warmest corner is 26-27'C and the coolest place 22'C and the python lays in different places.
For example, now he lays almost for a 3 hours, in a place where the temp. is 22'C.
I'm a little bit confused and worried by his behaviour.

Will the snake use the 30 deg C area after feeding? Or when in a shed cycle?

It is normal for snakes to use a range of temps. Albeit, tropical snakes live in areas of humidity and fairly narrow temperature ranges. I still trust the snake's judgment over what a book says, as long as the snake is healthy.

Young snakes heat up quickly and cool off quickly, so they move around.

Humidity is very important, moreso than holding 30 deg C. Does the enclosure provide moderate to high humidity? or a humid hide? Does the snake have secure hides in the warm, cool and inbetween area?
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Mark

Yes, I live in Israel, here humidity is very high.

In general I agree with Mark's comment "I still trust the snake's judgment over what a book says, as long as the snake is healthy." However, those temperatures are not good for a Python molurus.

First of all - make sure that your thermometer is accurate and that you are getting readings at the snake's level.

Due to a cage's heat source, ventilation, and other things, the humidity within the cage itself will most likely be different than the area the cage is kept in.

22 degrees Celsius is dangerously low for this species. 26 - 27 C. is barely warm enough for proper digestion and is dangerous because of that. 26C should be the lowest temperature within the cage, with the opposite cage end 32 - 33C.

What are you using to heat the cage? Is there a chance your snake is trying to get away from some other element of the heat source instead of the heat itself? (Bright light, etc...)

Best wishes!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

The problem is that, when the temp. of the air in the warmest corner gets 29-30'C the floor gets so heated, that when I touch it with my finger I get burned.
How can I make the surrounding temp.high, without making the floor burn?
I'm using a thermocable for heating. It is folded in raws and atouched to an wooden plank, on top of which i'm putting the cage. The cage is made out of plastic. (Though the glass is a much better heat conducter than a plastic)
Thank you for support.

Ahh, now we're getting somewhere. You need a way to measure the temperature of the surface of the cage floor. An infrared thermometer works good, or an indoor/outdoor thermometer that has a probe that can be secured to the cage floor or top of the substrate will work good.

You have to be able to measure the highest temperature that the snake can feel, which in this case would be what it lays on (substrate, cage floor). However, you also have to keep in mind that the ambient temperature (temperature of the air at the snake's level, which for a 5 month old molurus should be about 1 inch, or 2.5 centimeters) should be fairly close to the surface temperature for the snake's body temperature to be consistent.

You may need to cover the cage with a blanket or some kind of insulating material in order to get the ambient temps close to the cage floor temps. Open-air tops like screen tops should be covered with plastic or something else that will help hold in heat & humidity - leaving a small gap on both the hot end & cool end for ventilation.

I think you'll also find that you'll get better overall heating from your thermocable if you prop the cage up about 1.5 - 2 centimeters above the thermocable so that it's not directly touching the cage. It will heat the air under the cage, heating the desired area as well as the rest of the cage floor. You should use something to block the free flow of air from under the cage, too, so the room air doesn't affect it.

Another way of distributing cage floor heat is by using a piece of slate, ceramic tile or something similar inside the cage, over the heated area. I use this style in one cage to enlarge the heated area because the heat pad isn't big enough for the snake. I use newspaper for substrate in it. In another cage I use floor heating in the heat pad supplies a large enough heated area for the snake but to decrease the temperature a few degrees I use a few centimeters of Aspen wood shavings for substrate.

I hope this helps!

Take care & be safe over there!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

>>The problem is that, when the temp. of the air in the warmest corner gets 29-30'C the floor gets so heated, that when I touch it with my finger I get burned.
>>

Well that is it - the floor is too hot, so the snake went to where it wouldn't get burned.

If just using undercage heat, the snake can get its heat from the cage floor, and then air temperature doesn't have to be as high as one would think. This scenario can be made even more effective by placing a hide spot over the warm area so the air in the hide spot warms up too.

When a snake is forced to use a heated floor, the temperature of the floor should be no more than reasonable, like 100 deg max. More like 90-95 maximum is good enough I think. Do you have a temperature controller? A controller is very necessary. Even a lamp dimmer is better than not using anything.

I have used heat cable in a pattern such that the heat cable runs are closer together on one end and then farther apart in the rest of the cage. This allows for a nice gradient while still supplying some heat in all areas. If you could do that, it would help.

As Happy said, insulating the cage helps alot.

Lastly, if you have radiant heat panels available, these work very well and eliminate the need for floor heat.
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Mark