Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I'm working on upgrading my caging systems for a juvenile ball python & growing juvenile boa constrictor. Planning to purchase a terrarium from Repti-Racks (or the like) and am trying to get a clear idea on what type of heating elements I need.

I'm currently under the impression that flexwatt will basically be the main, if not only, heating element I will need to put directly on the cage. I keep my ambient temperatures at around 75 to 80F throughout the day (given that it's winter).

A lot of what I have read concludes that Flex Watt will be my only necessary heating element, given that when attatched to the bottom it will easily pass through the plastic, to the substrate, to the snake, then eventually rising to the top of the terrarium (around 12" high).

Am I on the right track?
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Adam

"I wish I were wise! I wish I were wise from the heart of me, like my serpent!"

The Flexwatt will heat the floor, and the snake will rest on the floor to bask. Air temp doesn't matter too much as long as the boa can bask and get its internal temp into the 80s and 90s or more as needed.

There is a boa book out there that has air temps vs body temps of wild boas from various regions in South America. Amazingly it shows that even with air temps of 65 deg, the basking boa IBT was 85 (basking on a gravely substrate). And similarly, with an air temp of 95 deg, a boa showed an IBT of 88 deg. In that case, the boa pressed its body against a tree to cool it in all likleyhood.

I have those cages. I have a spotted python in one using a 28-watt radiant heat panel only, even when the ambient temp in the room was in the 65 range this Winter. I like that setup alot; it is easy to install and easy to control the heating. I prefer this setup because it does not dry out the snake like undertank heating does. Of course there are easy ways to boost humidity with either heating method, or else soak the snake periodically.

For you and the background temp being in the 70s anyway, Flexwatt alone is surely fine.
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Mark