Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have read to use UTH for my cage. But I have it set at 88 for the warm side and i noticed that the floor and substrate are that temp, but the ambient is about 75. And on the cool side it is around 75. Should I use an overhead lamp in addition to the UTH to boost the ambient? I hae heard some say overhead is not the way to go. It is a baby, so i have it in a 30 gal long for now. It will go into my rack or a Reptile Basic cage like my others when it is bigger.
Thanks
-----
Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python 1.0
Eastern King 0.1
Mexican Black King
Great Basin Gopher
Hypo Brooks 1.0
White Sided Bull 1.0 (Envy)
Striped Pacific Gopher (Envy)
Axanthic Brooksi 0.1 (Mark Kenderdine)
Goini King 1.0 (Mark Kenderdine)
Northern Pine 1.0 (Nick Puder)
Arizona Mtn. King 1.0 (AAM Snakes)
1.0 Pastel Red Tail Boa

I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol

"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"

30 gal, as in glass tank? You know what happens in glass tanks - when the ambient temp in the room drops, so does it in the glass tank. In Winter it will be much worse unless your home stays warm. 75 is OK, I wouldn't worry, but if it starts to drop below that, well, I would strive to keep the ambient at 75 plus.

Cover most of the tank top.

Then you can try placing a heat pad on the back wall of the tank. Or hang a light socket in there (they sell sealed ones that just hang by the wires) and use a low wattage bulb like 15-25 watts. Low watt bulbs help keep the air temp from dropping too low but are not as dessicating to the snake.

If you use a reflector, the problem is that you will need a higher watt bulb - like 50-60 watts - and that dries the air quicker. I would use a ceramic element in this case.

Another way is to shine a clip lamp from outside the tank directed at the glass tank side that is not heated. It will heat through the glass that way. Really works quite well without drying the air in the tank. Uses alot of power. You'll likley need at least a 60 Watt bulb on all of the time.

I generally avoid glass tanks for boas unless I can heat the whole room. I realize your setup is temporary, as the snake will outgrow it soon enough. So, covering the top and using another heater in addition to the UTH ought to get you by.
-----
Mark

thanks for the reply,,i usually would not keep anything in a glass cage,but it was what i had around,,all the others are in racks and pvc cages...
so i decided to scrap the aqurium and just buy a rubbermaid with a top and attach the ultratherm to the outside with the t-stat,,,
-----
Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python 1.0
Eastern King 0.1
Mexican Black King
Great Basin Gopher
Hypo Brooks 1.0
White Sided Bull 1.0 (Envy)
Striped Pacific Gopher (Envy)
Axanthic Brooksi 0.1 (Mark Kenderdine)
Goini King 1.0 (Mark Kenderdine)
Northern Pine 1.0 (Nick Puder)
Arizona Mtn. King 1.0 (AAM Snakes)
1.0 Pastel Red Tail Boa

I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol

"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"