Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The office where I keep my snakes is in a heated building however I have no control over the climate and they are on an upper floor that is not well-insulated (I've repaired several broken windows), so I have to assume there is no reliable heat at all. Some are already fasting because they can sense the change of seasons, even though they have heating pads. So I've gotten lamps to keep the temp from dropping on cold winter nights. I know this is not their usual purpose, but its the same lamp a snake needs anyway so hopefully they won't know the difference. Should I set my timer for the natural high of the day AND the coldest part of the night? (I have both red and white bulbs.) This is part of upgrading their lifestyle from "au naturale" (natural sunlight and brumation) to the best it can be.

Len

I'm having a hard time following.

Do you have a heat source other than the bulbs?

I would be inclined to have a heat source for the room set to a minimum point of no return, in most cases 70° works. I would then have supplemental heat for each cage to reach the necessary temps.

It doesn't sound like you have heat other than the bulbs, but ether way a room heater or the primary heat could easily be run off a thermostat to maintain a dedicated cool side temp. Say 80°F this would be the base temp of the cage.

In either situation the bulbs could be situated to the hot side of the cage and run off another thermostat set to maintain the hot spot. Utilizing a timer to toggle between the bulbs white for day red for night.

The set up would give you the heat needed for standard temps and would ensure in the case of one thermostat failure your standard is maintained.

Just what I see...

My first response is to heat the room, not always an option but still my first response.
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
0.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow
1.0 Ghost
0.1 Possible Super Hypo
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.3 Normal

1.1 Morelia Clastolepis

If these are temperate zone snakes like kingsnakes, then the cool end of the cage can be as low as 55 deg no problem.

You can still provide a heat pad.

Some snakes will continue to feed, perhaps on a reduced schedule, and some may quit altogether.

If the air temp drops below 55, then have a bulb on a thermostat set to a low temp. I use either 7 or 15 watt bulbs for just this purpose depending on the size of the cage. With those low wattages I do not need a dimmer.

I keep some kings and milks in an outdoor shed. Nights are very cool now. I leave a heated end of the cage. They stay mostly on the cool end. If they eat, they will use the warm end as needed (often for just short basks) then return to the cool end. I have no regurges or problems, and the snakes do not get thin over Winter. And it doesn't impede breeding in the Spring at all. In fact, my females look extremely robust in Spring.

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Mark