Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I've got two young balls in a 30 gal tank and I plan to move them to a rack in a couple months. I'm using a heat lamp but I'm not quite sure what the bulb's wattage is. I do know that the hot side is about 100 degrees and the cool side is 85 degrees (using a non-digital thermometer).

Is this too hot on the hot side (and the cool side for that matter)? If so, what wattage do you recommend for a 30 gallon tank? I want another 'red' heat bulb as I can leave it on 24/7 and it won't bother the snake. I know someone is going to say "Get a rheostat" but the price is $19.95 at my local Petco. I think a bulb replacement with less wattage would be cheaper.

What do you think I should do? thanks in advance!

Yes, 100 degrees is too hot. 90-95 degrees is better for the warm side and 80-85 for the cool side. Step down to a lower wattage bulb or go to a hardware store and get a light dimmer. Works about the same as a rheostat and for far less money. By the way, what's the humidity?

>>Hi,
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>>I've got two young balls in a 30 gal tank and I plan to move them to a rack in a couple months. I'm using a heat lamp but I'm not quite sure what the bulb's wattage is. I do know that the hot side is about 100 degrees and the cool side is 85 degrees (using a non-digital thermometer).
>>
>>Is this too hot on the hot side (and the cool side for that matter)? If so, what wattage do you recommend for a 30 gallon tank? I want another 'red' heat bulb as I can leave it on 24/7 and it won't bother the snake. I know someone is going to say "Get a rheostat" but the price is $19.95 at my local Petco. I think a bulb replacement with less wattage would be cheaper.
>>
>>What do you think I should do? thanks in advance!

First off, get a digital thermometer. You can get one that will tell you temps on both sides of the tank plus the humidity at Wal-Mart for $15 and it's worth it. The dial gauges can be waaay off.

Second, at 100 degrees you are risking burning your snake, especially if that's not a surface temp and you're measuring with a non-digital device. You want about 80 on the cool side and 90 on the warm side, give or take a couple of degrees.

Third, I'd suggest looking into using heat pads or flexwatt heat tape or a petstore undertank heater instead of light to heat the cage. What they need most is good surface temps (belly heat) and ambient air temp is secondary. You can get a human heat pad at Wal-Mart without auto shutoff for $10. If you want the light for visibility, you can always go with a low-wattage standard incandescent bulb for daytime viewing and a blacklight, uva, or infrared bulb for night.

Try a smaller wattage bulb...those temps are far too warm for a young ball python. Many hatchlings bp's typically seek out temps in the 78-85 degree range (but I allow mine to bask in temps reaching 86-88). On top of that, I imagine the air is very dry which can also lead to a variety of problems (so make sure you are misting the cage or provide a humidity box).

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the advice!

I'm using a humidifier unit so I'm at 70ish now. I just bought a dimmer as suggested so I can move the hot side to a safer temp.

Thanks from me and my balls (no pun intended)

Yup, like everyone else said, 100 degrees is too hot. Also I prefer belly heat supplied by heat tape rather then a bulb for basking. But for a Rheostat, I build my own. go to a hardware store and get a hard plastic junction box, a faceplate for it, a rheostat and an extension cord. Add a bit of silicone caulk to seal everything up tight and you can build something just as good as the commercially available product for about 7-8 bucks maybe even cheaper.

VOT

like a honda has a speed gauge with a needle and numbers, a porche has a digital gauge

...I routinely offer a temp of about 100 degrees to ALL of my BP at the very back of the cage, INCLUDING juveniles. I guess you all would be surprised at how often the snakes coil up over this hot spot. Even juvenile males! The only ones who are not offered 100F are my adult males. And believe me my snakes thrive! Adult females that are feeding heavily often will spend hours tucked up to the back of the tub. However, checking with a temp gun their surface temps rarely exceed 88F. Now during the breeding season I'm careful to avoid temps higher than low 90F.

The KEY is to allow the snakes easy 'escape' from this high temp. The main error that newcomers do is make the hot spot TOO LARGE. Five to 10 percent of the floor in the very back of the cage is sufficient.
Scott J. Michaels DVM

I've read many of your posts and appreciate the information you provide, but...no offense Doc, you just contradicted yourself. You stated "...I routinely offer a temp of about 100 degrees to ALL of my BP at the very back of the cage"..."However, checking with a temp gun their surface temps rarely exceed 88F." I'm not sure I understand what you mean. It sounds like the temperature that their getting exposed to is 88 degrees and not 100. So you're actually not offering 100 degrees if the surface temp is 88. Or is there something I don't understand. Please clarify. Thanks.

Here's what it sounds like to me. You have a 3" or 4" strip of Flexwatt running down the back of the rack. If you point your temp gun at the surface of the backside of the container it might register as high as 100. But the floor where the snake is coiled isn't that hot?

I'm just curious. I couldn't get mine to hang around such a high temp. Maybe if the ambient were much cooler than it is. But if I try to get much past 90, the adults move off.

-Joan

busy-busy-busy. Anyways:
The surface of the floor above the 3" flexwatt will measure at 98-100F. Ambient temp in the room seldom exceeds 78F except during the hottest summer days. Even after a big meal when the females' seek the hot spot, the snakes' surface temp (a reflection of core body temp), as measured with an infrared temp gun, seldom exceeds 88F. So by offering this higher-than-commonly recommended temp, it allows the snakes to quickly and efficiently reach the snakes' preferred temp, but by behavioral thermoregulation they seldom exceed 88F. Hope this helps! SJM