Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i got a larger cage for my bp and this one is wooden and has a fixture in it so now my ceramic heat emitter has to go inside. i havn't plugged it in yet because i'm still trying to find the appropriate bulb guard. then i was advised not to use one because they get equally as hot and snakes have actually been known to injure themselves more on the bulb guards then on the bulb itself. they said my snake would feel the intense heat and back away. though i'm still concerned. i don't want my snake to burn his face. i still want to get a bulb guard but make sure it's a very safe one but now i'm worried it will hang down to low where he could maybe push his cork bark hide into it---causing fire?! what to do and or recommendation of a good site to find one please. thanks

I use abulb guard in my boa cage, nver had a problem with the bulb guard getting too hot. Using a 100 watt emmiter. If your cage is at least 12 inches tall you should not have a problem with substrate. www.bigappleherp.com sells them. Click lighting, click incandescent lighting. Been using my for about 4yrs. now it works great.

thank you. i ordered one. though it seems a little tall. it is 8inches and height. i'm not worried so much about the substrate just his hide. my ball tends to push stuff around alot and i'm worried about him pushing his hide up to it, it is made of cork bark. i wonder if that would cause fire if the hide were to come in contact with the guard? maybe i could find some way to ancher the hide. is this not an issue in your enclosue. thanks for your response

I don't use a hide for my boa. The hides I use for my bps are made out of ceramic or maybe plaster which would not be effected by the heat. The hides are only about 3 inches tall. Got them at petsmart, about 6 bucks a piece. H ow tall is your hide, snakes prefer lower hides. How tall is your cage?

my enclosure is 15 inches tall. one of his hides is very low, only a couple inches tall and plastic (his humid hide). his other hide is cork bark and about 6in tall (like a narrow tunnel) this was his first hide and where all the heat is and he used to be in it all the time, until i gave him the tupperware, and now he prefers that one. but the uth is still under the cork bark one, i was thinking about moving it to the tuppperware hide so he doesn't neglect warmth but i may just do away with the cork bark and get him another low plastic one for his warm side. that way he has his favorite hide on both sides. i just like the way the cork bark looks better..but our reptiles happiness is more important than looks
thanks again

You should be fine. My cages are only 12 inches tall. Unlike a heat lamp that forces the heat straight down, the heat from a che spreads through out the entire cage, so you won't get that real hot spor directly under the bulb. So even if your snake did move it's hide around and ended up under the bulb, I dont't think you have anything to worry about. One thing I did discover with the che, is that it tends to lower the humidity, but you said you have a humid hide, so you should be fine.