Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wanted to see what everyone thought the minimum temperature should be when you lower the temperature at night. Thanks to anyone who shares.

would you want to lower the temp? You should already have a varied temperature from 75 on the cool side to 85 - 88ish on the warm side. If he wants to be cooler he will move. If you turn his heat down, he has no choice. Also sounds like a pain in the butt to do every night...unless you have it on a timer.
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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hog Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
0.1 Hog Island Boa, Schuett Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Petunia
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.0.1 Florida Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula floridana): Seminole
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
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“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”

In the wild, most snakes can safely take overnight lows down as low as the high 40s - as long as daytime temperatures allow them to bask and get warm for long enough periods. Reptiles are VERY hardy creatures!

Most literature states IDEAL conditions; that does not mean that we must always mimic ideal.

Your snake will not die if the temperature drops below 70 degrees! They will do just fine at any night temperature above 55 degrees. They have been seen active in the wild in temperaturs in the 60s.

Ideal temperature range for most reptiles: 75 - 86 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, don't worry. Any comfortable indoor temperature for you is absolutely okay for Kingsnakes - and most other temperate zone snakes. Turn off the heat pad at night, save money, and relax.

(Ever seen ANY wild habitat that was heated at night? Have I made my point??)

Thanks a lot. That takes a load off my mind. Both of my kingsnakes (Greybanded and Desert Kingsnakes) have a heating pad, which I turn off at night. Lately here, it's been a little cooler, so I was wondering if the 65 degree room temperature was alright for night time. I always turn the pads back on when I wake up, and they both get up to 85-90. Thanks again.

Do not let them get that cool with a full stomach. Truth is they may regurge. The best thing to do is put the heating pad on just part of the cage on one end. Give the snake enough room so that the cold end (room temp) is far away from the hot end (85F). The snake will regulate itself.
John Lassiter

If they have a full stomach, what would you say should be the minimum temperature to have. I'm guessing just leave the heat pad on for 2-4 days after it eaten. What would you suggest? Thanks a lot.

First have a big enough enclosure so the snake can move to its DESIRED temperature. I would keep the heating pad on at all times....check it with a thermometer and set it where it is around 80 to 85 degrees. The other end of the enclosure should read at room temperature with the thermometer. I keep my snake room at around 72 degrees and have a heated side to every cage at about 85 degrees.
If you could have real large enclosures you could even make these temperatures go to the extremes of 100 and 60. The snake will regulate its metabolism by moving to the desired temp.
John Lassiter

Becareful whose advice you take.
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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hog Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
0.1 Hog Island Boa, Schuett Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Petunia
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.0.1 Florida Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula floridana): Seminole
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
---------------------------------------------
“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”