Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I kept having something tug at the back of my mind that something inmy new red tails cage was off. Well, her cage is made of melamine and it's 8'/2'/2'. In her warmer end the ground temp is about 85 and she has a platform to rest on that's about 92. Her water bowl is around 80-82. This is normally the daytime temps. At night these temps lower a few degrees.

However, I was just checking the temp on the other side of the cage and it's about 65 degrees. I know this is not warm enough. However, considering it's a melamine cage, I can't put a heating pad under it like you can with a glass cage, and I do not have any hols cut for another lamp above it. I know I should get the cooler side of the cage up to at least a good 72 degrees.

So, my question is this... Is this setup adequate and healthy for my snake, or do I need to find a way to heat up the cooler side a little more? As it is now, she doesn't move over to the cooler side very often as it is anyway. But, if I do need to heat it up a bit more, what would be some recommendations to do this? As I said, a heating pad is out of the question, and I'd rather not have to cut another hole in the top. I am hoping that how it's set up is good enough as it is, but I have a feeling it is not.

Also, other than the cool end, does the heating on the warm end sound about right to you all?

Thanks!

Oh yes, and as for the lights... What I am using right now is a 100 watt red colered floodlight on the end of the cage, and next to it (above the water) is a 150 watt ceramic emitter. I have red that snakes do not see red light, which is why I use it since during the day the house is faily well lit as it is to provide a normal daytime/nighttime cycle. Just providing this information cuz often I know you guys will be asking for it anyway.

You can use flexwatt and plexiglass inside the cage to get your temps correct and raise your humidity in the process
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www.MGReptiles.com
Professional Reptile Heating Supplies

Can you elaborate a little on that? I am not sure what Flexwatt is. Are there any type of heating pads that can be placed inside a cage, underneath the substrate perhaps? That would work well. But then again, based on what I described... is it even necessary to warm up the cool side?

i agree with the above mentioned methods. i like cobra mats very much also and they can be used inside the cage.

additionlly, i do not know how you have the lights set up, but if it is possible, you could shift the lights over towards the cool end some. this would keep the hot spot the same and add a 'warm' section on the side opposite the cool end. also the movement would throw more heat towards the cool end and thus making it warmer.

Unfortunately, moving the lights over isn't an option. I don't have any othe rspots to put th eligts without cutting new holes. I will definately keep these cobra mats in mind though. I think this would provide TWO warm sides and the middle would be more of the cool side. This could work. My cage was designed for a savannah monitor, so I just need to figure out conversions to make it work for a boa... who happens to be crawling around my shoulders right now very happily.

If your going to be using flex-watt (or any heat sources in my opinion), you're going to need a heat controller. A dimmer type reo-stat will work, but getting a quality thermostat would be a smart thing, not only for your Boa, but for your house as well.
Another heating option to are radient heat panels. I use "Pro-Product's RHP's- they have a 10yr guarantee, with an expectancy of up to 50yrs - so I've been told. The low end should be raised in your cage though, no question.
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--aka DMOG68

Thank you. all your responses have been read and well considered. I will definately be looking into raising the temp of the cool end now. I will look into the Cobra pads a little more before deciding exactly what to do. Since she's not hanging out on the cool side anyway, at least this gives me a few dyas to determine what I need to do based on my cage setup.

Yes a thermostat is a must.. Some people take the chance and dont run one.. But thn again I have seen house fires from people that had a basking lamp knocked over by the family cat.. Safety first
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www.MGReptiles.com
Professional Reptile Heating Supplies

Ok, the Cobra mat looks like it will work for me. However, I noticed it says it is constantly at 100 degrees. Isn't this a bit much for heating up the "cool" end of the cage? Also, it's not a glass cage (melamine), so I wanna make sure it won't cause an issue with that. And lastly, there's about an inch of potting soil on the surface, which remains moist for a week or so. I want to make sure there won't be any sort of electrical problems as a result of this, or any electrical problems if water happens to spill over there.

If all this is acceptable, then yes, I'll definately look into getting one of these. I'd likely need the 50-60 gallon version for the size cage I have.