Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a heating question that i'm curious about. I live in college housing and the heating isnt that great. As a result my room is usually only around 70 degrees. I figure this is too cold for my snake but she has a heat pad under one side of the tank. There is a water bowl on the cool side and a hide box on the heated side. I have a thermometer on that side on the ground and it usually reads upper 80's - 90, so i figure if she's cold she'll just go over there. However she spends almost all her time on the cold side of the tank. Should i be concerned, and should i look into a heating lamb to heat the tank more? or do i just trust that her staying on the cold side means she's fine?

oh also i live in NY so it's pretty cold out this time of the yeat.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much. In an ideal caging situation, you want a temperature gradient (a low end and a high end)so your snake can choose where it is most comfortable - so it can thermoregulate. It sounds like you have that fairly well covered.

From what I have read here, it sounds like Dumerils like temps a bit lower than most would think (as in not in the high 80's or 90's) - other people would probably have more specific info on this than I do. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help here; I currently own only one Dumeril's Boa, though I have kept over a hundred snakes of various species - so I'm good with the general info.

I completely understand your fears though, too. Without becoming a hypochondriac keeper, watch your snake to be sure that it is not showing any signs of a respiratory infection - swelling in the throat or mouth, bubbly clear mucus present in or around the mouth or nostrils, etc. Other than that I think it is fair to trust your snake to make itself comfortable.

If you don't have a basking lamp, that may be a nice addition - but be careful! Adding a basking lamp over or near your existing heater may make the cage a lot hotter than you intend. Measure the temps in all locations in the cage (as it is), and then measure them again if you decide to add anything.

Is this your first snake? How big is this cage?

I hope this helps.

~Rebecca
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1.1 Ball Pythons (1.0 '05 Ghost, 0.1 '03 Normal)
0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40 lb darling lap dogs)

Dums actually prefer lower temps as compared to other snakes. I have my 1.0 in a sterilite sitting on top of my redtail's tank. he is quite active and happy with this setup. heat is received from the light used to heat the red's tank and then rises to mildly warm the sterilite on top. temps mildly fluctuate depending on room temps but they are generally between 76F and 81F.

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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Texas Tiger Salamander