What is the proper heating method for a kingsnake?

[ckdavis9]

Hi everyone,

As some of you may have noticed I am new to this forum and haven't gotten my snake yet but he should be here in the next week or so depending on when the breeder ships him. I want to be as prepared as possible for his arrival so I have a question about lighting/heating... The snake I am getting is a male Mex Mex Kingsnake yearling so what kind of heating method would be best for him (UTH or overhead heat lamp)?

Currently, I am testing the temperature created by an overhead basking lamp alone and my thermometer is reading between 95 and 100, which according to the breeder will be too hot- he says his animals thrive with the cold side being more about 70 and the hot side around 85... Should I just get a dimmer so the light won't be as powerful? Or should I switch to the UTH I have? (I haven't tried the UTH yet because I got it used so I don't yet have a thermostat or another method to adhere it to aquarium since the initial adhesive is no longer usable. On the other hand, I already had the light from experimenting with a chameleon setup so I figured I would try it out first). Any advice would be appreciated! :)

Thanks!
-Chandler

PS- sorry for the wordy post. I just wanted to include everything :D

[Concept9]

In my opinion.

The Best thing to do for Kingsnakes is run two thermostats.

Place the probe for one thermostat under the substrata and on top of the UTH. Set the thermostat for 85deg. This will keep the bottom of the tank warn and provide belly heat.

REMEMBER, Kingsnakes love to burrow, if you run your UTH to hot, you may or will burn your animal.

Set the other thermostat up to your main heat source. CHE, heat lamp or heat panel. set this for 90 deg. This will give you a 90deg basking area with no chance in burning the animal.

This should give you the following, depending on your enclosure.

88-92deg hot end.
75-78deg cool end.
83deg ambient tem.

Humidity should be kept at around 40-50%

Hope this helps.

[ckdavis9]

Thank you! That definitely does help. :) I will look into getting thermostats set up. However, my UTH is second hand so the original adhesive isn't sticky anymore. Aluminum foil tape would be fine to use to adhere it to the bottom of the cage right? I really don't want to glue it just in case I need to replace it!

[ckdavis9]

Also, currently I have a 20gal tank if that makes any difference. I read earlier that a lot of people discourage using a screen/open top but mine is screen and the humidity stays close to 50% anyway so I think that'll be okay for now! :)

[pdomensis]

you should look into a hygrometer to measure RH. You'd be surprised at how quickly moisture burns off with a lamp. And I wouldn't bother with the sticky adhesive backed dial type humidity guages sold at most pet stores. get a good digital.

You might also still consider the dimmer switch (or lower wattage bulb) for your heat lamp. I think a steady heat is better than one that gets hot fast and shuts off a lot with the thermostat. I'd be interested in hearing other opinions on this.

[Mikoh4792]

You might also still consider the dimmer switch (or lower wattage bulb) for your heat lamp. I think a steady heat is better than one that gets hot fast and shuts off a lot with the thermostat. I'd be interested in hearing other opinions on this.

A thermostat is always going to be better than a dimmer. Every single time. With a dimmer you have to manually adjust the temperatures which is fine if you are home all day and check the enclosure every few hours.

A thermostat does not turn on and off if you have a proportional thermostat. It will keep the temperature steady automatically, instead of manually as a dimmer would.

[ckdavis9]

Awesome! Thanks for all the feedback. Tomorrow, I am going to get this acurite indoor/outdoor thermometer from Walmart. I will attach it to the wall on the cool side so it measures temp and relative humidity there and put the probe in the aspen under his hide on the hot side to get a better idea of temperatures all over the cage-- up until now, I have been using the Petco brand ones and I suspect they are a bit inaccurate. :/ haha! If possible, I would prefer to use only the heat lamp+dimmer because I already have had it (so, basically for free) and a thermostat or multiple thermostats is going to get pretty pricey... I may find, however, that the heat lamp+dimmer won't suffice and at that point in time, I will go ahead and use the UTH with thermostat(s). I don't believe I am getting my snake for a couple more days so I certainly have time to experiment a little!! The dimmer being manually adjusted won't be an issue. I'm never gone from my house for too long and if I'm gone, my boyfriend is often still around :) I will update on how it goes! Feel free to further advise me! haha

[Arboreal]

Use two thermometers. I would recommend you use an overhead heat lamp, as in the wild, they don't warm up by sitting on the warmed earth (it helps), they usually use the sun's warmth. Keep in mind they do go to warm areas on the ground to HELP thermoregulate, but overhead lamps are easier to use, and have less risks, such as not melting plastics. I hope I helped!

[pdomensis]

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting a dimmer instead of a thermostat. I meant in conjunction with.

[ckdavis9]

Use two thermometers. I would recommend you use an overhead heat lamp, as in the wild, they don't warm up by sitting on the warmed earth (it helps), they usually use the sun's warmth. Keep in mind they do go to warm areas on the ground to HELP thermoregulate, but overhead lamps are easier to use, and have less risks, such as not melting plastics. I hope I helped!


Yeah, the Acurite thermometer I got from Walmart measures humidity and temp on the unit itself, which is placed on the cool side of the tank, then also has a probe that measures a second temperature so I placed that under the substrate where his warm hide will be. Also, just because I already had them, I have one of those cheap Petco thermometers on the hot side but up higher in the basking area so that is a 3rd thermometer-- even though it isn't as accurate as the digital one, it's better than nothing I'd say! :) Right now my temps are okay without using the UTH at all, however, I may add it to the mix once I get a thermostat. We shall see! :)

[ckdavis9]

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting a dimmer instead of a thermostat. I meant in conjunction with.

I gotcha, and dimmers are pretty cheap so I may go ahead and get one- it certainly wouldn't hurt to have it! Like I said, as of now, I'm testing my temps out with my new digital thermometer and it's reading everything to be pretty close to where I want it! I may add the UTH in the mix to make things a little bit warmer but I will have to wait until I order a thermostat and it comes in! Thank you! :)

[Lankyrob]

If you have a thermostat then a dimmer is totally redundant

[Mikoh4792]

I gotcha, and dimmers are pretty cheap so I may go ahead and get one


cheaper =/= better

Thermostats will always be better than a dimmer. Always.

[ckdavis9]

So after testing temps today, I think the over head heat lamp is going to work just fine. My probe under the warm hide was reading 84 most of the time and the breeder I'm getting my snake from says they do best at 85 MAX. Also, I don't have all of my accessories yet because my bf is bringing some from home that his bp outgrew so once I put a rock hut in instead of the shoebox I have now, I think it'll conduct a little more heat and that should be just right! :) Things could change when I actually get my snake but for now, I think this will do! Thanks for the advice everyone! I can't wait to post pics of Enzo when I get him next week!!!