heating question. Ceramic bulbs vs UTH

[Sophi]

Quick question regarding heating my two snakes enclosures. I've got a California King snake and a ball python. While cleaning my snake eenclosures the other day I found that the under the tank heater in my king snakes tank was very hot. My temps say it was around normal range but when I touched the glass it felt like it might be too warm. I use aspen bedding and my king loves to bury herself in it and would have her belly right against that glass a lot. I don't want her to burn herself but touching the mat almost burned my fingers.

I unplugged my under the tank heaters and switched my heating sources to ceramic bulbs. I leave them on all night because they don't emit any light.

I have read that snakes benefit mostly from belly heat and don't frequently bask, so I'm worried that heat bulbs might not be the best for them.

I'm also concerned about bulbs making the tank too dry for my ball. She spends a lot of time in her water dish, but she does seem to bask when her light is on.

Is it crucial for them to have constant heat, or just day time heating?

I'm still pretty new to snake keeping, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to keep them healthy.

Should I switch back to heat mats, and if so how can I keep them from burning my snakes?

Thanks

[Sophi]

I've been using the petsmart brand mats "all living things" but I've had a bad experience using heat mats with other reptiles too, one even getting so hot it split the wood of my desk the tank was on

[Rattlehead]

Hi! you need to control any heat source with a thermostat, even if the manufacturer says that it won't go beyond a temperature.

[Sophi]

Hi! you need to control any heat source with a thermostat, even if the manufacturer says that it won't go beyond a temperature.

Thanks, this is helpful. Is there a brand you would recommend? do you have to get them as a pack or will a thermostat work with any mat?

Do you think my snakes would be alalright with only bulb heating for the rest of the week?

[reptiledude987]

I use hygrofarm thermostats they work great. theyre available on amazon for around $45.

[jossh27]

Thanks, this is helpful. Is there a brand you would recommend? do you have to get them as a pack or will a thermostat work with any mat?

Do you think my snakes would be alalright with only bulb heating for the rest of the week?

I use and i know a bunch of others here use hydrofarm thermostats. Got mine off Amazon for like $40

[jossh27]

I use hygrofarm thermostats they work great. theyre available on amazon for around $45.

Beat me to it haha

[Rattlehead]

I use this one: Zilla 11939 Temperature Controller , 1000-Watt

but pretty sure there are cheaper ones :)

[Sophi]

Thanks for all the quick answers, guys. I will pick up some thermostat controls next paycheck. I'm assuming this means under the tank heaters are always preferred over basking bulbs? I'm used to keeping animals like bearded dragons and desert skinks so I've got so many domes and bulbs hanging around the apartment.

[reptiledude987]

Ya exactly. get the t.stat and connect to the UTH

[Rattlehead]

In my case, I had to use both as the UTH wasnt enough to heat my boys during winter, so I don't know how cold is still over there.

[Sophi]

In my case, I had to use both as the UTH wasnt enough to heat my boys during winter, so I don't know how cold is still over there.

I'm in boston and it's been a miserable winter, and so far a very cold spring.

[reptiledude987]

In my case, I had to use both as the UTH wasnt enough to heat my boys during winter, so I don't know how cold is still over there.
Thats surprising didnt think the winter would have been that cold in mexico. I have the t.stats on my uth up here and dont think they kicked off at all this winter but wouldnt have expected that to be an issue there at all.

[Rattlehead]

Thats surprising didnt think the winter would have been that cold in mexico. I have the t.stats on my uth up here and dont think they kicked off at all this winter but wouldnt have expected that to be an issue there at all.

I live in Mexico City, and we are pretty high between mountains :P We also get the remanents of the cold fronts coming from the north. This last years it doesn't get colder than 0°C tho :suspicious:

[millertime89]

I use and i know a bunch of others here use hydrofarm thermostats. Got mine off Amazon for like $40

If you watch they get as low as $30 from time to time. When I first started using them they were about $26. :/

[jossh27]

If you watch they get as low as $30 from time to time. When I first started using them they were about $26. :/

i'll keep a eye out

[pet_snake_78]

I think as long as the snakes can themoregulate they will be OK but I've heard ceramics will dry the cage out. Overhead heating seems like a major pain to me and fortunately I don't have any basking species to worry about. The hydrofarm's are OK but I much prefer Herpstats to them. It's a little more money but well worth it in my opinion and they are much more precise, have more features (night drop, ramp up, etc), and have more safety features (probe dislocation alarms, high/low warnings, safety relay). I had a oil radiant heater using only 600 watts fortunately hooked up to hydrofarm and it stuck in the on position. Fortunately I noticed it before I lost all of my animals. Now, I am backing up a new hydrofarm with a ranco so they'd both have to fail at the same time for me to have that issue again.

In the wild many snakes like to sit under flat racks, boards, and metals warmed by the sun, so the same thing could be done in a cage by putting a thin cover item underneath an overheard heating device, it just seems like more work and the snakes digest food just fine with UTH.

[Sophi]

I think as long as the snakes can themoregulate they will be OK but I've heard ceramics will dry the cage out. Overhead heating seems like a major pain to me and fortunately I don't have any basking species to worry about. The hydrofarm's are OK but I much prefer Herpstats to them. It's a little more money but well worth it in my opinion and they are much more precise, have more features (night drop, ramp up, etc), and have more safety features (probe dislocation alarms, high/low warnings, safety relay). I had a oil radiant heater using only 600 watts fortunately hooked up to hydrofarm and it stuck in the on position. Fortunately I noticed it before I lost all of my animals. Now, I am backing up a new hydrofarm with a ranco so they'd both have to fail at the same time for me to have that issue again.

In the wild many snakes like to sit under flat racks, boards, and metals warmed by the sun, so the same thing could be done in a cage by putting a thin cover item underneath an overheard heating device, it just seems like more work and the snakes digest food just fine with UTH.

Thanks, this is a lot of very helpful info. I'm using ceramic heaters still until I get paid. I have two UTH heaters waiting for when I get a regulator since I'm too worried about over heating until then. I have two young snakes, a king snake who's age I'm unsure of but she is about 16 inches long and has just started eating prey larger than pinkies, and a five months old ball python. Both of them are in 20 long tanks with hides on both cool and hot ends and they are both eating and going to the bathroom fine and seem to be in good health. (Im treating my skink for mites at the moment so both snakes are under close observation while the skink is in quarantine but they are both very healthy.)

I will be able to pick up some thermostats mid week in a few days and hopefully can get rid of the dome lights. It's starting to warm up here in boston so hopefully both wanted nessesary until next winter.

[Sophi]

By ball python loves to sit on top of her hide house under the heat the lamp. She has two hides but doesn't seem to be a very shy snake. My king on the other hand is very shy.

[Albert Clark]

Che (ceramic heat emitter) is mainly to warm ambient temps and uth (under tank heater) is primarily used to give the animal a hot spot. Uth should always be regulated by a dimmer or a thermostat!