Burm still wont go into the heat.

[RandyRhoads]

My 8' Burm is still always in the cold, even though there is a heated end in the enclosure. What is going on? She was always soaking in her below 70 degree tub, but I got worried about RI so I took the tub out. The enclosure is 8'. One end is below 70 depending on outside temps, the other end has a UTH that is around 100 degrees. Does everything look alright in her enclosure? Any ideas why she is still freezing herself. She's always ice cold to the touch.

[TeaNinja]

could the UTH be too hot? i remember when i first got my big dumerils the guy had him in a 40G glass tank with a UTH on one side with no rheostat and the snake never went on the hot side. after a few nights of having him i took the UTH out and just used a ceramic or something and he was immediately on the other side of the tank loving it.

[RandyRhoads]

Maybe, but i've piled on more substrate so the surface was less and still nothing. After a meal she goes on it for maybe an hour and back to the cold. She's always at the complete other end freezing except for right after a meal.

[NennaMeerkat]

My hoggie spends all her time in the cold side as well except for right after eating. Does the lack of heat for her seem to be doing anything negative to her?

[Jenn_06]

It's too hot you need to lower the UTH down. I'll type more later it's too early to think and I'm on my phone.

[Gungirl]

I don't know about temps that they need but I would offer her a hide on both the hot and cold side for security.

[Jenn_06]

Ok got coffee, the temp of the whole cage needs to be about 80 to 85 and the basking side 90. I see a light on the basking side does that add heat too? Might want to turn off that and see what the temp will be then. Burm's really don't need hides when they are that big.

[Gungirl]

ohh ok Jenn my bad.. I figured all snakes liked to have the security of a hide.

[stephanbakir]

I wouldn't take away the water, your snake knows what it needs for the most part and if it wants to soak, let it.

[Will0W783]

Your snake needs to have fresh water available at all times- it's vital for the animal to regulate its hydration. I can tell you that your UTH is way too hot, and that your cool end is way too cold.

I am not a fan of UTHs for heating snake enclosures. Snakes have evolved to be baskers- they are used to heat coming down from above as it would from the sun. Excessive belly heat, as from a UTH, has been known to cause impaction, fecal stones, intestinal tumors, and belly scale burns. It is not natural for the snake, and it leads to more problems than it is worth, IMHO. I would get rid of the UTH immediately, and replace it with either ceramic heat emitting bulbs, or radiant heat panels. The radiant heat panels are the best option, as they provide even steady heat and won't burn the snake or the wood enclosure. They can be screwed right into the ceiling of the cage.

For a Burmese python, you want a basking area of 88-92, with a gradual decline to the cool end 83-85. DO NOT ever let it get below 78 degrees unless you are cooling the animal for breeding. Burms are very susceptible to RIs, and keeping it cool like you are doing will likely cause one. I think that once you correct your temperatures, you will find your snake will go into the warm area to bask, then into the cool area to cool off, and that it will be a much healthier, less stressed animal. Good luck! If you need any more advice, don't hesitate to ask.

[RandyRhoads]

The light doesn't provide much if any heat, can't remember exact wattage but it's 25 or under. I was putting the water in for short periods of time since it was under 70, but you're saying I should put it back in? Alright.... I just have trouble raising the cold end.

Thanks for the info everyone.

[Will0W783]

You need a MUCH higher wattage light than that. You need at least a 100W, better yet a 150W heat lamp bulb. I personally prefer the ceramic heat emitter bulbs, because they will fit into a regular heat lamp socket, but do not produce light. They only produce heat.

I am saying that you need to revamp your entire setup if you want your Burm to be healthy and to thrive. You might need two lamps- one at the end and one towards the middle of that end. Get rid of the UTH, and replace it with proper wattage heat lamps and bulbs. Then you need to leave water available at all times.

[RandyRhoads]

I know I need higher wattage to provide heat I purposly used a very low wattage bulb so i would only produce light not heat because I was using the UTH. But payday i'll go get another heat bulb. I was using a 100 watt bulb at first with no UTH but the area underneath was like 130 degrees...

As you can see the enclosure is only set up for one lamp at one end.

[reptile65]

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Your snake needs to have fresh water available at all times- it's vital for the animal to regulate its hydration. I can tell you that your UTH is way too hot, and that your cool end is way too cold.

I am not a fan of UTHs for heating snake enclosures. Snakes have evolved to be baskers- they are used to heat coming down from above as it would from the sun. Excessive belly heat, as from a UTH, has been known to cause impaction, fecal stones, intestinal tumors, and belly scale burns. It is not natural for the snake, and it leads to more problems than it is worth, IMHO. I would get rid of the UTH immediately, and replace it with either ceramic heat emitting bulbs, or radiant heat panels. The radiant heat panels are the best option, as they provide even steady heat and won't burn the snake or the wood enclosure. They can be screwed right into the ceiling of the cage.

Very interesting... I've never heard of UTH's causing problems when used correctly.

[Jenn_06]

Same here all my snakes are on heat tape and never had a problem, i think they are better because it does not dry out the air like a heat lamp would if you use it right.