Heating for Columbian bci boa

[Johnnyboy99]

Hello, I’m new to the snake keeping community and excited to have joined it. I’ve recently purchased a 10 week old Columbian bci boa and need advice on heating the tank. The tank is heated by an UTH with a thermostat , a small ceramic heat bulb , and a zoo med dual bulb fixture with two 40 watt bulbs. The thermostat is set for 98 degrees as I had to take into account losing some heat through the coconut husk substrate. The ceramic bulb keeps an elevated basking spot at about 85 degrees, and the zoo med fixture on the other end keeps the cool side between 78-82 degrees. The humid hide is kept on the warm side and that’s where the snake feels most comfortable during the day so I just wanted to know if keeping the thermostat that temperature was safe for the snake. I live in buffalo ny so temps this time of year are constantly below freezing and often in the single digits with windchill. The temperature probe for the thermostat is kept under the substrate to better regulate the temp so it’s a few degrees cooler on top of the substrate than what the thermostat says I’m open to all advice and opinions , thank you

[chairman]

You are using a lot of heat sources on that cage. I'm guessing that it is a glass tank with a screen lid?

To make your heating easier, try to keep the cage out of direct sunlight and in a room that stays around 75 degrees. Place the dual dome with a CHE and a light bulb in the middle of the tank. Cover the screen on either side of the dome with something that traps heat, like rigid foam insulation or aluminum foil. That should allow the entire tank to be the appropriate temperature while still having a hot spot with the UTH.

The boa will easily dig down through substrate straight to the glass, so set the UTH for the exact temperature that you want the hot spot to be at.

You may need to play around with the heat sources you place in the dome. It may be you only need one CHE, or two bulbs instead of a CHE, etc. It may take a little experimentation to dial things in.

[Johnnyboy99]

I’ll try what you suggested , thank you!