Now I know that aquariums aren't ideal for pythons. I've read it a thousand times and even remember struggling with my ball python I had 20 years ago (OMG it
has been that long).
But now I've got this beautiful little carpet python and the only thing even resembling an appropriate snake enclosure I could find was a 20 gallon tall tank w/ a screen lid. I've been able to keep the humidity between 50 and 60 basically by dumping a few tablespoons of water on the paper substrate a couple times a day. Temperature has been my challenge so far.
I've got a heat pad under it, a 40 watt light above it and half the top covered with old pillowcases. This is giving me a nice 88-90 temp on the hot side, but rather than being around 80, the cool side hasn't broken 70.
The snake spends 99.9% of his time on his perch directly under the light. To check he was where he wanted to be I moved the light about 4" to the right and sure enough an hour later he'd moved.
So to me, it seems that the evidence shows that the only place that's the proper temperature. I have either a custom built enclosure or a commercially available PVC enclosure in mind down the line but I had planned on having 4-6 months before it was needed. What's the best thing to do in the short term?
Should I try and insulate the cage somehow? Should I come up with something better to cover the top than fabric (even about 8 layers of it)? Do I just scrap the aquarium altogether, go to Wal Mart and try to find a Rubbermaid tub of appropriate size? If I do that how do I secure the lid? Will a rubbermaid tub be significantly better at holding heat than an aquarium anyway?
I thought I knew what I was doing and though I don't think Jerome is any danger I don't feel like I'm doing the best I can for him. Basically I'm feeling a little dumb.
Any help is greatly appreciated. I tried to include all the pertinent information but feel free to ask anything I missed.
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