Why waste money on heat lamps?

[youngster]

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

I come here for learning about snakes not for a soap opera

Best thing ever said. You should use it in your signature.

You know what? I think I will

[NennaMeerkat]

Awesome Youngster...just awesome

[stephanbakir]

You guys need to stop focusing on the negative feelings you have for whatever reason, and take what you consider BS and ignore it. Keep the good and forget about the bad.

[Dehlida]

^ exactly. If you hate me or my posts that much, ignore them. I'll continue to post them. I've gotten a bunch of people who come to me looking to buy snakes, and talk about how they just spent xxx on a heat lamp, which I tell them to promptly return to the store.

I keep my snakes in a cool 73 degree house, and in an outside shed, which sometimes hits as low as 65. Even then, I still have no need for a heat lamp. In the winter, my house can cool to 60, snake cages? Still stay plenty warm, don't forget snakes undergo natural cooling in their environments as well, they don't have to stay at perfect temps year round to be healthy.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

Originally Posted by Dehlida

However, seeing as though it's an "opinion" how come nearly every big snake breeder will agree that UTH are better than lamps?

Its more cost efficient, and rigged easier for a large amount of snakes. That doesn't make it more efficient for heating. A lot of snake keepers in general believe that a uth should not be the main source of heat. Heat lamps also present a night and day scheduled. Alot of people use lamps for ball pythons.. i use them for all the snakes i currently thermoregulate.

[NennaMeerkat]

Originally Posted by Dehlida

I keep my snakes in a cool 73 degree house, and in an outside shed, which sometimes hits as low as 65. Even then, I still have no need for a heat lamp. In the winter, my house can cool to 60, snake cages? Still stay plenty warm, don't forget snakes undergo natural cooling in their environments as well, they don't have to stay at perfect temps year round to be healthy.

My house can get down to 60 degrees but parts of my house are cooler at times, especially at night. People often think Texas doesn't get that cold...but you would be surprised! And to save energy I often don't turn on the heat until well after sunset. Thus my home can get down to uncomfy levels even for people in the coldest months. We bundle up 2 layers most of the time to keep warm. You won't sway me from using my lamps for my reptiles during the winter, I would much rather spend the money for the lamps and bulbs than risk something happening to them due to being to cold.

Aren't balls a tropical snake? And if not please tell me where they are from. If they are what is the temperature during the colder months for where they are from?

I also gotta ask what you keep your snakes in? Just cause I am curious.

[youngster]

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Aren't balls a tropical snake? And if not please tell me where they are from.

They're from North-West Africa. Around where Togo and Ghana are.

[Valvaren]

Ignored all the drama and hopefully nothing important. Personally I have Brood in a tub from walmart with a UTH I thought about moving him to a tank but I decided against it, he has done perfectly fine where and how he is besides the pooping in his shed haha. Before anyone question ,he has hides on both sides cool and warm, temps and humidity are fine had a issue when I first got him with the humidity but it was easily fixed, and a water dish, the only thing that is different then a tank is the tub isn't glass.

[Dehlida]

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

My house can get down to 60 degrees but parts of my house are cooler at times, especially at night. People often think Texas doesn't get that cold...but you would be surprised! And to save energy I often don't turn on the heat until well after sunset. Thus my home can get down to uncomfy levels even for people in the coldest months. We bundle up 2 layers most of the time to keep warm. You won't sway me from using my lamps for my reptiles during the winter, I would much rather spend the money for the lamps and bulbs than risk something happening to them due to being to cold.

Aren't balls a tropical snake? And if not please tell me where they are from. If they are what is the temperature during the colder months for where they are from?

I also gotta ask what you keep your snakes in? Just cause I am curious.

I would have to look up exact weather patterns, although you'd be surpised what a savannah/grassland snake can tolerate.

That being said, I use a mixture of showcase caging and rack systems. I also have a few snakes kept in simple large bins outside of racks.

[NennaMeerkat]

As a breeder or a person that just has 10+ snakes I understand the need for your opinion on heat lamps. If I had the amounts that breeders and really BIG fans of snakes had then I would be looking for different housing as well different heating options. However since at most I will only have 4 different types of reptiles, and I enjoy showing them in their tanks, I find it no problem to have heat lamps.

And as I have said before it is cheaper/easier to just cover up a good portion of the screen top with something as simple as plastic wrap than go out and buy a complete new top or new container. The reptile tank I have has a locking lid just for escape artist reptiles. It would be near impossible for me to find a different top for it. And it is the exact tank I plan to house a Ball in one day. So I will be using plastic wrap for the top when the time comes as well as a low watt heat lamp to help keep humidity up. Texas isn't only hot but VERY VERY dry.

[TeaNinja]

just because you're one of the few i feel the need to argue with doesn't mean i follow you around. in fact, i check every unread post and comment wherever i feel like.

i just merely felt like the only point of this post was to demean the people who use heat bulbs for ball pythons and tell them they are wrong when it is clearly a preferance. if you want to tell someone UTH's are better, let them know when they are asking for the info, or maybe make a post like your others with some information explaining why you feel it's bad, then i wouldn't feel like you're just saying "UTH's are better, you're stupid for doing it your way even though it works perfectly fine"

Originally Posted by Dehlida

I've been keeping and breeding snakes for 15 years. Seal the top of the enclosure, and put a working under tank heater. All the heat will be trapped inside. You get nice ambient air temps, your humidity stays inside the cage, and you still get the amazing benefit of the UTH aiding digestion.



Yeah, let's get a bulb and a screen top and dry out our cage forcing us to mist all the time while throwing light at nocturnal/underground dwelling snakes. I'll enjoy never having to do a bit of work with my animals because it's self maintaining

also funny, i just went back and read your post. amongst your belittling of me you mentioned how i give my ball python light with the bulb. you'd think someone who's worked with reptiles and bred snakes for 15 years would know CHE's don't emit light.

[Rog]

I have a ball in a beautiful glass tank with a screen lid. I blocked off half the top and my humidity is perfection. I do need to use a lamp in the winter, as the glass holds no heat. The best thing is to check your temps before every feeding. It is a great habit. I do recommend opaque bind over glass, as my breeders are much more active. Oh and to keep the soapopera going, John fell into a coma and awoke having been given gender mod surgery.

[Lankyrob]

I use CHE's for all my snakes. It is my opinion that the replicate conditions in the wild better than a UTH in that the heat comes from above as if from the sun, it heats the ground/substrate under the lamp to provide a spot that the animal can bask should they wish to and also provide a good ambient temperature to the whole vivarium.

I use melamine enclosures that are totally sealed to moisture and have no problems with humidity for any of the species i keep.

[Will0W783]

I have enough snakes that it works better for me to heat my entire snake room and supplement with CHEs and flexwatt in cages where more heat is required. I arrange my heaters so that all my cages have a front to back heat gradient, and I've had this setup for about a year now. I have yet to have any problems with a snake in that room. They all shed perfectly, eat perfectly and no respiratory issues. I use melamine and ABS plastic cages that hold humidity well. I found it harder to keep things organized when I used lamps on every cage, but a few years back when I only had 10 snakes, the lamps and CHEs were way more efficient. I personally am not a fan of only having belly heat on snakes, as it has been shown to occasionally lead to constipation and digestive issues. Plus, if your thermostat breaks your snake can burn itself on the belly heat. However, a lot of people have success with just using belly heat.
I think that each person needs to find what method works best for them and their snakes. Personally, I don't see the point of this thread, other than to rile people up and create animosity.
Why waste money on heat lamps, you say? Well, I say, Why waste time and energy on this thread??

[Uncle_Rev]

I waste money on heating lamps to go with my UTH because it is what I have access to now. I had never planned on keeping snakes when these little guys were introduced to my home, however they are maintained very well. In large part due to this website.

We will see what Orlando Repticon brings and what manner of enclosure I snatch up there.