Should I turn my heat lamps off at night or in daytime

Zellnera · 08-29-18, 12:14 PM

Ok, to give a bit of background, i'm a new red tailed boa owner. I got her a week ago and she has eaten once and seems to be in good health. I live in Georgia (u.s.), and the ambient temperature in the room is usually around 75-80 during the day. So I'm wondering if it's ok to turn the heat lamp off during the day (I also have a heat pad I keep on all the time) cause it seems to get pretty hot around 90 if I leave it on all day. Plus she spends a lot of time on the cool side of the tank..just curious cause like I said I'm new at this

**EL Ziggy** · 08-29-18, 08:06 PM

Welcome aboard and best wishes Zell. Glad to see another fellow Georgian on the forum. I close my ac vents in my snake room which keeps my ambient temps between 77-82. I think you can eliminate either the heat lamp or the uth. You don't need both in the summer. My boas are in tubs and I keep theirs uth's at 86-88. They might go in their warm hides for a day or two after eating but they're usually on their cool sides. Hope you'll share pics of your boa when you can.

Zellnera · 08-30-18, 08:41 AM

Also, how much is too much handling.. the people I got her from said they barely touched her anymore and the last time they tried she bit.. I however haven't noticed her being particularly aggressive or scared.. I left her alone for 4 days now after feeding her. Would bringing her out of the tank for 15 minutes a day be a good start so she gets back used to being handled?

**Andy_G** · 08-30-18, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zellnera

Also, how much is too much handling.. the people I got her from said they barely touched her anymore and the last time they tried she bit.. I however haven't noticed her being particularly aggressive or scared.. I left her alone for 4 days now after feeding her. Would bringing her out of the tank for 15 minutes a day be a good start so she gets back used to being handled?

Snakes in general should be left alone for 48 hours after eating. None of them enjoy handling, but most will tolerate it, and they may be stimulated by exploring surroundings. Keep in mind that if they feel stressed, they will not always show signs of that, or of they do they may be subtleties that only the experienced can pick up on. I'd recommend short periods (15 minutes would be perfect) a few times a week.

Zellnera · 08-30-18, 08:53 AM

Thanks for the advice. Like I said very new at this but trying to be a good snake parent so all advice or thoughts are appreciated

craigafrechette · 08-31-18, 04:48 AM

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping.

Are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat??
If not, please get them regulated asap to prevent dangerous heat spikes which can cause serious burns or worse to your snake.

I think the advice above about handling is on point. Short sessions a few times a week.

bigsnakegirl785 · 08-31-18, 07:43 AM

If the lamp has a visual light bulb in it, it should be turned off at night. If you need to run the heat during the night, consider a CHE instead (it will need a ceramic base lamp).

I set the thermostats so that my heat tape gets to 93F - under the bedding, measured with an IR temp gun. Room temp is usually mid-80's during the day, low 70's at night. Space heater during the winter. My ambient heaters are on thermostats set so that the hot area ambient temp is about 88-90F, and the rest of the enclosure is about 80-85F, and it drops a little during the night and during the winter. My 2' tall enclosures have basking shelves, so just the top right corner gets this warm, and it's a few degrees cooler (around 85-86F) under the shelf, and then regular ambient temps on the left side.

As far as handling, I try not to handle more than once or twice a week for 10-30 minutes at a time. I normally handle mine a couple times a month for a few minutes at a time, though. I also don't handle in shed, or 48-72 hours after feeding.