Question about housing a python

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Doonta

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Hey everyone please dont shoot me for this as i know i might get a few mixed responses and well im still learning a bit :) currently my few week old jungle x diamond is abit over 1 foot nothing crazy small but neither crazy big. I was looking for opinions on if i could place him inside his future enclousure which is 2 ft high, 2 ft long and 1 ft wide. Of course i will be purchasing some stuff for him to climb on and maybe even a few extra small hides etc tomorrow at the penrith expo if possible. My only reasoning is he seems to look slightly too long for his current viv which came with him when i purchased him and is always exploring on ways to get out mainly. Any help would be awesome thanks
 
Hey buddy, welcome. If you have a correct temperature gradient with enough hides along it, I don't believe you will have an issue. Check for escape routes and again, in this instance, the more hides, the better.

Otherwise you will find that reptiles don't tend to mind a smaller space as long as they are secure and can move about.
 
Hey buddy, welcome. If you have a correct temperature gradient with enough hides along it, I don't believe you will have an issue. Check for escape routes and again, in this instance, the more hides, the better.

Otherwise you will find that reptiles don't tend to mind a smaller space as long as they are secure and can move about.
Ok great. The bigger tank i have has all the correct sealed bits thanfully. Atm im using a 100wt infered heat light on a dimming thermo. Is there another method you would suggest to help gain the correct gradient on the cooler side? Or would you suggest
to leave it one side hot one cool so he himself may pick
the temp.
 
Ok thanks for all the help. I noticed hes going a bit pinkish down near his tail, does anyone with experience on jungle carpets know how soon it should be until he starts to shed?
 
In my opinion, 100w is a bit high for an enclosure that size. I'd use a 40w in summer and probably a 60 or 75 in winter. I think you'll find a lower wattage will give a better gradient.
 
Yea thats what i have heard previously just keep forgetting to buy a lower wt globe. Would there be any problems which could result in that? Even though its on a dimming thermo. Also would lets say a 75wt globe be fine as all year rounder?
 
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Hey quick update i ended up getting myself a 75wt heat globe for the tank but the temps arent going above 28 degrees now? I have the probe on the wall and at the same height as the branch he has to bask on. The light is like 10cms across from the wall so im not sure if i have the probe set up correctly or not if it helps i could post a picture of the current set up.
 
If it's 28 degrees 10cm from directly under the light then it probably easily 30-32 directly under it
 
I totally agree with Norm about what temp it would be under the light, but might i suggest you move the basking spot for an animal of that size to ground level with the light above 1 of the hides and the thermo probe inside the hide, that way it can hide and digest a feed with more security but still has the opportunity to bask on top of the hide, the temp on top of the hide might get a little bit in excess of the 32 deg but your little 1 will be smart enough to thermoregulate itself, i did not see where you said you had a cage over the light to stop your little 1 from burning itself, if you have 1 all good if not please get 1 for your Snakes sake as the do not feel the heat as well on their ventral scales. :) .....................Ron
 
If it's 28 degrees 10cm from directly under the light then it probably easily 30-32 directly under it
yea i just got a thermometer heat gun off of a friend so i will check it out when i can get home thanks.

I totally agree with Norm about what temp it would be under the light, but might i suggest you move the basking spot for an animal of that size to ground level with the light above 1 of the hides and the thermo probe inside the hide, that way it can hide and digest a feed with more security but still has the opportunity to bask on top of the hide, the temp on top of the hide might get a little bit in excess of the 32 deg but your little 1 will be smart enough to thermoregulate itself, i did not see where you said you had a cage over the light to stop your little 1 from burning itself, if you have 1 all good if not please get 1 for your Snakes sake as the do not feel the heat as well on their ventral scales. :) .....................Ron
At the moment he has a bigger then needed hide (only to waste extra space since hes not too big) and 1 near the heat light and another sort of hide near the large one. Hes currently using the too big one on the cold side but usually is on the ground near the heat light. Oh yes i have a cage around the heat light :) also would you have an idea on what the cold side should be around with a hot side around 30 degrees? And the 75wt globe i have is also noticably smaller diameter then the 100wt one i have is there mainly a difference in diameter which could effect him?
 
As long as the heat is good at the hot spot a gradient of around 10 deg at the cool end should be sufficient, i know it is a bit hard to get a decent gradient in an enclosure of that size with a light but with decent ventilation it is possible by directing the heat more to the hot end by actually pointing the light further in that direction, :) ...........................Ron
 
As long as the heat is good at the hot spot a gradient of around 10 deg at the cool end should be sufficient, i know it is a bit hard to get a decent gradient in an enclosure of that size with a light but with decent ventilation it is possible by directing the heat more to the hot end by actually pointing the light further in that direction, :) ...........................Ron
yea thats a good point thanks man. From testing with the heat gun seems im only able to get the right temps on the hot side with the 100wt globe which is suprising to me at least
 
Im using 60w in most of my diamond cages with a basking spot about 20cm away and easily get 32, the thermostat turns the heat off so I imagine if I left the light on it would get a lot hotter. I use a 100w globe in two of my bigger cages and get 32 at a basking spot about 30cm away. Maybe double check your thermostat setting or your temp measuring method.
 
Hmm ok ill try that out thanks. Do you know if the actual diameter of the globe could effect its ability to produce a proper basking spot temp?
 
I prefer to use a spot beam because I'm after a small, concentrated hot spot for my diamonds.
 
Ok thanks for all the help bro ill have some more testing and tweaking of the lights to find what he likes :)
 
That's exactly what you should be doing my friend, in a perfect world all enclosures are the same size as would be the lights, heaters and mats, but we don't live in a perfect world so trial and error is the best way to get something right as long as the deviations between the temps are not too extreme your animal should be ok, Norm is pretty spot on with his info for Diamonds so you should digest what he has to say. :) ..........................Ron
 
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