Another beginner question about heating

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azzawatson

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Hi guys,
I've had little Arnie here since January and have just moved him into this larger tank I built. I know it's big but he has always been such an easy snake and great feeder, never bitten us or anything so I figured he'd be alright.
He still seems to be happy but I'm concerned about the heat. His old plastic storage box had just a heat mat and a couple hides, though it did get a lot of condensation from time to time which I've heard is bad.

My question is, I was told to buy him the light pictured and run it during daylight hours. This gets the tank to about 30 degree's but when i turn it off at night, it drops to 20 degree's. Is that too cold? The small heat mat is in there too but he seems to like the high hide at the opposite end of the tank to the heat source. He's always in there. He does get out and about, there is usually a big branch in the tank which I took out cuz he keeps getting behind the fake wall I made.

I just want to make sure he has enough heat at night. The glass will lose a lot of heat and I don't want respiratory problems down the track.

Thoughts?

(turns out I can't add images so use your imagination!)

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Welcome to APS.
To answer your question firstly, no 20 degrees is fine. But how are you measuring the temps, and where in the tank? If your python is hiding at the cool end, it is likely the warm end is too hot. It's not unusual for a snake to hide away when put into a new enclosure.
 
Thanks, I should have signed up here when i first got him!
That little guy in the corner is my digital thermometer. I'm looking into a gun though so I can measure everywhere in the tank.
I need to get one to measure humidity too I guess, I don't see it getting very humid in there.
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You won't have humidity issues with the recycled paper substrate, the opposite in fact. A bigger water bowl is the best option to help when your python goes into shed.
You can pick up an IR temp gun on Ebay at reasonable cost.
If you are getting "about" 30 degrees with the probe in the corner, it could be it is too hot under the heat. What wattage globe are you using, and what is the distance between globe and hide?
 
Thanks for the response!

When you say I won't have humidity issues, you mean it won't get too humid? I'm worried about it not getting humid enough for him.
I'll check out ebay, thanks!
There's about 250mm between the cage and hide. It has this bulb in it (recommended by the reptile guy at the local pet store).
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Yes, the substrate tends to make it dryer in the enclosure, but as I mentioned above a larger water bowl helps with this. if you get one that is large enough for your python to get into, it will make use of it during shedding.
Without more accurate temp measurements I can only guess, but 250mm is probably a small distance for that type of heat globe. You can experiment with different types and wattages when you get a temp gun. Instead of the expensive "reptile" globes from the pet store, go to your nearest Bunnings and try the Philips spot globes. They come in a range of wattages, and being considerably cheaper than the one you have, you can try different ones until you get the best temps.
 
If the snake is a darwin then I suggest that you keep the minimum temps around 25C which is more in line to where they originate from.Google 'Darwin monthly average temps' and go to the BOM site.
 
I personally wouldn't be comfortable with the way the light is situated inside the cage. The idea of a cage is put distance from the globe. With it facing so close to the side of the cage I would be checking how hot it gets should the python wrapped itself around as they tend to do. Just my concern from the picture of the setup.
 
I was also worried about the cage temp but it doesn't get that hot. It's not even close to being uncomfortable on the hand when you touch it.

Thanks for all the input guys, I'll buy a temp gun and play with the heat globes. I may even buy a bigger mat for him too?

Any suggestions on getting the humidity up? I'll buy a gauge but what should the humidity be?
 
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