Heating advice for Albino Darwin Carpet Python

[Demi-Lea]

Hello!

I have an (approx 1 year old) albino Darwin carpet python in a 60x40x40cm enclosure. I have a heat mat on during the day whilst he’s in his hide, highest temp reaches 32 degrees & then a CHE on during the night whilst he’s up & about which is set to 31 degrees on a thermostat with a 3 degree leeway (however the temp gauge is a few cm’s below the bottom of the lamp so the lamp would probably be at 35 degrees). NOW, my question is - do those with albino Darwin carpet pythons have a similar set up? Is it necessary for the CHE lamp to be on during the night or should I be putting in a slight drop in temperature? The reason I’m asking is mainly because his last shed was patchy & I’m worried that the constant heat mightn’t be good for an albino carpet (he’s my first snake so I’m new to this) - but I also bathed him the night before he shed because he hadn’t pooped in a while & I was trying to help in case of constipation - but maybe that was the reason his shed was patchy? Like I said, he’s my first snake & I’m very new to this but I do tend to overthink things because I love him so much & don’t want him to be stressed or unhappy - so please send your advice!
Thank you in advance!

 

[Herpetology]

There should be a night time drop to 23-24~ degrees in my opinion, only when they’re young <1 year should they get 24/7 heat

I use a heatmat sitting at 34°c for my darwin from 8-6 and heat goes off till 8 the next day

Patchy sheds are common with incorrect humidity levels (being too low)

Do you have a cage around the lamp? I ask because you say the lamp is 35°? Do you mean to the touch? It would be more like 350°?

It’s also worth investing into a temperature gun

 

[Demi-Lea]

Thanks for your reply! Yes there’s a cage around the lamp, he sometimes sits on the ledge below it or on the branch that sits up beside it.
I have a thermostat that reads the humidity, has a timer for each heat source and also measures the temp, as well as two little thermometers for the bottom of the cage & the heat mat temp, so no part of the cage temp goes unmeasured!
The humidity is usually between 50-70.
Do albinos need a cooler night time temp when they’re active?? Thinking about dropping it so low gives me anxiety! But I’ll do that until his next shed and see how it goes

 

[Herpetology]

In Darwin, the temps drop to 25 on most summer nights

There’s no sun (heat source) during the night

 

[Demi-Lea]

Very true haha thank you!

 

[GBWhite]

Hi,

There is absolutely no need to provide night time heating (especially at this time of the year) for a 12 month old Carpet Python (albino or not, as ambient night time temperatures inside a house are sufficient). In fact unless you live in an extremely cold environment and/or the enclosure is full glass there is no need to provide night time heating at all no matter what the season. Snakes require periods of cold to maintain good health. Maintaining a python (or just about all snakes) at constant high temperatures can be detrimental to their well being. Provided the environment of the enclosure is set up correctly there should never be any need to spray or soak a snake prior to shedding.

Dysecdysis (improper/patchy shedding) can at times be a result of parasites, malnutrition, infection, metabolic irregularities and poor husbandry techniques such as low relative humidity but is more often than not associated with dehydration. As is often the case with constipation. If your snake is experiencing a combination of both patchy shedding and constipation (as seems the case) then it strongly suggests that the critter is dehydrated due to the consistent high temperature inside the enclosure. The consistent high temperature will also cause any drinking water to evaporate quickly.

Although snakes obtain a large proportion of fluids from food items they need access to fresh drinking water to remain hydrated and they should also be provided with a bowl large enough for them to soak and escape excess heat when they need to.

So, I'd suggest turning off the CHE light at night and make sure you provide fresh drinking water on a regular basis and a bowl for it to soak. In addition and again unless you live in an extremely cold location there is no need to subject the snake for long periods of constant heat during hot weather. This time of the year you'll find that most experienced keepers only provide heating for a couple of hours during the early morning and again for a couple of hours prior to sun set. Naturally this period is increased in line with cooler conditions and decreased again as the weather warms up.

Hope this helps,

George.

 

[Demi-Lea]

Thank you! Definitely decreasing/shutting off the heat at night from now on
[doublepost=1547460822,1547289133][/doublepost]Just reread.. the enclosure is glass, however the back wall has an Exo Terra rock backdrop glued to it, but the temps have still remained at 24-27 the last few nights without heat..