Temp And Heat!

i just got a 20 gallon tank and i cant seem to get the temp abovy 82. i havea 50 watt bulb and even if its RIGHT above the thermometer its not getting hot enough. what should i do?

First of all, bulbs are a poor idea for a Ball Python enclosure. They succeed in heating the enclosure but also in reducing the humidity creating an environment that is too dry. Your best bet is to pick up an under tank heater. They are sold in most pet stores. You also would need a rheostat (dimmer) or thermostat to control the temperature as they can exceed 115 easily and burn your snake. I would also invest in a digital thermometer (Walmart sells them for $15 under the brand accurite). This unit will allow you to have an instant view of temperatures on the warm end, the cool end and also the humidity in the enclosure. Please feel free to email me (jamie@glassreptiles.com) if you need any more info or post here.

i have an undertank heater. i have a thermomteter. if the HOT END doesnt get above 82 degrees then why would the COLD END be warmer? the undertank heater is fine and he sits on that all day long but as far as making the HOT END warmer.........what should i do? the snake needs a light for photoperiods so running without a light wouldnt work as well, also a digital thermometer isnt going to change much, just tell me the temperature to about 2 degrees when i could guess the cold is 70 or below.

Originally Posted by tstrenuous10

i have an undertank heater. i have a thermomteter. if the HOT END doesnt get above 82 degrees then why would the COLD END be warmer? the undertank heater is fine and he sits on that all day long but as far as making the HOT END warmer.........what should i do? the snake needs a light for photoperiods so running without a light wouldnt work as well, also a digital thermometer isnt going to change much, just tell me the temperature to about 2 degrees when i could guess the cold is 70 or below.

What type of thermometer are you using? I suspect that it is giving you a false reading. Where are you taking the temperature reading? You should be checking the temp directly on the substrate over the heating pad. What are the temps in your room? You should be between 78-82 on the cool end with a hot spot on the warm end of about 90-93. Dont worry about air temperature unless your snake has learned to fly . As far as the light, snakes dont need the light. The natural light in your room is plenty.

i have an undertank heater. i have a thermomteter. if the HOT END doesnt get above 82 degrees then why would the COLD END be warmer? the undertank heater is fine and he sits on that all day long but as far as making the HOT END warmer.........what should i do?

Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding this....but are you saying that you have the UTH on what is supposed to be the COOL end of the tank??? That would kind of defeat the purpose of having a warm end and a cool end...?

What do you have for a top on the tank? If you have just a screen top, all of your heat and humidity are going to be just rising out the top. If so, you need to cover part of the screen with something that will keep some of that in. That helps immensely.

If you feel the need to use a heat source on top of the tank, I would go with the ceramic heat emitter instead of the light bulb, and make sure both the heat emitter and your UTH are going through a thermostat to keep the proper temps. Just keep in mind what Jamie said, either a light bulb or a ceramic emitter will dry out the tank, so be sure you keep a close eye on the humidity levels.

the snake needs a light for photoperiods so running without a light wouldnt work as well,

UMMM, no, they don't.

As far as the UTH and thermo, where is you thermometer?
Is the UTH plugged into a stat, or straight into the wall?


As others have stated, we too feel that a lights suck if used as a heat source for Regius.

well i had pics but i cant load them


YES the light IS on one side of the tank and the UTH is on the other, i thought thats how it was suppose to be.

the thermometer IS closer to the TOP of the tank but even when i put the light right over it, it only gets to be 82.


if i need to move the thermometer WHERE should i put it? i have the UTH in the corner and if i put the light over there should it be RIGHT above the UTH or more towards the front of the tank? its a 20 gallon.

i have a 60 watt bulb right now and i just bought a 75 watt thinking it might put a little more heat in it.

i thought you needed a light so they could have day and night, i like the light though, makes the cage look a lot better and not as gloomy.

and yes i do have just a screen and i put my shirt on top of it for a day but it didnt really keep the heat in.


i guess i need to know WHERE to put the heater and light and thermometer.

Originally Posted by tstrenuous10

well i had pics but i cant load them


YES the light IS on one side of the tank and the UTH is on the other, i thought thats how it was suppose to be.

the thermometer IS closer to the TOP of the tank but even when i put the light right over it, it only gets to be 82.


if i need to move the thermometer WHERE should i put it? i have the UTH in the corner and if i put the light over there should it be RIGHT above the UTH or more towards the front of the tank? its a 20 gallon.

i have a 60 watt bulb right now and i just bought a 75 watt thinking it might put a little more heat in it.

i thought you needed a light so they could have day and night, i like the light though, makes the cage look a lot better and not as gloomy.

and yes i do have just a screen and i put my shirt on top of it for a day but it didnt really keep the heat in.


i guess i need to know WHERE to put the heater and light and thermometer.

Once again man..Ditch the light.

UTH on what is going to be the warm side. What type of substrate are you using? If newspaper or paper towel, put the thermometer probe (assuming you are using one with a probe and not a stick on or fish tank thermometer, they are crap) on the floor of the age. You are trying to get a warm spot of about 90-94 right against the snakes belly. No need for supplemental lighting. It is just for you and isnt doing a thing for the snake. If you are going to use light, dont use a heat lamp. I would ditch the glass tank all together. They do nothing for the snakes security and suck for holding heat and humidity. Get a comparable sized rubbermaid for a few bucks.

I just seen pics of your ball and its tank and I hope that is not how it is still being kept.

If it is, I'd be willing to bet your cooking that think. From the pics it looks like a 5 gal tank with a light and a UTH for a heat source.






Is it still setup this way?

Tell me that was a joke Al...