Cobra Heat Mats & Using Them Inside The Cage

If your temps are good in an ideal situation that would be because you already have belly heat. In other words, you really should provide belly heat for your python so I'd make some adjustments if I were you.

 

I am just about to build a new viv for a python and have not resolved the heating issue yet. It will be solid wood on 5 sides with sliding glass front 'doors' and ventilation at the back top. I was going to put a UTH on the inside bottom (covering about 1/2 the floor at one end) and cover it with 5mm (?) glass, sealed round the edges to prevent it getting wet. That way it resembles the setup in my glass viv now with the UTH under the tank. Other choices (if I understand rightly) are a Radiant Heat Panel on the back or ceiling inside. Some people seem to use a ceramic heat emitters on the ceiling inside a wire mesh to avoid contact burns. Both these would replace the UTH. My feeling is a UTH provides a warm hide for the snake, where the other 2 (RHP / ceramic) provide a warm surface to sit on (possibly not warm inside the hide box).

What is the best thing to do?

Thanx

 

I set up some rubbermaid enclosures recently. I ended up wrapping Reflectix over 5 sides, which seems to help keep the heat in reasonably well, considering the ambient room temp is around 70. I went with the Big Apple stuff - a UTH on the floor and a RHP on the ceiling. The UTH is below the cage and the RHP is on the inside. I have the thermometer probe touching the inisde floor. As it turns out, the RHP doesn't get very hot in this setup, which is fine for me. It just helps keep the inner ambient temp up. The little Savu seems to like this, as he climbs all over the cage.

I guess I'd suggest starting with the UTH and Reflectix, then plan on adding a RHP or something above if the ambient temp needs to come up.

-Imp

 

Do you mean the RPH doesn't heat the viv much or is not hot to touch but provides plenty of heat in the viv?

Thanx

 

Well, the RHPs can certainly get pretty hot, but the way I've set mine up, they don't seem to. There are so many factors... Mine are wired to the thermostat, along with the UTH. But the probe sits right above the UTH, so that's what really determines the amount of power going to the RHP. My snakes spend the majority of their time on the ground in a hide, so that's where I'm most concerned about the temp being correct. Now, I'll spot-check the temps in other places, like perches or cold hides, and my setup seems to be keeping everything within spec. I have no doubt whatsoever that the RHPs in my setups are improving the ambient and cool-side temps.

-Imp

 

Maybe more to the point...

Not sure I really answered your question. The RHP can supposedly get up to around 140F pretty easily. Even so, I'm not worried about a snake getting burned by them. For one, that's a lot cooler than something like a lightbulb. Also, it's covered by plastic, which is a pretty poor conuctor or heat. So even if it gets hot, touching it won't give you a sudden burn. And again, the panels will be on the side or ceiling, so the animal won't be lying right on them (although they could lean against a side-mounted RHP, which is why for those setups I have the thermostat on the UTH and right next to the RHP).

So I guess my overall opinion is that the RHPs give you some very good options, including safely using them inside or outside of the enclosure.

-Imp

 

FYI, a python does not feel pain from a burn fast like you and I. Before the snake would even realize it was too hot it would already be burned. That's the problem with things that are too hot in snake enclosures. If you are going to use those pads inside the cage NEVER ever plug it directly into an outlet and ALWAYS use a thermostat or rheostat to control the output. Don't do this and I can guarantee you'll end up with a burnt snake.