Woke up and room where my BCC is was 71 degrees...

koshde · #1 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 04:43 PM

Ok I have been stressing out about this all day now. I have a space heater in the room where I keep my BCC (about 6.5 feet in size). The build-in thermometer malfunctioned and thought it was 99 in there and thus was not on. When I looked at the temp it was 71 degrees in there this morning. The only heat she had that night was the ceramic light (the heat pad fell off a few days ago because the glue finally gave way and I haven't had time to get a new one).

That ceramic bulb does not seem to provide a whole lot of heat when I put my hand under it more than 12 inches. I don't trust it to provide much heat. This weekend there is a very large reptile convention in Virginia and I am going to go spend whatever it takes to get this heat situation in order but it doesn't change the fact she had to endure a night at probably 72 degrees (I dont trust that ceramic light to put out much more heat than a few degrees difference in her cage and like I said the room was 70-71 during the night).

She is alive of course but was obviously very inactive. I know it sounds funny but I get so stressed out when she is not comfortable I can't even concentrate on my job.

Has anything had their BCC at this temperature before overnight? Is she going to be ok? I'm about to flip out here...

Also, can someone recommend what I can do to give her the best climate control? The room can get a bit cold and I have gone through several space heaters but, like this one, their internal thermometers that regulate when they come on always seem to have issues. Also what type of heat bulb would you recommend?

Thanks for any help here guys.

(also the caresheet link/section in the FAQs post does not seem to be working)

razeraze · #2 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 04:56 PM

Yep. Heck in my cage right now it gets down to 75F and up to 115F Don't worry too much, one cool night won't kill your boa.

danktat · #3 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 04:57 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about it if it were only for a few hours. It is a bit colder than what is optimal and if it were a couple of days I might be concerned about resperatory infection. Bear in mind that alot of BCC breeders are cooling thier boas at this time anyway to prepare them to go "in season". Go get yourself a new space heater and you should be fine.

TylersMom · #4 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 05:07 PM

She will be just fine. Just don't let her stay that temp for days. What is your cage made of? My 7ft. is in a 5' x 3' x 4' cage made out of Malimine w/ glass sliding doors in the front. I have 1 100 watt red heat lamp on one end. That gives her 97-98 degrees on one end of the cage and about 82 on the other. At night I try and turn down the lamp to get about 80. I have no bottom heaters. She has lived in this cage 5 years easy. My heat lamp is on a sliding reastat which allows me to turn up or down the heat. I also use pine bedding (which I know many don't agree with) it is about 2-3 inches thick.
I would be happy to send you a pic of my cage if you would like.

TylersMom

razeraze · #5 (**permalink**) 10-25-2007, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylersMom

She will be just fine. Just don't let her stay that temp for days. What is your cage made of? My 7ft. is in a 5' x 3' x 4' cage made out of Malimine w/ glass sliding doors in the front. I have 1 100 watt red heat lamp on one end. That gives her 97-98 degrees on one end of the cage and about 82 on the other. At night I try and turn down the lamp to get about 80. I have no bottom heaters. She has lived in this cage 5 years easy. My heat lamp is on a sliding reastat which allows me to turn up or down the heat. I also use pine bedding (which I know many don't agree with) it is about 2-3 inches thick.
I would be happy to send you a pic of my cage if you would like.
TylersMom

You could always post your cage pics in the cage section, I never get tired of seeing people's set ups.

Shadrach · #6 (**permalink**) 10-26-2007, 12:56 AM

I keep my whole house around 68 to 72 year round all snakes get basically the same setup UTH and lamp one end and nothing other end. Depending on snake dertermines wattage of bulb I use. Most of my snake travel back and forth from one end to the other depending on time of day and what temp they are wanting. IN over 10 years in snakes not ever had an RI or any other sickness in any animals.

Stargazer · #7 (**permalink**) 10-26-2007, 01:37 AM

If possible, please post pics of the set up or describe what kind of enclosure/size, etc. A good thermometer or a temp gun is a must to measure the temps in the cage. Many people don't like the cheap stick-on ones, but I've had very good luck with mine. Also cover half the top with a towel or something to keep the heat and humidity in. Here is an excellent care guide that I am forever posting on this site:
Redtailboas.com - Amazing Boas and the Ultimate Care Guide

Conners · #8 (**permalink**) 10-29-2007, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koshde

That ceramic bulb does not seem to provide a whole lot of heat when I put my hand under it more than 12 inches. I don't trust it to provide much heat. This weekend there is a very large reptile convention in Virginia and I am going to go spend whatever it takes to get this heat situation in order but it doesn't change the fact she had to endure a night at probably 72 degrees (I dont trust that ceramic light to put out much more heat than a few degrees difference in her cage and like I said the room was 70-71 during the night).
She is alive of course but was obviously very inactive. I know it sounds funny but I get so stressed out when she is not comfortable I can't even concentrate on my job.

Unless there's any sign that she might be developing an RI, I really wouldn't worry about it. The coolest end of my BCI's vivarium gets down to 21C (about 68F) during the night, and she spends the majority of the time in that end. BCIs might be a bit more tolerant of lower temps, but you see my points - she chooses that temperature of her own accord.

Certainly your snake needs the opportunity to get herself to 30C or so if she desires, so by all means adjust your setup to offer that range, but this is nothing to fret about in my opinion.

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