heat lamp

[dltrent]

I have a ball and a rtb...in 2 seperate aquariaums. The temps are good during te day 88-90 for the rtb and about 92-03 for the ball. At night it is beginning to get a little cool, so Im keeping the heat lamps on all night.. The ball has a black light and the rtb a red heat lamp...is this ok and what if the ball burns himself..will he know to get away from it? Also very rarely does my rtb ever stay above the substrate..hes always hides under his hide or burrows...is this normal?

thanks?
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[XzyluM]

I would decrease the temperatures a bit. 86-88 is about right for both species. 90 is a little to high. As for the lamps at night, you stated aquariums, so I am going to say you are using aquariums with screen tops. If so, there shouldn't be a problem. As long as they can not come into direct contact, they should be fine. Have you checked for activity during the night? They are noctural and usually move and explore during the night.
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[Dr.Oviparous]

What are the temps getting down to at night? You still want to keep at lower temp for both species during the dark hours. Here are links for both species caresheets: Ball Python BCI (Red Tail Boa) . As long as your temps stay within these guidelines, you'll be fine. I agree, 90 is too warm for BCI. I believe your temps on the ball are good for day time though. -Juggalo
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

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[XzyluM]

Temperatures for Ball Pythons are 86-88 as well. 92-103 is way to warm for them. Most caresheets are poorly written and 90 is usually a basking spot.
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[Dr.Oviparous]

I think he was trying to type 92-93 instead of 92-03. I'm just going on what I've read on caresheets, if they're wrong I'm wrong, I am no ball expert. There's one livin' with me right now, but it's April's [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] -Juggalo
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[Voodoo]

If I ever get my BP's air temp up to 90, they get mighty peeved. But they like the floor heat to be at 90. So, who the hey knows?
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	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[dltrent]

the top I have is a peg board top so the heat lamp is hanging on the far sied from the peg board top. I have seen him get awfully close and back away real quick..as if he did burn himself..I would turn the light off but wont it et too cold..about 72-74 degrees..or is that ok? [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
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[dlamphere]

OK, I hope this does not open a can of worms...lol

"During the daytime, temps on the warm side should be 90-95° Fahrenheit with 80-85° Fahrenheit on the cool side. Temps should drop around 10-15° F at night. However, the temp in the cage should drop no lower than 73-75° F. Humidity should remain at approximately 60-65%."

This is a quote from the care sheet posted on this site. My ball python is set at 90 on the warm side with a basking spot at 95 and he is there a lot. It is about 85 on the cool side during the day and he is always on the hot side in the daytime but loves to go to the cool side at night which is about 78 at night [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] I think it just depends on the snake. He loves to sleep cool...lol
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[sophia]

>>the top I have is a peg board top so the heat lamp is hanging on the far side from the peg board top. I have seen him get awfully close and back away real quick..as if he did burn himself..I would turn the light off but wont it et too cold..about 72-74 degrees..or is that ok? [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]


You could always go out and purchase some rabbit wire from the local home store and make a cage to go around the light that is 3" wider in all directions than the light and fixture. Rabbit wire is easy to bend and you can attach it to itself very easily or use clips, just make sure no points are protruding where the snake could snag or poke itself on. This will keep him well off the light and the wire won't get hot because of its weave.

Tay
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[eddie]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> You could always go out and purchase some rabbit wire from the local home store </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Good idea, but..
Make sure it's the 1/4&quot; or the 1/2&quot; size, no larger or you can have a stuck snake.
Also the weave is boded with a type of weld that leaves some sharp raised areas all over the mesh.
Just run your hand over it and when you feel a sticky or sharp area, knock it down some with a fine toothed file, preferably a jewelers file. If not then you can have some serious nose rub issues in the future.

Also, get the galvinized stuff, you're going to need it to withstand the humidity cause rust can cause all kinds of problems.....broken screen, stuck and cut up snake, infection from the rust itself when its trapped in the wounds etc....
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[XzyluM]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>During the daytime, temps on the warm side should be 90-95° </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

That's the basking spot. Ambient air temperatures are around 86-88. Just be careful reading caresheets. Most of them are poorly written like I said before.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>You could always go out and purchase some rabbit wire from the local home store</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

1/4&quot; hardware cloth [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
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[JuliusSqueezer]

basking spot means a limb or shelf that the animal can climb up on to get near the heat if he really really wants to warm up good...hotside/cool side temps are measured at 1 inch above the floor level for most species....depending on if the animal spends most of it's time on the ground or up in the branches. Few snakes like to be too hot....even snakes from really hot places usually spend a great deal of time trying to find a way to cool down. Anything under 70 for any extended amount of time will give most boids an RI. Anything over 90 will over heat most of them. Some large pythons seem to enjoy heat a little more than others. Boas do not seem to like excess heat at all. Either way....too hot or too cool will cause a snake to regurge meals, dehydrate and die. give them the proper gradient and let them decide. They know what's best and will thermoregulate on their own if given a proper setup. make sure that there are hides on both sides so they never have to choose between hiding and thermoregulating.
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[herp_chick]

Just a suggestion..........I would take the blacklight out of the ball's cage and use a red bulb. Never seen or read anything about using blacklights, but may not be good for eyes. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]
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[JuliusSqueezer]

blacklights made specifically for reptiles are very dark and ok to use.....novelty blacklights sold for blacklight posters have been found to dammage the eyes of reptiles.
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[herp_chick]

Thanks for the info, Julius. That's what I had heard. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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