Heating help

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Anthony0739

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Hi guys, just needed some advice about heating. Just got the reptile one RTF enclosure with the wire mesh roof. I’ve got a ceramic heater placed on top of the wire mess roof. It is connected to a thermostat however the mesh roof in that area still gets extremely hot. Would this be safe for a children’s python to live in? I was told by the lady selling it to me to set it up like this however I’m concerned my python will climb and touch the roof and burn itself? On top of that I was wandering if it would be possible for the emitter to burn through the wire mesh roof? Ill include some pictures of the setup
Thankyou in advanced! :)
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From what I've heard the heater could cause some heat damage to the mesh. It depends on the snake but it may climb up and potentially touch the roof.
 
was going to suggest a click clack but getting a little too old and I don't know a good solution for your problem
 
My setup is similar in the fact that it has wire mesh with a heat source above it, though I use a heat bulb. It has gotten the mesh hot to the point of discolouration but aside from that it hasn't compromised the security of the tank and I haven't had problems with my year old Bredli trying to get near it.

If you're extremely worried about it you could try an alternative way of providing a hot spot for the snake like a heat tile attached to a thermostat or a heat mat on the exterior of it's a tank.
 
It would help greatly if you gave some idea of the ambient temps the cage is exposed to e.g. geographic location, room type, air-con or not…

Vivariums with mesh lids are designed for placing the heat source inside the enclosure. That why there is a ‘plug’ in the middle of the roof and on one side. With a heat source on top, the mesh will block a significant percentage (» 30) of the heat from entering. People often use inordinately high wattage heat sources to try and compensate, greatly increasing running costs and potentially creating other problems. The blocked heat is absorbed by the mesh, causing it to heat up. Radiant heat is also rapidly lost through mesh tops via convection, as warm air rises and flows out easily through the mesh. This can be addressed by blocking a portion of the mesh with something as simple as a towel.

Personally, I’d recommend a heat cord & tile placed at the base of the side with the plug in it. If you wish to use a globe heat source, then make use of the roof plug and have it in an appropriate safety cage. By appropriate, it has to be small enough mesh so even Antaresia cannot get through it, not allow a snake to sit on top of it and pass the touch test. If you cannot place your finger on safety cage and hold it there for about 30 sec due to it being too hot, then it fails the touch test.
 
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