Heating small exoterra tanks?

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scaleyMD

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Hi all

I am using a 30cm x 30cm exoterra for my young jungle python.
My question is, can I use a lamp without melting the plastic bar that runs down the middle of the lid?
Does anyone have any idea how heat resistant the plastic is?
I have the dome hanging above the tank but obviously the closer the light to the tank, the better as far as warmth goes.

Any ideas?

Canberra winters are cold!

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It won't melt and drip but putting a lamp on top will eventually make the lid bend inwards, we have a similar one.I ended up making a wooden extension and put lights on a wooden lid
 
Ok good advice. Perhaps I'll pop a piece of wood over the top. I was more concerned about the plastic cracking from the changes in temperature. I can deal with it warping slightly.

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I would use a heat mat instead. That’s what I’m doing with my 30x30. I find the hatchlings can’t self regulate if there’s no cool side due to it being so small.


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I have a heat mat in already but with no lighting, the ambient temp drops to well under 15 degrees. It will drop to under 10 once winter sets in properly.
Currently the hotspot is 32 with ambient temps sitting at ~24 degrees.

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I’d up mat size to 7 or 14 watt or get a short heat cord for the one tub.
 
You could use a combo of heat mat and LED strip lighting. I was able to create beautiful thermal gradients with this approach for gecko's as the led strips had minimal impact on the background temps within the cage. So you could theoretically do the same for your python with the added advantage of a day night cycle if you used white light LED strips.
 
You could use a combo of heat mat and LED strip lighting. I was able to create beautiful thermal gradients with this approach for gecko's as the led strips had minimal impact on the background temps within the cage. So you could theoretically do the same for your python with the added advantage of a day night cycle if you used white light LED strips.
This could be worth trying!

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I use a heat cord to warm 4 x exo terra 30x30 cubes in an ikea shelf. Foil on the back of each to seal three sides, with LED puck lights from Bunnings above each. All of this is hooked to a thermostat in the first tank and my geckos all seem to be thriving.

Alternatively for our baby pygmy dragon, he has a heat mat and a little desk lamp over this 30x30 cube, they get quite warm and is seems to keep his temps right in the small confines. All of this is within a larger cabinet where his UV tube is mounted though... So that will help keep the temps higher.
 
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