Heating up a glass terrarium for a Carpet Python (Morelia Spilota mcdowelli)

[bckspc]

Hi all. I'm struggling with the temperatures and heating of my enclousure.

I'll state all that I have. This final setup was made after talking with the store that sold me the terrarium and also my vet.

• My snake is a male Morelia Spilota mcdowelli with about 1.60m and a weight of 1.5 kg aprox.
• I have a glass terrarium of 120cm (width) x 60cm (depth) x 40cm (height).
• It as sliding doors in the front with a vent below and a vent in the ceiling. Both vents go all the lenght of the enclousure.
• I've lined all the terrarium walls from inside with coconut fiber (except the floor, doors and vents).
• I've placed a 150W ceramic heat lamp on the right side distancing 30cm from the right wall and in the middle (depthwise)
• Below I have a 50W heat cable attached to the floor on the outside zig-zaging until half of the enclousure
• Inside, the floor was covered with newspaper and then beech chaff substrate all over.
• I also have a HabiStat thermostat where I've connected both the lamp and the heat cable.
• I've set the thermostat to 30ºC
• Room temperature outside the terrarium are around 20ºC (I'm from Portugal and it's winter here).

• I have a digital themometer and also a fixed one with a probe. Both give out the same readings so I excluded wrong temp readings from any of the devices.
• Temperature readings inside (measured 1cm above the floor)
  • Right side (hot zone) further away from the door: 28º C
  • Right side (hot zone) nearer the door: 24º C
  • Left side (cool zone) further away from the door: 21º C
  • Left side (cool zone) nearer thedoor: 19º/20º C

For what I understood from talking for several people is that the terrarium temp should vary from 26º C and 30º C.
Everybody tells me that what I have in terms of heating is more than enought and that I should be getting the right temps. I've spent a fortune already trying to buy diferent heating and materials but nothing seems to work.

I want to know what can I do to help my poor snake getting the right environment. He already had a pneumonia a while back because of lower temps in a smaller terrarium. I've moved him to this one and I don't want it to happen again.

Are this temps normal? What are your suggestions to improve the temps? I cannot change the terrarium because this is brand new and I cannot afford to buy another one just now.

Also, I have some spare equipment I can use, I just need to know how can I used it.
Spare equipment:

• 25W Heat cable
• 100W Ceramic heat lamp
• 20W Heat mat (not sure if it's 20W, must recheck at home)

Please if anyone can provide me with some ideas or solutions...

Thank you

 

[littlemay]

150 watt heat emitter in a 40cm high terrarium and only hitting 28?? Something aint right there.

How reliable is your thermometer, have you tried using an infrared heat gun?

 

[bckspc]

Sorry... when I said "Digital Thermometer" I meant a heat gun.

Note: The temp just below the lamp is around 37ºC but all the way to the right (in the corners) it's about the temps I said above.

The lamp is 30cm from the right wall.

150 watt heat emitter in a 40cm high terrarium and only hitting 28?? Something aint right there.

How reliable is your thermometer, have you tried using an infrared heat gun?

- - - Updated - - -

Here some schematics of my terrarium. Of the front (gray area is the vent) and of the top (gray area is the vent, red circle lamp, red line the heat cable)

 

[ronhalling]

Something does not sound right at all with the temps you are getting, the Enclosure you are using sounds like a similar type to the Reptile one brand we have here and it sounds to me you are having a lot of dissapation of heat through the glass even though you have lined the walls with coconut fibre, May i suggest for experimentation purposes that instead of spending a heap more money on electronics you try this little fix for glass tanks......source some flatpack foam of around 15-20mm and create a casement for the enclosure encompassing the back, 2 sides and the top and just for the time being tape it in place, then play around with your temps keeping in mind that 26-30C is a bit low for a Coastal, more like 28-34C, I am using a 100w ceramic heat emitter only in my 1200x1000x450mm enclosure for my Coastal and have no problems attaining 26C cool and 33C hot end, the entire frontal area is glass. Try what i suggested and if it works for you you can then pretty up the foam with some thin ply on the outside of the foam then come summer you can remove the entire casement, this is the only thing i can think of if you can't keep the temps up with a CHE and heat cord ........................Ron

 

[bckspc]

That seems like a good ideia assuming that flatpack foam is what I think it is. I've google it and I can't find an image to check if it is what I think it is.

I've noticed something: the vent on the top, covers all the terrarium and I cannot cover it because then the air won't circulate. Most of the heat might be escaping from there.

With that in mind, even if I cover the terrarium top leaving the vent open would that have the same problem?

thank you

Something does not sound right at all with the temps you are getting, the Enclosure you are using sounds like a similar type to the Reptile one brand we have here and it sounds to me you are having a lot of dissapation of heat through the glass even though you have lined the walls with coconut fibre, May i suggest for experimentation purposes that instead of spending a heap more money on electronics you try this little fix for glass tanks......source some flatpack foam of around 15-20mm and create a casement for the enclosure encompassing the back, 2 sides and the top and just for the time being tape it in place, then play around with your temps keeping in mind that 26-30C is a bit low for a Coastal, more like 28-34C, I am using a 100w ceramic heat emitter only in my 1200x1000x450mm enclosure for my Coastal and have no problems attaining 26C cool and 33C hot end, the entire frontal area is glass. Try what i suggested and if it works for you you can then pretty up the foam with some thin ply on the outside of the foam then come summer you can remove the entire casement, this is the only thing i can think of if you can't keep the temps up with a CHE and heat cord ........................Ron

- - - Updated - - -

Is "flatpack foam" the same as styrofoam?

 

[ronhalling]

Flat Pack Foam is just the sheets of Styrofoam they use in flatpack furniture and the like to prevent damage in transit, as far as the vent is concerned try covering at least 3/4 of it and experiment from there until you get the temps right, you can always cut some more of the foam away from the vent if there is not enough air flow, and make sure the vent opening is above the hot end so that it does not drag the hot air over to the cool side. .........................Ron

 

[bckspc]

Right... Thank you very much! The temp in the vent just above the lamp is high so the styrofoam there would burn so I cannot definitly cover that part.

As soon as I have the time (it's xmas and the stores are caotic also) I'll try to setup the enclousure cover

What bothers me most is that I spend money and time covering the inside of the terrarium with coconut fiber to isolate it and now I have to do it all over again from the outside

Flat Pack Foam is just the sheets of Styrofoam they use in flatpack furniture and the like to prevent damage in transit, as far as the vent is concerned try covering at least 3/4 of it and experiment from there until you get the temps right, you can always cut some more of the foam away from the vent if there is not enough air flow, and make sure the vent opening is above the hot end so that it does not drag the hot air over to the cool side. .........................Ron

 

[ronhalling]

Right... Thank you very much! The temp in the vent just above the lamp is high so the styrofoam there would burn so I cannot definitly cover that part.

As soon as I have the time (it's xmas and the stores are caotic also) I'll try to setup the enclousure cover

What bothers me most is that I spend money and time covering the inside of the terrarium with coconut fiber to isolate it and now I have to do it all over again from the outside

If it was easy everyone would be doing it, at least you have the sense to ask questions here, and besides everything you learn from here can only be good for your snake in the long run, If you are getting that much heat at the vent you might also look into making some sort of a reflecter above you CHE. ..............................Ron

 

[bckspc]

Yes... I thought of trying to reflect the heat with a heat resistant isolant but I think the heat would just leave just the same but futher away

The heat (measured with the temp gun) at the vent metal just above the lamp is about 47 ºC.

If it was easy everyone would be doing it, at least you have the sense to ask questions here, and besides everything you learn from here can only be good for your snake in the long run, If you are getting that much heat at the vent you might also look into making some sort of a reflecter above you CHE. ..............................Ron