Home for hatchling?

[parrot46]

Hey all new to this forum. Recently snakes have started to intrest me so i am intrigued in getting a baby jungle carpet python. i believe iv done quite a lot of research so far. but i was wondering what would be the best way of heating my tank and i know your meant to have a cool side,hot side my tank is tall but not wide so im not to sure as to how to approach this any help would be greatly appreciated. also what do you guys believe would be the best heating tool and how would i stop the snake from burning himself on it if it was e.g. a glass heater tube. Thanks in advance

 

[critterguy]

If you go a bulb or ceramic heat lamp you will need a cage around it to stop the snake from burning itself and have it about 20cm above the surface of the thing below it (a basking rock or bottom of tank).

I use a 5 watt heat pad stuck under a couple of mm thick piece of glass with thick double sided tape as feet for the glass as my heat source for my woma python and down the other end she has a shelf near the top that she can rest on if the enclosures too hot.
I might move up to a 10 or 15 watt heat pad soon though as she is too big to fit on the current one now that she's grown a fair bit.

My tank is set up behind some loovers and curtains that I open daily until night time to cool the tank and other enclosure and give them daylight except when it's really windy or cool, then only open a crack.

 

[parrot46]

If you go a bulb or ceramic heat lamp you will need a cage around it to stop the snake from burning itself and have it about 20cm above the surface of the thing below it (a basking rock or bottom of tank).

I use a 5 watt heat pad stuck under a couple of mm thick piece of glass with thick double sided tape as feet for the glass as my heat source for my woma python and down the other end she has a shelf near the top that she can rest on if the enclosures too hot.
I might move up to a 10 or 15 watt heat pad soon though as she is too big to fit on the current one now that she's grown a fair bit.

My tank is set up behind some loovers and curtains that I open daily until night time to cool the tank and other enclosure and give them daylight except when it's really windy or cool, then only open a crack.

wouldent that make both the bottom and top warm? and my tank is quite small idk how small heat pads can get and i thought ceramic heat goes at top.

 

[critterguy]

Sorry, I meant go one or other, not a heatpad and lamp, sorry for the confusion.

 

[parrot46]

Sorry, I meant go one or other, not a heatpad and lamp, sorry for the confusion.

ok thanks alot. but if i got a heatpad how small can i buy them because i obviously dont want the entire floor hot just his hidey space

 

[critterguy]

The 5w one I have is about 14cmx14cm, so large enough until they reach about 3-4ft long depending on how thick they, remember to have some glass on it or it under the tanks bottom.

 

[parrot46]

alright thanks

 

[solar 17]

"IMO" 5 watts is no where near enough, the ambience of 5 watts would be a good way to get R.I in the cooler months, l believe more 15 - 20 watts otherwise "another" person on this site with an R.I problem as it is l have trouble believing "the lack of" animal husbandry that already exists, especially with the electrical gear that is available these days. solar 17 ~B~

 

[critterguy]

Thanks for the advice, hadn't had any issues with mine in the 2 or so years I've had her other than a mouth infection but have been meaning to move up to 15 watt heat pad for a while due to her size.
I'd go with what he said for the heat pad strength, the rest is right, have found the rest of the info from searching around and others posts, plenty of people on here have kept snakes longer than me.

 

[parrot46]

for a baby? 15 watts?. also any 15 watt heatpad is probably to big for my tank

 

[critterguy]

The wattage is mainly to do with the size, a 10 or 15 watt is about 22cmx22cm, a 5 watt only about 14x14cm, larger pad, more wattage needed to heat it, I think they both heat to the same temp.

 

[parrot46]

arent i only meant to be heating like a certain part of the floor like the sorta cave. not the whole floor? or is having the floor hot and top cool fine?

 

[critterguy]

Yeah, hence why I suggested the 5 watt until the bud is too large for it, wait for some more responses, we'll see what others reckon, the 5 watt or 15watt for a bub, will get more answers if you start a new thread about it asking which would be better.

 

[parrot46]

alright thanks. ill make a new thread about it

 

[solar 17]

Well "maybe" just "maybe" you might need to get a bigger enclosure/tub whatever you want to call them, put a 15 watt heat source under it a thermostat so in winter it can maitain 31-33c on (approx 33%) of the base of your enclosure this isn't rocket science' oh and by the way your mouth infection is called Stomatitis may l suggest you look up "possible" causes of that. solar 17 ~B~

 

[critterguy]

Looked to be from the rats claws scratching her mouth on it's way down actually, cleared it all up early last year after we noticed it, saw a reptile vet, got the antibiotics in needles and some ointments and treated it over about 1-2 months.

I know that it had a certain name but couldn't remember it and most people keep their baby snakes in small enclosures to begin with from what I've seen in threads and collections, then move up to a larger one, no need to be snide about it and be a smart aleck and make yourself look like a tosser.

 

[Classabear]

Hey all new to this forum. Recently snakes have started to intrest me so i am intrigued in getting a baby jungle carpet python. i believe iv done quite a lot of research so far. but i was wondering what would be the best way of heating my tank and i know your meant to have a cool side,hot side my tank is tall but not wide so im not to sure as to how to approach this any help would be greatly appreciated. also what do you guys believe would be the best heating tool and how would i stop the snake from burning himself on it if it was e.g. a glass heater tube. Thanks in advance

Well first off, if you're getting a hatchie, you will need a Click Clack, not a proper enclosure. Look in the Click Clack thread in the DIY section for how to do this. You will need to start with a 7L sistema tub at first and over time upgrade them into bigger containers until they are big enough for a proper enclosure. If you stick them straight in, they will get stressed and wont feel secure.

Next, you need to have a head mat underneath, covering only half the enclosure, even a quarter is fine. If you find the heat isnt transferring through, stick a small tile in the click clack on top of where the heat mat is heating.
Any wattage is fine as well as they all have the same temps. Once you eventually upgrade to an enclosure, you'll want a heat globe with a protective cage around it, which can be found at the pet store. get them to assist you with fitting/finding the right size. If you don't have the protection cage, your snake can get thermal burns and become permanently damaged, blind and in some cases even die.

 

[solar 17]

Rat claws causing Mouth Rot/Stomatitis, well l guess you learn something new everyday in future l will trim all their claws off so l never get this condition thanks for the tip. solar 17 ~B~

 

[The_Geeza]

The wattage is mainly to do with the size, a 10 or 15 watt is about 22cmx22cm, a 5 watt only about 14x14cm, larger pad, more wattage needed to heat it, I think they both heat to the same temp.

NOTE*.... Not all mats /wattages/sizes get to same temps... There r various brands and they all read different temps.... People that have spent hrs testing small mats happily use without thermostat as they know it won't get above the temp required but in most cases a thermostat should be fitted!!

 

[bdav70]

I agree with solar 17. Currently I have a 7l sistema tub with 15w heat cord regulated with thermostat, and am getting 33c on the hot end. There's a lot of information available on this forum, caresheets and books about putting it on 1/3 of the base of the click-clack to achieve a thermal gradient, so it won't take long to achieve a good setup.

In my travels, I don't think 5w heat pads would do the job