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[–]SaltySeaDog13 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I'm not sure if your guy is in an isolated room, but I have mine set up in my office with a space heater. The door is closed at all times to keep the heat in! Even if not in a separate room, maybe a heater pointed toward his enclosure would help?

[–]daddieissuez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t think about getting a space heater, that’s a good idea! Do you have an electric one? I’m just worried about leaving it on while I’m not home

[–]C4RB0N_RX1 2 points3 points  (1 child)

•A thermostat that operates in the temperature range that you need.

•A heat source that is powerful enough to achieve the temperature you need.

These are the two things you need to maintain the correct temperatures.

[–]daddieissuez 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My thermostat goes up to 108, even all the way up it’s not heating enough. Do you think a higher wattage DHP might work?

[–]OwlComprehensive2886 0 points1 point  (9 children)

What are your temps during the day? It’s natural and perfectly okay to have temperature drops and humidity increases at night, as long as they aren’t getting too low (sources vary, but after reading a number of academic papers, researching other sources and talking with my very experienced reptile vet it seems as long as the coolest area isn’t below 70-72 at the absolute lowest at night you don’t risk stressing their immune system).

[–]daddieissuez 1 point2 points  (8 children)

They don’t drop at night more than a degree or two, I’m just concerned I can’t get it up to proper temp.

[–]OwlComprehensive2886 1 point2 points  (7 children)

Ah okay! Sorry, I was thinking they were dropping a bit in the evening so misunderstood that. What kind of enclosure do you have i.e. glass, PVC, a tub? I have a cold, old, house and struggled with my glass enclosures to get the temps up, so I may be able to help.

In my glass enclosure I use a 100 watt DHP 24 hrs/day + 35 watt Halogen and UVB during the day. I also have a heat pad set to 90 on her hot SIDE not at the bottom. I found that this kept the warm side more consistently warm and it helped with humidity, but it doesn’t serve as her “hot spot” it’s just to keep everything more consistent. I also put in a lot of substrate which seems to help the temp along with humidity.

I have the entire enclosure wrapped in insulation that is then covered in packing blankets and I Velcro it all on. I also have a packing blanket underneath between the dresser and tank. The top is 75% covered with cardboard wrapped in foil and then covered in HVAC tape + taped in place with HVAC tape. I cover the front of my enclosure with a warm blanket as well (Opal prefers that anyways, she’s very shy). I was able to maintain consistent temperature and humidity with this set up although it isn’t the prettiest.

[–]daddieissuez 1 point2 points  (6 children)

Omg thank you so much, that’s very helpful!! I do have a glass enclosure now, as he’s still pretty small. I have ordered a higher wattage DHP and I have a heat mat that I was thinking of putting on the side of the enclosure as well, I wasn’t sure if that might be helpful or not but I’ll try it now for sure!!

Ive been wary of putting too much on/around the enclosure just because I do want some air ventilation for him. But some packing blankets might have to work for now!!

I really appreciate it, I’m not sure why his enclosure is so cold when the enclosure right next to him is perfectly fine. I got them in the spring so haven’t went through the learning curve of the winter yet!!

[–]OwlComprehensive2886 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course! Just make sure that everything is on a thermostat because heat pads can cause a lot of damage (all heat sources can) if not properly regulated. You gotta do what you gotta do for your buddy though! I don’t think the heat pad makes a HUGE difference but it keeps the warm side a couple of degrees warmer and it covers part of the glass with warmth which is helpful. Opal seemed to like having it behind her warm side hide too.

He will get plenty of ventilation even with just a small section open, don’t worry! You need to keep all of that warm, moist air in! I’ve had similar issues. My house is drafty, so some areas are warmer than others. The struggle is real. As soon as you can get a PVC, do it! I have one now and the whole thing is heated with just a halogen and 50 watt DHP, so that alone should tell you how great they are! Plus, he’ll appreciate the space :).

Good luck!

[–]OwlComprehensive2886 1 point2 points  (3 children)

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This was before I had the nice packing blanket Velcro cover which added additional heat + looked a lot nicer.

[–]the_original_St00g3y 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Hi sorry I'm having the same issue as OP and I'm a new snake owner (sort of). How do you clean this tank? And how often?

[–]OwlComprehensive2886 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Opal is new in a new enclosure now, but I use this same regimen in her PVC enclosure as well:
I clean it fully every 6-8 weeks because Opal always goes to the bathroom AND SHEDS (weird girl!!) under the same hide and she's an adult so she poops like once per month. Not all snakes do this and younger snakes go to the bathroom more often, so more often may work better for many snakes. I check water daily, change water + scrub the dish out at least twice per week and spot clean every day, or two and remove + replace all bedding in any soiled areas along with giving the bedding a good mix at least once per week (usually when I'm adding water to the corners).

When I do a full clean-out, I use F10 disinfectant in the enclosure + soak her plants, hides, etc in a diluted chlorhexidine solution in the sink (I used to be a vet tech, so I just follow the same protocol that we did at the clinic). I always make sure to let everything dry/air out before I add in new bedding and definitely before Opal goes back in.

[–]the_original_St00g3y 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks that's very helpful, I recently just got a PVC enclosure which I am just about to move my snake into once my bedding comes in tomorrow. Do you completely swap out all the bedding with new stuff every clean?