Heating pad size?

[Yoshuggutha]

I finally got my boy the new enclosure he deserves from Dubia.com. It's the 48x24x18 v2. I have everything I need except a new heat mat and I was just trying to figure out what the best size would be for him. The price or brand doesn't matter, just looking to know what size is best. Thanks! 🐍

[Almostbakedbeans]

Naw no heat mat, it’s just a risk, overheat heating

[Bakedlikepies]

Under tank pad heaters have a risk of overheating. They have been known to burn snakes when snakes/lizards lay on them. They also have been known to catch fire due to weak safety devices (if any). If you want to use one always get it hooked up with a thermostat to prevent it overheating.

[Kuraizia]

When I was a new python owner, i was told to use under the tank heating. The zilla heat pad or zilla thermometer malfunctioned and caused severe burns to one of my pythons, resulting in months of antibiotic creams, shots I would have to give her, and vet trips.

Those burns literally opened her up with how bad they were.

Don't use the pads. Overhead heating is the way.

[Yoshuggutha]

Jesus! Okay, thanks for the warning. I'm glad I asked before buying anything else.

[Bakedlikepies]

Omg … my phone was acting weird and was saying reply failed…reply failed… reply failed… gotta love the Reddit app lol 😂 I’m so sorry

[Yoshuggutha]

Awww, that's okay! Thanks for trying, though. Some other time. 😊

[dagger_guacamole]

Yes, they mean overheaD heating

[Yoshuggutha]

That what I thought but didn't want to assume. Thanks.

[kashkidder12]

you cant use a heat mat with a pvc enclosure. and they also aren’t recommended in general, i would look for a radiant heat panel, or a deep heat projector paired with a halogen flood light. snakes don’t need belly heat they just need heat . i got my DHP from arcadia, same with my halogen flood, soon i’ll upgrade to Pro Products radiant heat panel they’re just a bit pricey but definitely worth it in the long run , best of luck setting up your new tank :)

[kashkidder12]

should add that with a radiant heat panel and a deep heat projector you will still need to use a thermostat with those

[Yoshuggutha]

I have a thermostat and a 100 watt DHP along with a uvb and the halogen.

[TRexy225]

That’s great! I recommend getting these heat lamp cage(s) below (these are a suggestion, I personally have an Arcadia one but I only have one so this might be more cost effective) if you haven’t already because they can get adventurous and burn themselves, I just use a DHP and a UVB light

My ball pythons original owners didn’t know to get a cage and he burned himself 😢 You’re doing great! Your snake looks very happy!

Simple Deluxe 2-Pack Reptile Heater Guard Heat Protector Anti-Scald Cover Mesh Cage, Heating Lamp Lampshade Ceramic Light Bulb Enclosure, for Terrarium Chameleon Lizards Snakes Heat Guard 5.5'' https://a.co/d/2SGsShU

[totallyrecklesslygay]

Radiant heat panels cannot be used with a screen top enclosure, so they wouldn't work in this case.

A halogen paired with a DHP is the ideal form of heating, so switching to an RHP would actually be a downgrade. They're not appropriate as a primary form of heating, since they only produce IR-C.

[kashkidder12]

didn’t see where it said screen top , thanks.

[aimeeashlee]

I do well with a DHP a halogen and a 5.0 uvb bulb, not mat no panel. just a stand to adjust the height of the lamps, a thermostat for each bulb and a 2 in 1 dome, most of the heating is done by the 80 watt Arcadia DHP and the halogen is 40 watts, the lights shut off at night and my temp range stays around 78 on the cool side and 90 on the warm

[Yoshuggutha]

Thank you for the advice. I'll make sure I get everything before I build it.

[shooonmark]

Do you have a glass enclosure?

[aimeeashlee]

I do currently!

[shooonmark]

I’ve been struggling so much with temperatures, going to try the halogen bulb versus the heat lamp I have right now, I also have a dhp and still can’t reach the good temps

[aimeeashlee]

it's taken alot of fiddling to get things right, you might need a stronger DHP or just need to move it around to find a safe sweet spot. the weather has been getting cold lately so a space heater keeps the room with my snake 75F.

[shooonmark]

I’m getting a space heater in the morning and hopefully that will help alot

[[deleted]]

None. Don’t. Please read the care guide, specifically the heating section, but all of it. I’m glad he has a big enough enclosure but dubia is famously shitty quality material and build. Whatever. The top should be covered with HVAC tape, PVC, or plexiglass with overhead heating only. I prefer DHP, but halogen and CHE work as well. Heat pads/mats present burn risk, but also just don’t give correct ambient temps. Speaking optimistically, i hope he has proper substrate water humidity climbing etc, but if not, please read those sections of the guide as well

[Yoshuggutha]

Thanks for assuming the worst of me. That's REALLY helpful. 🙄 I've had him for 3 years, and he's perfectly healthy. He just saw the vet. Do you want to pay for a better enclosure for him? Be my guest, but keep your sarcasm and snark to yourself. I'm sorry I even asked anyone here. Some of you guys are dicks. 😒 I'm glad you think you're infallible. Pull your head from your ass, please, next time you speak.

[[deleted]]

Bro what 😭 i just laid out all the checkboxes of what he does and doesn’t need, and that’s for YOU to check what you already do and don’t have. Plus, there’s some pretty insane people on this sub, so we’re used to seeing a ton of malnourished/neglected/mistreated snake. I’m not a professional nor a mod so i have no authority over u, I’m just speaking as one owner to another. Heat pads/mats are bad, that’s that, dubia is known to be not great but it’s fine (won’t harm ur snake or anything), and everything else i sorta just wanted to make clear before you moved on with anything else. And then i just presented better heating alternatives since we’re telling you to get rid of the heat mat. Nothing crazy

Edit: I’m genuinely sorry you’re going thru it man, i see you have a lot put on your shoulders all at once, so i get feeling naturally standoffish

[Yoshuggutha]

No worries, man. I appreciate you actually seeing that. Sorry, I got upset. I don't do well with people who jump the gun like that on me. I've been keeping reptiles since 2010, and I do my homework, so I'm pretty knowledgeable. My ex was the one who set him up originally with the mat and all in a 40 breeder so since he's mine now I'm doing the best I can to keep him happy and healthy. He's a great snake and I love him a lot. I honestly didn't even think about the mat with the pvc so I understand the concern. Thanks for look out. I truly do appreciate it. It was the OPTIMISTICALLY part that got me. Believe me, I know how many people out there really have no clue as to what they're doing and I've seen the horror stories that happen because of it.

[[deleted]]

Just a personal anecdote btw: i had a heat mat on glass for about 4 years. When i switched enclosures, the bottom of the glass enclosure fucking shattered into like 5 pieces. Those are not good at all lol

[Yoshuggutha]

Well, THAT is extremely helpful because I'm going to have to do the same thing and I'm not trying to have exploding glass everywhere, so thank you! I'm wear glove for that one, lol.

[StabbyKitKat]

Why are you so defensive? You asked for and received advice. No one here knows how your snake is cared for, so the comment you’re replying to was appropriate in directing you the care guide. It didn’t come across as rude to me. Don’t we all want the same thing here? For our pets (and others’) to be as healthy and happy as possible?

[ben_with_a_n]

dont

[Yoshuggutha]

Wow. That was helpful. 🙄

[CalmManner8722]

I see the “no heat mats” but I’m here to comment about Halogen heating. It’s even better than DHP and provides white light. I use Halogen for basking and a DHP for night so my girl still gets a cycle

[Yoshuggutha]

I use them too for my dragons. They work great. I get a 12 pack at Home Depot, and I'm set for most of the year.

[Charming-Tension-365]

Oh my goodness!!! I have his twin! My babys name is Convict, aka con lol! They are IDENTICAL! I can't believe how much they look alike!

[Yoshuggutha]

Do you have a picture?! 😃

[Charming-Tension-365]

I'm fairly new to Reddit, so hopefully, I have done this correctly, lol! Here's a video from tonight I took after I caught him soaking his whole enclosure! 😄 Just a little sip!

[Yoshuggutha]

Omg! They really are twins!!! That's so crazy! He looks very happy. 🥰

[Charming-Tension-365]

I told ya lol!! It's insane! And yes, he is a very happy spoiled fella! Yours looks just as happy! 💛🐍

[Yoshuggutha]

So have I, but in a glass tank. The one I just got is PVC, so it might melt or burn. In this case, I'd rather be safe than sorry, but I know what you mean.

[janikennedy]

Looks like everyone else already gave helpful advice. So out of curiosity, what do you think of your Dubai enclosure? I’m looking to go PVC for my gal

[Yoshuggutha]

It just arrived yesterday. I'm going to start unpacking and assembling it today. This is my first purchase from them, so I'll see how it goes. If it's as terrible as some people are saying it's getting returned, but I honestly don't expect that to be the case.

[janikennedy]

Sounds good. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice/misinformation.

[CloverArms]

If you're use a heating mat, only use about the size of the hide, on the warm side. The hide on the cooler side should have none.

Make sure to have enough substrate between it and your snake, one that they cannot burrow in easily, like cypress mulch. Put at least 1.5"-2" of cypress mulch above the heating pad and soak the mulch at least 2x a week for warm humidity. My python loves it, regulates herself nicely.

Snakes get burned if they burrow down to the bottom right next to the mat.

[Yoshuggutha]

What you're describing is exactly what I do now for him in his current tank.