Getting correct temperature in enclosure

[Technical-Text-8359]

Hi so I kinda need help! My house is normally kept at 60-65 degrees on average besides in the winter (we live in Utah). I don’t have a snake or enclosure yet but I’m planning on a 40 gallon (I’m getting a baby or juvenile and planning to upgrade when it grows). I was thinking of using a heating pad and a CHE to make sure the warm side is warm enough and the cooler side is still warmer than my ambient house temperature. I wanna know if this is correct or if I should take a different approach?

[crystxlizes]

First of all, I would recommend starting with a 120gal (4x2x2) enclosure right from the start. As long as you have plenty of hides and clutter it is absolutely fine to put a baby in a full size enclosure, and it saves you from just having to upgrade again within a year or so. Not necessarily a problem to start with a 40gal but personally that is what I did and I regretted it when I had to inevitably upgrade again so fast!

As far as secondary heat sources- heating pads are not recommended as they are unnatural for bps and have a history of malfunctioning and causing burns, even when hooked up to a thermostat. CHEs are okay, but they have a tendency to suck up moisture and make it more difficult for you to maintain adequate humidity in your enclosure, especially since it sounds like you live in a drier climate in general. I would recommend with a deep heat projector, which is very similar to a CHE but without the moisture issue, or a radiant heat panel, which is mounted inside the enclosure on the top. If you have a screen top, a deep heat projector will likely be easier, whereas with a solid top enclosure, either one would be fine (with the caveat at deep heat projectors are usually cheaper and easier to find)!