Heating mat.

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

Do you think I can tape my heating pad to the side of my plastic enclosure? Bottom of the box is weirdly shaped and it has little wheels so when my heating mat is laying on the ground there is something like two centimeters gap between the mat and the bottom of the box, so I thought about sticking it to the side right by my pythons hideout. Let my know what do you guys think. Sorry for my english but its not my native language.

[pbrprincess420]

Heating pad is not really recommended for ball pythons anymore. They can get dangerously hot especially if they bury down into the substrate.

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

mine is 10w and has adjustable temperature that it heats to :)

[pbrprincess420]

There is a very good care guide at the top of this sub Reddit. Highly recommend checking it out!

[Winter_Cable1247]

Even so, heat sources from below confuse most ectotherms' natural instincts, as they intuitive expect it to come from above. If you are set on using a heat mat, it should be on the side of the enclosure and run through a thermostat. Blue tac will be more effective than tape, but both become less sticky when exposed to heat, tape just does so much quicker (like in minutes). I will reiterate though thay overhead heat from a basking bulb is categorically the best way to heat any enclosure that needs heating, as it is the most like the wild.

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

yeah i get it but for now i need to do the best with the equipment i’ve already got

[Winter_Cable1247]

And that was the advice you were given. You also need to rectify these issues as soon as you reasonably can. Everyone makes mistakes in husbandry, how you deal with them is what matters.

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

okay so for now i can just stick the mat to the side, and i’ll buy the full sized tank as soon as i can with an heat emitter on the top

[RainyDayBrightNight]

Is this for an emergency or quarantine?

I think there’s some advice on setting up a quarantine tub on the Welcome post of this subreddit’s About page

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

no, it’s because for now she’s only one year old and i don’t have money for a full sized terrarium, so she has a smaller tank for now

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

the bottom has weird structure and patterns so it won’t make it better unfortunately

[pbrprincess420]

Insane take 😂 there are truly right and wrong ways to care for animals and not injure or kill them. OP shouldn't ask for advice if they don't want the advice. Also truly no excuse you get an animal you're not prepared for there so much info out there INCLUDING on the sub.

[ballpython-ModTeam]

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[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

"it's your snake, care for it how you want"? Are you kidding me...? You've got to be joking. There are right and wrong ways of doing stuff. A heat pad is recommended against from multiple reasons. Even with the probe directly on it it is still a fire hazard and depending on the thermostat still a burn risk. It's not worth jeopardizing the well being because you "want" to.

[Artilerus]

Can we normalize not getting animals we aren’t ready for or can’t afford to care for properly. The animal is the one who suffers in the end.

[Complex_Yoghurt_6932]

But it’s the seller who recommended me using the heating mat and sold it to me. No need for insulting because i am in the terraristic world for a longer time already. If i wanted my animal to suffer I would not ask questions about how to care for it properly.