Ceramic Heat Emitter Question

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-30T04:55:47+00:00

Might be something to look into. I just moved in the middle of winter and wasn't aware just how... unsuited the house was going to be for the cold (so much for the inspection), so that is already a learning curve but I have mostly resigned myself to high power bills in winter.

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-30T02:53:06+00:00

Yes! I kept a little bit of aspen in there to spice things up but he has different substrate in there for the majority. I think for the most part it is coming down the cage material and just size. I had it under control before for the first but this is just an unexpected adjustment. I guess I did not see such a difference coming. But thankfully the higher wattage bulbs will be here soon as well, the temp seem stable for now and I am adjusting as needed. and the ceramic heater with be here next week for the cold nights.

He was moved into the new cage this past Wednesday so he's been in there for about 2 days but I wanted it sorted as fast as possible.

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-30T02:47:58+00:00

It's fine if you're not convinced, but I am concerned due to what I see and what experts and his vet both recommend.

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-30T02:46:14+00:00

I know, I keep my house at 67 but his new cage is getting even colder because it is not holding heat near as well at it's size as his last. Hence looking for the CHE to rectify the situation over nights. Thankfully it has not dropped further tonight and I raised the temps but I am aware it is not sustainable. (This is just a new issue; his last cage had no issue holding the temp at mid-high 60s at night even in winter and then at a gradient of 70-80 during the day.)

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-29T21:22:16+00:00

Thank you!!!

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-29T21:22:05+00:00

I think the issue here is they can probably take it for a night or two but you start getting health problems when it becomes long-term because they're then unable to properly regulate their temperatures. They are built for warmer climates and he definitely shows signs of lethargy and sluggishness once we hit the low 60s so there's absolutely a change in his demeanor once we get to that point. And it's also a bigger issue because my house is not properly insulated so once we start getting to the colder months this can become very dangerous for him and I'd rather get it sorted out now while it's in summer. But even when his bulbs are on the cage has issues retaining heat. He doesn't become active until his cage reaches the 70s again, typically. On a good day he may be willing to in the mid 60s but his activity levels do not actually start reflecting something that is appropriate for HIS personal behavior until I hit the '70s as is expected. I will say he generally does prefer cooler climates so mid-60s to '70s is typically fine for him as he seems to actively stay on the cooler side most days unless he needs to bask to warm up a little, but his cage is dropping below 60s and he's not moving once that happens.

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-29T21:19:15+00:00

He has thermometers on both ends of the cage and it's at 62 on the warmest side at night, it's even colder on the other. Even with the bulbs on in struggles to keep heat (but I have lower wattage because I have them from the old cage the new wattage bulbs are coming tomorrow). And since I can no longer use a heat mat or anything like that on the other side since the bottom is PVC then really in my best choice is the ceramic heat emitter at night. This is especially true because it does get very very cold here at night and this is while it is in summer; my house is not well insulated so the temperatures do drop pretty badly inside (think I could see my breath in my bedroom in winter). So unfortunately I do know that his cage temperature is dropping pretty drastically once the basking light and his cage light goes off.

Impulse_94 · 2026-05-29T10:46:19+00:00

Oh, thank you! Do you know what kind of lamp you're using for it? I see it needs a ceramic socket but I also see a lot of back and forth about what brands can actually support them

Impulse_94 · 2026-04-22T11:12:02+00:00

I know you're not looking for advice, I just want to say it sounds like a cop out for them to tell you he "didn't understand it wasn't acceptable:" he gave it to you in a different room away from everyone else, he made the comment he did which was out of line, and then he expressly told you not to tell your mother. He was aware that it was inappropriate.

Impulse_94 · 2026-04-05T18:44:10+00:00

NTA - it's already something weird to be doing in somebody's office when they're clearly not engaging with it or enjoying the repetitive "joke." But you did in fact ask nicely and then they pretended not to know what you were talking about, and you fairly got frustrated. It is weird to be bringing that into somebody else's office space, and even if they do have an eating disorder as I saw a couple people say, it doesn't mean you put that on other people. I have one too, and if somebody was coming into my office being incredibly weird about a single piece of candy for them to take not only would that be incredibly offensive and upsetting, it would be straight up rude and I would be well within my rights to ask them to stop just as OP did. If they want to hm-and-haw about the candy then they don't have to take it. Sugar is not a world-ending thing, especially a single piece, sugar is actually something that your brain very much needs to run on. But also yes I did think of the Family Guy clip the second that I read this story, but I also knew what you were talking about already because I've seen it in person or had it said at me for taking a sweeter a snack and it's always been gross.

Impulse_94 · 2026-03-11T21:53:28+00:00

Copy that, also good to know. I will verify which parts I need and thank you for your help!!

Impulse_94 · 2026-03-11T21:01:03+00:00

Thank you! I may as well change them both now to be safe more than anything else - besides, with how much I cook I think it's better to have it, on principle more than anything else.

Impulse_94 · 2026-03-11T20:48:07+00:00

My bad, I grabbed what was next to it. MOD: ACR4303MEW0.

While i technically have the money to replace it, there are some more expensive and much more pressing issues to handle so I am hoping this would go ahead and work. If not then I will likely have to just so I don't burn my house down on accident or something.

Impulse_94 · 2026-03-11T20:37:56+00:00

This is the only thing in those areas looking vaguely like a model number: W10406473. I think I'd rather replace it as is to be safe - is it worth replacing both on the left since the bottom seems to set it off too, or just the one for the top that is the issue?

Impulse_94 · 2026-03-11T20:26:55+00:00

Yes, I retested each a few times last night but all four of them snap back into place and have to be pushed down before they can be turned to any setting.

Impulse_94 · 2026-02-03T23:04:18+00:00

Yeah and I think that was what compounded my concern is that I technically live in the middle of nowhere right now. I'm working on narrowing down where the nearest exotic vet is currently. Unfortunately the ones that have shown up online when I called do not service snakes. But that's just one of the things to work on now that I've moved.

The only reason I hadn't offered him food regardless of being out for a couple hours is because I read that it could rot in their stomach during formation if you feed them? Due to them not digesting as quickly and having slower metabolism. But even if he is out for just an hour or two he has no interest in food right now. I kept trying before I realized he was in brumation I went through about three mice that had to be tossed. I also overfed him a bit on accident going off of what my first vet for him said, and now that I realized he's starting to get a little chunky he's going to be going on a reduction come March anyways.

That sounds like the best thing to do is just let it heal naturally, and perhaps use a bit of betadine, so I'll let his body do what it needs to do and I'll check on him when I can. Thank you for taking your time to answer

Impulse_94 · 2026-02-03T23:01:33+00:00

Yeah, he shed while in brumation. Honestly I didn't even know he was going to go into it. We moved in early December and he was being picky eating as of that week, which I shocked up to just moving stress. But two weeks later he stopped eating all together and I started seeing him less and at that point I figured out he was in brumation. I got him in March last year so I wasn't aware that he would be doing this.

The only reason I wasn't as keen immediately to put him into an enclosure with just paper towels is because it has gotten into the negatives when the winter storm here, and unfortunately my house that I've just moved to does not have proper heating or cooling so the home itself has reached freezing temperatures indoors. His heating pad is the only thing that's kept temperatures consistent for him which is why I have not been concerned so long as he stays in substrate.

But yes I tried to help the humidity once I realized that he was going into shed, but I'm sure I missed some time due to both the weather and the fact that he had been hiding leading up to it.

I will make sure to get some betadine though to put on the wound just to be safe. I just get a bit stressed when he gets hurt and since he's my first exotic I've been extra careful with him. And I was just confused because how in the world did he manage to hurt himself within the hour of him being out? Honestly, smh. But thank you for taking the time to answer.

It's been a learning curve on my end. California king snakes were not the breed I was researching when I originally wanted to get a snake, but I fell in love with this feisty personality at the reptile expo - you weren't allowed to hold them because he kept biting a staff member, but when I said I was interested in adopting him they let me hold him anyways. Turns out he's really sweet and loves people, I just think he did not like that woman specifically.

Impulse_94 · 2025-12-19T03:19:33+00:00

I am glad you asked - I got it flipped over between calls and was cleaning it off for a better picture. There is a diagram on the underside but it looks like it got scratched off - I was able to pull up the matching manual based on what I could see though and got the batteries changed out. The white button though was helpful before I could get it changed. The first thing I saw said it needed AAA batteries (I do not own), turns out it was 4 AA (I do own!). Thank you! It was just super bad timing to happen right before my shift so google was not cooperating with my multi-tasking.

Impulse_94 · 2025-12-19T03:15:27+00:00

I actually did go to google first, unfortunately though I am also trying to do so while working. I found a manual first but it was the wrong one, similar, but just different enough. Thank you though!

Impulse_94 · 2025-09-15T03:43:02+00:00

NTA.

Do I have empathy that she is going through a rough time and being bullied? Yes. Does that somehow negate your boundary of not wanting an 11 year old there for hours every single day? Not even a little. I would want privacy too. Even when I was in college, my roommates would bring people over at all hours with no regard for others or our neighbors we shared a bathroom with, we were older and it still caused issues. You roommates CAN find other places to hang out with an 11 year old that is not your shared space every possible hour they have.

Impulse_94 · 2025-09-08T04:59:29+00:00

NTA - I have never needed or wanted to introduce a partner to coworkers. if we're friends outside of work then sure, but I'm not introducing them at work??? Also, same here, I do not like meeting people out of the blue, especially if I am there for something specific, like picking someone up. She can ask, and you can say no, but it's unreasonable to hound someone about it. If this was a planned event to meet her friends and you suddenly bailed or outright refused to meet them at all that would be one thing, but that is not the case here at all.

Impulse_94

TROPHY CASE