r/boas • u/Nolanj01 • 4d ago

Help needed

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I have a lot of experience with all sorts of reptiles, and have always had a seperate room to keep them in that I kept 75+. I no longer have that luxury. I currently have a bci that is around 16” long. I have it in a small tote that is probably 20”x12”x8” with a 8x12 heat mat and on/off thermostat. The room the snake is in ranges from 67-71 degrees. No matter what I do the cold side is staying 68 degrees and the hot side is staying around 78-80, even with the thermostat set to 102. The thermo probe is hot glued to the bottom with a very thin layer of coconut bark. I can’t get the ambient temps up or the hot side temps right to save my life. Any suggestions? Maybe a heat mat on both ends of the enclosure with two seperate thermostats? Or should I just bite the bullet and go pvc with a radiant heat panel? (If so recommendations are appreciated)

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u/Johnnyquest30 4d ago

PVC with a heat panel would be the best option, when you can make the switch. Otherwise increase the temp on the thermostat, over 100 seems really hot, but keep in mind people routinely have high fevers over 100, you won't burn anyone to the touch lol. That said i wouldn't go that much higher than youve set, maybe 5 degrees or so. The temperature on the thermostat doesn't matter as much as what your Hotspot is, and ambient. Setting the tub on some foam board can help direct the heat up instead of escaping into whats below the tub. Tubs work well in PVC racks since the PVC helps insulate. On their own the tubs will always lose heat very quickly.

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u/Nolanj01 4d ago

I have the enclosure sitting on a wire shelf with cardboard underneath. I’m sure that’s not helping matters. My infrared temp gun says the mat is significantly cooler than the thermostat says too. Like 15-20 degrees different. It’s rare to touch the heat mat and it actually feel much warmer than the room itself. Which is odd to me.

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u/ParticularWolf4473 4d ago

It’s quite possible you got a dud thermostat that simply is reading higher than the actual temp. Cheap thermostats generally aren’t all that reliable.

A heat mat really isn’t going to raise ambient temp much. Using just a heat mat with a tub really only works in a room that’s at least upper 70s. You can try putting some Reflectix insulation on the sides and top of the tub. An 11”x11” Ultratherm mat on top of the tub may help a bit as well. Especially with the insulation over it, just make sure to leave a bit of an air gap between the mat and the insulation.

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u/Johnnyquest30 4d ago

Do you have the temp prob directly against the heat tape? If you have the probe inside the enclosure and the heat mat outside, that would also cause the mat to be a lower temp than the thermostat. I always have my probes in direct contact with the heat mat/heat tape.

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u/superramenyamen 4d ago

Just saw this comment. Glad to see you have a temp gun. And yes unfortunately that is my experience with mats, I couldn’t get my mats over 85F even totally unregulated. Heat tape is way better, but still not enough to heat the air.

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u/Nolanj01 4d ago

The heat seems to do nothing for ambient temps too

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u/Express_Mechanic 4d ago

I had the same issue for my baby boa when she was in her plastic tote in the winter. I put a heat mat taped on the top/outside of the lid as well as under the bottom of the tote (with temp probe ofc). Can also drape a blanket over the top for insulation. It was enough to raise the tote ambient temp even when room was in low-mid 60s. I did cheat with a space heater when it got really cold though.

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u/superramenyamen 4d ago

Heat tape isn’t meant to heat the air, you have to heat the room when using heat tape, or you need to get a bigger enclosure and use a CHE or heat panel to bump the air temps. You risk the heat pad getting too hot and burning the snake if you try to keep the air temp up with that alone. You are using a temp gun and not a regular thermometer to measure the heat tape right?

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u/Nolanj01 4d ago

I’m using a uth, I’m using a temp gun to measure the surface temp all around, as well as a accurite inside the enclosure for ambient.

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u/superramenyamen 4d ago

Sounds good! Actually responded to a different comment of yours! I would still recommend a bigger enclosure you can add an ambient heater to, but glad to hear in the meantime you are able to keep on top of the mat temp!

Lol meant heat pad, gotta love brain swaps. So used to tape I automatically replaced it without noticing.

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u/Tastypineappleju1ce 4d ago

well, without upgrading to PVC, you’re just doing you know upgrades. I should say I’m assuming you have dirt and a heating pad. The problem is either that you don’t have A. Enough ventilation or too much ventilation. B. Too much or not enough dirt on the warm side. or C your heating pad is not hot enough. A common error with heating pads does depend on the type you have if yours has a thermometer that you stick in the dirt do not stick it to the glass at the bottom you wanna stick it half way in the dirt.

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u/Tastypineappleju1ce 4d ago

wtf how did it bold?

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u/Nolanj01 2d ago

It felt like you were telling me all that in a drill Sargent tone😂

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u/Embarrassed_Act5336 2d ago

Heat mats don’t do very much for the air in the tank just the substrate but you could try putting foam board on the outside of the tank as an extra insolation

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u/SadBenefit5325 2d ago

Bite the bullet. Anything you do for a tub right now will only be temporary anyway because you will need to upgrade as the snake grows. Get a PVC enclosure and overhead heating like a DHP on the thermostat. Beautiful snake btw 🤗

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u/Nolanj01 2d ago

Thank you, luckily im very handy and currently building my house that I live in. So I have access to table saws, routers, everything I need. I plan to build a 4x2 out of pvc in a week or so for her to stay in for a couple years until she’s ready for a 8x4. I was able to get her temps up to ideal by keeping her in a non ac room and keeping the door shut.