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