Chapter 3 of 12 · Manny's Care Guide
Heat
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This is a guide I compiled and use with my own ball pythons. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The one rule
Every heat source runs through a thermostat. No exceptions. Heat tape has no temperature limit of its own and its maker requires a thermostat [1]. Heat mats run cooler on their own, but an unregulated heater can still burn a snake, and the thermostat maker's own manual warns that misuse can cause fire [1][3][4]. We run every heat source through a thermostat regardless. Everything in our room runs on Herpstat proportional thermostats, which dim the heat up and down instead of switching it on and off, sound an alarm when a reading goes out of range, and cut the heat if a probe fails [4]. We run the heat tape in the Herpstat's dimming mode: its manual says dimming is the best-performing mode in most cases and reserves the pulse mode for metal racks, and ours is PVC [4].
The numbers
| Where | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-side surface | 88 to 92 °F; we set 89 | Wilbanks says 88 to 92; ReptiFiles gives 86 to 90 in the warm hide [5][6] |
| Cool side | about 75 to 80 °F | Somewhere to cool off; Wilbanks 76 to 80, ReptiFiles 72 to 80 [5][6] |
| Night | may drift to 70 to 75 °F; we never let it go below 70 | LafeberVet 70 to 75; ReptiFiles says add heat below 70; VCA's cool end is 70 to 75. A cold room needs its own heat in winter [2][6][7] |
| Never | air above 95 °F | Overheating kills faster than cold (Reptile Basics); 95 is ReptiFiles' ceiling and where our high alarm sits [1][6] |
Merck's vet-level figure is a preferred air gradient of 77 to 86 °F with a basking spot about 9 °F warmer and nights about 9 °F cooler, which lines up with the table [3].
Where the heat comes from
Racks. Heat tape runs in the floor channels of the rack. The thermostat probe sits on the tape, under the warm end of the tub, never inside the tub where a snake can lie on it or move it [1]. The tub floor gets confirmed with an infrared gun.
Open enclosures. Overhead heat (a halogen or a radiant panel) is the usual primary heat in an open enclosure, with belly heat as backup; ReptiFiles rates radiant panels as acceptable and says a deep heat projector shouldn't be the daytime basking heat. Heat panels need a proportional (dimming) thermostat, not an on/off one [6]. In an open enclosure the probe placement is different: follow the thermostat maker's guidance for the heat source you're using [4].
Verify, then trust
Every enclosure gets one thermostat probe on the hot side (in a rack, on the heat tape under the warm end of the tub) and a Govee temperature and humidity sensor on the cool side. One probe per enclosure, never two. An infrared temp gun on the floor confirms both sides. Set the enclosure up and dial it in before the snake arrives, and watch it for hours to days under supervision while the heat stabilizes [1][6][7].
Sources for this chapter
- Reptile Basics, Heat tape FAQ and Ultratherm FAQ
- LafeberVet, Basic information sheet: boas and pythons
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Management and husbandry of reptiles
- Spyder Robotics, Herpstat 6 manual (PDF)
- Wilbanks Reptiles, Creating a safe and comfortable environment
- ReptiFiles, Ball python temperatures and humidity
- VCA Animal Hospitals, Snakes: housing