Heat source

[Gintha]

How good are these ? Want to keep her warm but not add light.

 

[hediki]

i dont know how good they are for snakes but i know alot of people use it for bearded dragons and iggys. it does immit a small amount of light (i think if i remember properly). if you want some thing to warm the snake at nite that wont disterb use the nocternal bulbs.

 

[Gintha]

I can get the bulbs here.. but not the darn power supply for them =(

 

[hediki]

when get night glow (the blue one) which you just screw out the day bulb and screw in the night bulb. or use a uth. :cheers:

 

[newman]

I've read that people use them for boas along with lamps from what i read they are good heat emmitters but the way the book made it sound you should still provide a light source

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

Ceramic heat emitters do not throw off any light. They are more commonly used with Bearded Dragons to create the 105-110 degree basking spot they require. You will still need some way to provide your snake with belly heat. I would recommend simply using a UTH, and providing another heat emitting source if the temperatures do not reach where they need to be.

 

[Alias47]

Snakes do not require any type of lighting. They are carnivorous and get all their nutrition directly from their prey...not requiring UVA or UVB to sythesize certain vitamins and minerals like the omnivores and herbivores.
I personally provide fluorescent lighting on a timer for a number of my snakes...they live in the basement and this provides an artificial photoperiod, a fake "daytime". Cornsnakes are crepuscular, which means active at dawn and at dusk...so artificial photoperiod can be important in a completely dark basement. Otherwise I heat any tanks with a UTH (Under Tank Heater). This provides belly heat...which is good, but not absolutely necessary. The UTH also does not lower the humidity as much as lights or emitters...
Lights and emitters lower the humidity substantially IMO, and may cause need of artificially supplementing (misting, etc.) the humidity in your enclosure.

 

[Gintha]

I have a UTH but the tank isn't staying warm enough at night. =/

 

[Alias47]

Temperatures do not have to remain absolutely constant...a night drop is something that the snakes will experience in nature (a night drop even helps some snake eggs incubate properly...mostly arboreals from what I have heard).
As long as your temps don't fall below mid to lower 70's...you should be fine...especially with a UTH...

How do you check your temps? Is it at the surface of the substrate, or ambient (air) temps?

Surface is the place to check...and a proper sized UTH should be able to keep up...you can adjust the depth of substrate to raise/lower the surface temp...and keeping a hide on the hot side over the UTH will give the snake somewhere warm to hide out.

A blue bulb can't hurt...don't know why you couldn't get a fixture to screw it into from the same place you get the bulb...

Are you stateside or across the pond?

 

[luvofthechase]

I have one of these. Great little thing, throws no light but enough heat. i have a 120 Watt, and that keeps my tank warm enough.

 

[kwan_918]

I've used one for a long time and don't have any problems with it. Keeps about a 5 degree variant in a 10gal viv. Agree a UTH is prefered but the Ceramic heats the natural rock hide i keep on the warm end. I figure there's no UTH in the wild so a warm rock should do the trick. Once i move to a bigger viv i'll employ a UTH. Would work out well for supplimental heat

 

[Gintha]

My UTH is about 1/2 the size of my viv. Believe my warm end is around 80 and cool end varies according to my rooms temp.. usually around 70. Just want to bring the overall heat up 5 degrees or so and even then just for the winter.

 

[luvofthechase]

in my room of your house i atually have to use one of these AND a UTH to keep my tank up to temp. My room is about 65F on a warm day (the joys of living in a basement)