Hi all,
Apologies if this has been asked before. I’ve read many guides now and want to know if this approach to heating is okay for western (plains) hognose:
75 W Pangea Halogen bulb in ceramic lamp with herpstat 1 thermostat as only heat source. Room at night is around 73F. I read a guide that not using any heat at night is okay for hognoses (under tank heater or ceramic, etc) if room doesn’t get too cold. In the next day I’ll put all the equipment together and see how the temps workout using a temp gun.
Heard because hognose like to burrow heat from below might be counterintuitive for them. Not saying UTH is bad just saw the appeal for a more “natural” approach.
Thanks! First post so go easy on me 
Edit: glass 20 gallon long, also using UVB light, aspen bedding, etc
I think it would work well, but you still need a thermostat for any heat source.
In a 20g setup, I would bet that a 75w halogen will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too powerful and will generate too much heat. Given the high output of halogens something on the order of a 40w or even a 25w would probably be safer, for both you and your animal
I think it could work TEMPORARILY but hognoses being burrowing species really should have belly heat and it’s gonna be the same price if not cheaper than a halogen bulbb
Respectfully, I will have to disagree with you here.
The burrowing nature of the hognose comes in to play as a means of escaping from heat. Their natural behaviour is to come out and bask and then begin to burrow to get away from the sun and hunt for prey. They are absolutely not used to heat radiating up from below them
Thanks for the replies everyone. Regarding the 75 watt, will it work if I have a dimming thermostat (i have herpstat1)? Even so, sounds like I should still get a lower wattage.
Your Right I never thought about it like that until now I’ve always just always went with the traditional pet trade belly heat for burrowing species like king snakes or hognose in the wild it’s not like they have a heat mat in the dirt lol
Do you think a heat pad on the side would work for heating?
Probably not because you will get the light trying to randomly ramp up and down, which it is not designed for. If you want something similar to the halogen but that will work with a thermostat then I would suggest the Acradia deep heat emitter
.
.
.
Yeah, this is one of those foibles of the hobby that has become pervasive. Belly heat became popular because it was easy, especially with the massive uptick in rack usage a few decades ago. If you begin to move toward a more “gestalt” style of keeping, you start asking yourself questions on why you are doing things a certain way and you begin to pick out some small (or big, depending on the situation) inconsistencies that make you rethink how you/we keep
.
.
.
It would be less ideal but it could work if done properly. I still believe that the lower-wattage halogen should be able to accomplish what the OP wants
For a tank set up for Hognose I do UTH on thermostat and a 40w bulb on timer. I found that this help avoid them thinking about the seasons. During the night uth runs but bulb doesn’t.
That’s what I do…
The earth is a heat mat at night in a way - it absorbs radiation all day, and then releases it back out at night. Ground dwelling snakes make use of this. Belly heat, or more appropriately, substrate heat, is a real phenomenon. Kingsnakes are experts at making use of it. Hognose use it but also bask outright as well.