I’m trying to figure out whether to place the heat mat inside or outside the enclosure. The instructions all say to place the mat outside the enclosure. However, videos from multiple channels that have tons of thriving ball pythons (such as Snake Discovery) appear to place the heat mat inside the enclosure, which seems like it would be easier to do.
Should the heat mat go inside or outside the enclosure, or does it matter for ball pythons?
Outside! Do not put them inside.
I don’t know what videos you’re seeing where the heat mat is inside…unless you’re thinking of a radiant heat panel, that goes overhead.
You want to make sure that the thermostat probe is sandwiched between the heat pad and the enclosure. This means you will most likely need to use some foil tape to keep it properly adhered.
Heat mats can get up to temperatures like 130F if left uncontrolled. You want to adjust the thermostat so that the bottom of the enclosure is around 88-90 at most. If you’re using a thick substrate you may need to look into an overhead heat source.
If the probe to measure heat is not sandwiched between and places in the enclosure the snake can dislodge it or pee on it and cause issues.
And just in case.
The basking spot/hot spot = 88-90
The warm side air temps = no higher than 85
The cool side air temps = no lower than 75
Absolutely not, Snake Discovery has a really old BP care and setup video that specifically tells you do not put the heat mat in the enclosure.
As Christina said, you may be confusing a radiant heat panel with a mat. Mats always go on the outside, radiant panels get mounted inside at the top.
Yeah, that’s the video I watched, I misunderstood. I saw her place it in (around the 3:00 mark) and that’s where I got the idea from.
I’m on the right track now, thanks.