Problem of heating lamp

I have some questions about heating lamp

  1. Will the heating lamp causes a fire? (the leaf in there is plastic, and I also don’t want the plastic leaf to be poisonous to my ball python because of the high temperature)
  2. How to use the heating lamp control the humidity and temperature(the temperature increase fast and the humidity decrease fast)
  3. How to prevent my ball python from burned by a heating lamp? (I tried to control the distance between the heating lamp and the cage, but I don’t know whether this distance is safe for my pet. )

I would strongly recommend moving the blanket from the lid because it is so close to that lamp, as far as the things inside the tank I don’t think anything would melt unless it is close to the top of the cage.

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Yeah, thank you for your advice! I have already moved the blanket.
But now the problem is how to control the humidity? It is 58% before but 35% now! Only using 30minutes to decrease

You may have to mist if you want to keep the humidity up. Do you use a UTH as well? Also, do you have a thermostat set up for the lamp? And you can try covering some of the lid with aluminum foil as well to help with humidity if you want. It will up the temperature as well though, so keep an eye on that.

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if you dont want to have to manually spray the cage yourself i would suggest looking into a reptifogger or some other kind of automatic misting system because they work very well.

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yes! Covering is helpful! I am only afraid that they will cause the fire on my blanket…
But thank you for you suggestions! You help me a lot! Appreciate!

What brand of misting system you suggest?

The exoterra fogger does the job fine buddy. That’s the problem with mesh top terrarium, they do not hold humidity well. Good luck👍

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The best way to keep humidity and not have to cover the top is actually pretty simple. Don’t use a ceramic heat emitter or bulb. You are heating a lot of air and drying it out as well. Use a UTH (under tank heater) larger water bowl and a substrate that holds humidity. Cypress or coconut chips are 2 good examples. It also saves money in the long run, UTH use way less power then bulbs and last a few years.

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@azoreptiles def agree, but if it’s what he already has he can work around it to make it work. Just not as ideal

Are you using a thermostat with your heat lamp?

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It is extremely important that you get yourself a thermostat (not a thermometer) if you don’t already, it is definitely the number 1 piece of equipment you need to ensure your dude is safe.

A thermostat constantly checks the temperature of a certain spot and controls the heat source to correct it.
So if your lamp gets too hot, the thermostat will shut the bulb down.
If it gets too cold, the thermostat will turn the bulb on.

Not only will it improve the safety of the animal and keep temps where they should be, it also gives you piece of mind for when you are away from home that your house won’t be on fire when you return.

They can be purchased from any reptile store and even most pet stores and can be found in a variety of types.

There is the “on/off” type that is recommended for UTH/heat mats. This type constantly sends power until it reaches the right temp, then shuts down until it drops below that temp, then turns on again.

There is the “pulse” that is recommended for ceramic heat emitters (not glass). This sends a constant pulse of power, sort of like the on/off type but at a more rapid pace. This makes it unsuitable for bulbs as the constant flickering will not only destroy the bulbs life span, it will irritate both yourself and your snake.

And “dimming”, which rather than turning off when it reaches the right temperature, it lowers the power frequency being output to keep it steady. If your enclosures temps rise, less power is sent to the bulb.

I would really recommend getting UTH if possible, but as @thecrawdfather said, if that’s all you have available right now just do your best to make it work.

This is different as you are keeping your bulb outside of the enclosure, but here’s what can happen when a snake comes in contact with a heat bulbs cage (in this case, that would be the metal meshing on your enclosure) … Burn Injury Progress!

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Thank you very much!!! I have bought a thermostats and it will arrive next week. Before that, I check the temperature and humidity every two minute so my girl is more active than before. Now everything is ok and I will use the thermostats when it arrives. Thank you for your suggestion!!!

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No worries at all, that’s what this place is for.

I’m glad you didn’t take it as any type of criticism, it’s not at all meant that way.

I have seen many pet/reptile store say something along the lines of “although you don’t necessarily need a thermostat…” and its bit of a silly statement.

A welder doesn’t necessarily need goggles and a window cleaner doesn’t necessarily need a ladder.

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I love your analogy. That makes sense! By the way, do you suggest me to provide some vitamins or calcium for my ball python(she is 7months old, and I give her frozen rice each week)

Firstly I wouldn’t recommend rice :joy:

I would say try and get her on to rats.

But other than that, if you are feeding the right size meal then there will be no need for added vitamins or calcium.

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ohhhh :joy: :joy: :joy:
mb!!
By the way, thank you for your suggestion! Have a good day!

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:joy: no worries.
You too :blush:

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