heating tank

Question
I have a question about heating my tank it is a 20 gallon tank  I use aspen substrate I have 2 hiding spots on each side a corner water dish and a basking climbing stick a 75 watt heating light and a 20 gall zoomed uth and i live in a cool basement i heard that you cant put the pad or the light over/under the water and that the ball shouldn't have the pad because it will burn them i would like to know the best and most healthy thing for the snake i can do. i am getting the snake this saterday  and am willing to spend some money thank you

Answer
Hey Troy,

Sorry about the time it took me to answer your question.

I use under tank heat tape. If you use any style of heat source you need to have a thermostat. I would suggest you visit big apple herps. They carry the heat tape as well as a thermostat. People claim allot of things about their snake getting burned due to heat pads. These people are not using thermostats or are buying cheap products that will fail eventually. I would suggest one 12X12 pieces of heat tape. It should be kept at a constant 90-92 degrees. If you are having problems keeping the heat in then a piece of Plexiglass with several holes drilled in it will help with this, it will also help you to maintain the proper humidity levels. The tank should be kept around 60-65%. This will help with shedding and digestion.

Ball pythons do not require a basking place, they are creatures that live in burrows. The only time they come out is at night and that's to hunt for food. Everything else seems to be great. I would place one of those hide boxes on one end of the tank above the heat tape. Your snake can then decide what temp it wants to be at and will help it thermoregulate itself.

I hope this helps,stop by my website and join the ball python planet forum. Here you can talk to other ball python owners and ask any questions you may have.

Eric Rovegno