Heating For JCP

mattfien · 01-30-15, 05:10 AM

Hello Everyone,

I am keeping a Jungle Carpet Hatchling in an Exo Terra 12x12x18 until he outgrows it

I'm wondering if anyone could tell me the correct heating and lighting for a terrarium this size?

I am very keen for the lighting and heating to be made by exo terra, as I like to keep all of my reptile products of the same brand (don't ask me why

)

as the pythons are semi-arboreal, I'm not sure that a heat mat would be the best option. Would it be OK? otherwise there are ceramic heaters and basking spots, however I have no idea what wattage

I would really really appreciate it if someone could tell me the exact product(s) I need to purchase

Thanks!

Snakes&Fish · 01-30-15, 09:37 AM

Use a dome lamp with a regular 40 or 60 watt light bulb on a dimmer switch. Use a temperature gun to fin the hot spot on the branch and adjust the sliding switch until you have it right. Set this all on a timmers and bam, forget about it.

reptiledude987 · 01-30-15, 09:52 AM

I would reccommend mounting a rhp on the top of the tank on one side on a thermostat to eliminate all guess work and an accurate temp measurment. Timers are handy for lights.

toddnbecka · 01-31-15, 01:20 AM

I use 100w ceramic heaters for my Dominicans and 150w for the BCI's and carpet python. They're currently housed in glass aquariums, 30-48" wide, to allow one end to be cooler than the basking spot. With a 12" wide enclosure it's more difficult to do a horizontal temp gradient, so I'd suspect a 100w and a vertical gradient would be the best bet. Worsdt thing about ceramics is how quickly they dry out the enclosure, I use cypress mulch to help maintain it.

Mikoh4792 · 01-31-15, 02:28 AM

For heat lamps, a 25-40 watt bulb will be enough. 6o might be a bit much for a 12x12x18 but that won't really matter since you'll want to hook up any heat source to a thermostat anyways.

A small RHP(28 watts) could work. So could a heat mat. Carpet pythons are semi-arboreal, not fully arboreal. They will make use of a hotspot on the floor. The question is can you achieve appropriate ambient temps using a heat mat? If so, go for it.