Exo terra planted viv, heat mat not doing the job :\

[Spindigo]

I've got my childrens python in an exo terra viv with a good few inches of the exo terra soil block stuff, plants should be getting here soon it's been heated via statted heatmat since i got her, but as i've put the soil in now the distance is too far for the heat to travel enough. I bought a compact top to add some light and was hoping it'd help a little with the temps but no improvement there. I'm really concerned that the temps are nowhere near high enough atm (70ish ) so i need to get another heat source in there urgently.

I was thinking of using the exo terra dome light for the top? Would this adequately raise temps? What sort of bulb should i use if i get that? They're not suitable for ceramics as far as i can tell, and there appears to be no way to use ceramics with an exo terra. Would one of the red heat bulbs work? Which stat would be best? Should I combine the heatmat and bulb or just use a bulb?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

[grannykins]

I personally wouldnt use an exo terra viv for a snake. Get a wooden viv and then you can go with a ceramic. If you are going to be using real plants, be aware that the snake will probably trash them as it moves around the viv, and you cant take them out and wash them either. And tbh I wouldnt use the soil block stuff as snake substrate either.

[Darklas]

Put the heatmat on the side rather than underneath the soil. The soil would be way too heavy/thick for the heat to travel through.

[grannykins]

I think he will still struggle to get the heat up in the colder months, even on the side. Worth trying though I suppose.

[Spindigo]

I tried the heatmat on the side to start with, both inside and outside of the viv, and it's still struggling to keep the heat up. :\ I've put the heatmat at the bottom covered in just a little bit of the soil for now in the hope that the heat will go up a little but it didn't seem to help too much. am wondering if the heat mat might be failing or something tbh. :\

I much prefer the look of the glass vivs, and haven't got the cash to do a whole new setup at the moment either, so trying a new heat source is definitely the way i want to go, i'm just unsure what to use and how to set it up at the moment.

[eddygecko]

You can get exo terra light clamps that can be used with ceramics. Put one of these on top, a high wattatge bulb on a stat and that will do fine, but you won't get any sort of temperature gradient in an exo terra they are appaling for keeping most reptiles, just good for displays really.

[Spindigo]

Originally Posted by eddygecko

You can get exo terra light clamps that can be used with ceramics. Put one of these on top, a high wattatge bulb on a stat and that will do fine, but you won't get any sort of temperature gradient in an exo terra they are appaling for keeping most reptiles, just good for displays really.

Exo Terra Porcelain Wire Clamp Lamp

this sort? They're okay placed on the top of the mesh same as the other exo terra light?

[mooshu]

Ive got a Amazon tree boa in an exo and I heat it with a habistat pulse proportional thermostat witha cermaic in a exo terra night glo. I've blocked up the rest of the roof with foil. It seams to work well.

If your doing a planted viv it help to have a drainage layer under the soil something like hydroleca balls and a membrane on top of them to stop the soil getting mixed with the drainage layer. This stops the soil getting bogged and stops the plants from getting root rot!

[eddygecko]

Originally Posted by Spindigo

Exo Terra Porcelain Wire Clamp Lamp

this sort? They're okay placed on the top of the mesh same as the other exo terra light?

Yes thats the one.

[Spindigo]

Thanks for the repilies, the advice is much appreciated. managed to get the light fitting on sale in a local shop just need to order the stat now.