Quote Originally Posted by Stefan-A View Post
Anyway, I stopped using bulbs last summer. I rebuilt my enclosures to use heat pads instead, which took care of the overheating problems I was having during the hottest months.
Or, the air is too cold at times, the snakes sense no warmth from above, then sit on that pad and cook.

It's funny though, I've had the opposite problem. It does a sun-basking snake no good to sit on a 120 degree surface, (that's about what I was getting, even mounted on the side glass) especially if they're gravid.

I still say, if you're gals are gravid again, get rid of the heat pads. Of course, if it were me, I wouldn't use them at all. If you have the correct wattage for the setup, and sufficient room for an adequate gradient, you won't be overheating. If you're really overheating in the summer, in spite of that, leave them off during those warm months. I mean, it would have to get to nearly 80 F in my room in order to make the heat bulbs too much in my setups. Under the bulbs are only 10-15 degrees warmer than the room. Perfect if the room is between 65-72 degrees. And it is, during the summer. Winter can get down to 60 at night, so I bump it up from 40 watt heat emitter to 60 watt IF more heat is needed.

That's another reason I go with glass and screened top. Choice is yours to make, but I think it's wrong to only use bottom heat. If the setup is right, your heat emitter wattage is right, all the issues you speak of, magically dissappear and there will be no need for heat pads.