Alrighty people, lets reel it back in. Debate is critical in keeping ideas fresh but hostility and negativity will only result in arguments and then nobody learns.
*The orignial question was about heat mats. Again, I use
UTH's exclusively but I am only able to do that because the room that I keep my snakes in is kept at a high enough ambient temperature that it will work for me.
*I don't consider belly heat "unnatural" as many snake use rocks and such to bask on after the sun has already heated them up. I do find it more difficult to regulate the "air" temps with heat mats,
uth's, heat pads etc...than with some other types of heating.
*a 6 foot cage for a male burm will last quite a while but eventually you may want to step up to an 8 footer. A female may outgrow a 6 foot cage in just a couple of years. Try going for 1 suqare foot of floor space (not as much height but floor space) per foot of snake legnth. So, a 6' x 2' cage will be appropriate for a snake that is 12 feet. Bear in mind that a retic has a smaller footprint on the cage floor than a burm of the same legnth as they are not as thick a snake as a burm (when healthy)......-note- these are minimum cage requirements, not what many consider "ideal".
*Just to clarify, all I used to own was retics and burms before I switched my focus to boas.
*Finally, lets keep things civil here. This isn't about who knows more or who has done this longer. Everyone here has experiences that others can learn from. Let's not assume that people here can't be of help just becuase of what we "percieve" thier experience level to be. You would be suprised what things you can pick up from the least expected sources.........that being said, there is alot of experience here so an occasional "listen" to some who have been around for a while may be a good idea.
Good luck in your search for the proper caging, lighting, and heating
