For my two carpet python cages, I use only radiant heat panels. The cages are 17 inches tall, and each cage has a tree limb which stretches across the center of the cage. After a meal, my snakes will perch on the limbs under the heat panels. At this spot, they are about 6 or 7 inches under the panels and that temperature is maintained at 88 degrees. I do not use any belly heat for them. They utilize every area and corner of the cage on a regular basis. They spend about half as much time perched as they do on the ground. They always have regular bowel movements approximately 4 to 6 days after feeding. They are very active as well.
One reason I prefer RDH's above
UTH's for these animals is it heats the air of the cage and not the ground only. With my kingsnake, I use both a
UTH and an infrared bulb ( the spotlight design- for the reasons already mentioned above). The
UTH provides belly heat in the hide (which is where he spends most of his time), and the bulb helps created an ambient air temperature in the cage.
By the way, it is a well known fact that Scrub pythons regularly ascend to the tops of the tallest trees in Australia to bask in the sun.
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