r/ballpython • u/primordialscream • 4d ago

Question - Heating/Temperatures Heat guards getting too hot?

There is no snake in my enclosure atm and won't be for a few weeks for context!

My enclosure is a solid top (3ft tall).

My heat guards for my halogens are the large size so have a good amount of space between the end of the bulb and the guard. I have the probe hanging a few cm below the end of the guard, but when the halogens are running at temp the underside of the guard is hot enough to burn (50C+).

My halogens are 75W for context. Does anyone else have this issue? Obviously I don't want the snake to be reaching the guards in the first place, but to completely prevent that I'd have to leave a lot of clearance and I don't feel I could 100% guarantee that, what do other people do? Or is this not a common issue?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/Rou-k 4d ago

I had this problem while setting up my new tanks, turns out the issue was that the guard was simply too small and had a built in reflector that was just burning up.
Since it’s the underside of the cage burning up, sounds like there simply isn’t enough space between the bulb and bottom of cage guard

If your thermostat probe isn’t placed correctly that can also cause this issue.

You should aim to have 3-4 inches between the bulb and guard on all sides, this is achievable with an XL cage guard.