Boa Constrictor Temperatures & Heating Requirements

Tools for creating the perfect boa constrictor temperature gradient:

The best way to create a temperature gradient for your boa will be to place the heat source on one side of the enclosure. This will make sure that there is an area of cooler temperatures that your boa can retreat to on the opposite side of its habitat. Don’t be alarmed if your snake spends most of its time on the cool or mid-range area; boas typically only use the hot spot for digesting after a meal.

Halogen Flood Heat Lamp

Heat lamps are still a controversial heat source for snakes, but according to expert Roman Muryn’s research, they are one of the most natural ways to create the right temperature gradient in your boa’s enclosure.

If you are using a glass terrarium or other enclosure with a mesh top, I recommend using a dual dome-style heat lamp fixture with a ceramic sockets. (This lamp is my favorite for larger reptiles.) That way the mesh creates a barrier between the hot bulb and your snake, and you can create a larger basking area for healthier, more effective basking.

If the bulb(s) must be installed inside the enclosure, you will need bulb cages like this to prevent burns. However, I strongly recommend using an enclosure with a mesh top so the lamps can be installed outside of the enclosure.

There are many different types of heat bulbs on the market, from reptile-specific brands to ordinary bulbs at your local home improvement store. Reptile brand halogen bulbs can work well, but they may be short-lived or have poor spread — the best options I’ve found are the 75w Arcadia Halogen or Zoo Med Repti Tuff Splashproof Halogen Lamp. But I’ve had the best experience with PAR38 halogen flood bulbs, specifically the Philips 90W PAR38 Halogen Flood bulb.

You will need a cluster of AT LEAST 2 HEAT BULBS to create a large enough basking area to heat your boa’s coiled body evenly.

What wattage? This is a common question with no solid answer, sorry! What wattage bulb you will need depends on room temperature, enclosure height, and other factors. What works for one person won’t always work for another, which is why I like plug-in lamp dimmers so much. When in doubt, try the higher-wattage bulb first. It’s also best to do your testing BEFORE you bring home your new snake.

However, take care — too much dimming of your heat bulb will essentially eliminate its sun-like Infrared-A output, which will essentially turn your bulb into a slightly brighter version of a heat projector.

• Pro tip: Be sure to buy white or clear bulbs rather than red, blue, black, or whatever other color they’re offering. Colored bulbs create an unnaturally tinted environment and may negatively affect your pet’s circadian rhythm.

Deep Heat Projector (DHP)

The Arcadia Deep Heat Projector and other similar products are essentially a the better, more modern version of the classic ceramic heat emitter. Heat projectors provide lightless, downward-focused Infrared-B and -C radiation that doesn’t have to be housed in a specialized cage fixture.

If for some reason you don’t want to use a halogen bulb for heating your reptile’s enclosure, this is the next best thing. However, my preferred use for heat projectors is for help with boosting ambient (air) temperatures.

Use the DHP by installing the bulb inside a ceramic-socket dome heat lamp in place of a conventional heat bulb. Plug into a proportional (dimming) thermostat or rheostat to regulate the heat output.

Radiant Heat Panel (RHP)

Heat panels act like heat lamps without the bulb. These are definitely the most expensive of the 3 heating options we recommend, but can be well worth the investment if you’re struggling to maintain optimal ambient (air) temps in a large enclosure. Unlike heat pads, these are installed on the ceiling of the enclosure for natural heat, which radiates down to create a zone of warmth on one side of the enclosure. Make sure to connect your radiant heat panel to a proportional thermostat (not thermometer — and yes, there’s a difference) to maximize the RHP’s lifespan as well as make sure it doesn’t accidentally get too hot.

Like the Deep Heat Projector, radiant heat panels don’t produce light, so you will need some kind of light source to help regulate your snake’s day/night cycle. Vivarium Electronics heat panels are trusted by many and widely considered to be some of the best in the industry.

Do not use heat tape or a heat pad

Heat tape is a heating element in the shape of a long cord that can be distributed however you want under/around the enclosure. Handy, right? It used to be very popular with snake enthusiasts (and still is with breeders) because of this convenient feature. Heat pads and mats are installed on the bottom of an enclosure to warm the substrate above. These are also very popular with snake enthusiasts. However, they tend to struggle when used with wood enclosures or a thick substrate layer, and fail to affect air temperatures.

Both heat tape and heat pads must be used in conjunction with a thermostat to prevent them from getting too hot, and without this tool it is impossible to control your boa’s temperature gradient.

Both products are used with the same assumption that snakes need “belly heat” in order to digest their food properly. However, the truth is that the whole concept of belly heat is bogus! In nature, warmth comes from above (the sun), not from below (the ground). In fact, when reptiles get too hot they will retreat underground to cool off. Using overhead heat sources like heat lamps mimics the effects of the sun and how boas evolved to receive warmth — by laying on top of sun-warmed surfaces and thereby receiving heat from both above and below. To recreate this effect in your enclosure, you can place a piece of slate, flagstone, concrete, or even wood underneath the heat source to create the perfect basking surface.