Heating problem

[Blaise22]

Hey guys, I just bought a new 40 gallon tank for my 3' ball. Right now I only have one 40 gallon UTH on her warm side and a 65w ceramic infrared in the center. She just stopped eating for the first time since ive owned her and I believe its because shes way too cold. I heard I should cover 2/3 of the terrarium with UTH's which will keep 2/3 of her terrarium at 90-95, does that sound right? My plan was to buy two more UTH which in total will cover 24 inches of her 36 inch floor. In addition I was thinking of buying a 100w or a 150w infrared to increase the ambient temp. Any help is much appriciated

[TheGreatStevearino]

First things first: establish a cool side and a basking side. The cool side should be ~79-82 degrees, while the basking side should be ~88-91 degrees. Snakes need to be able to thermoregulate their body temps and this gradient will provide them with that opportunity. *special note: put two identical hides on each side so the snake doesn't have to choose between safety and heat

What are you measuring the temp with? Buy a digital thermometer so you have an accurate reading on whatever you point it at. As long as you maintain that temp gradient mentioned above it doesn't matter as much how you get there.

Also, are you running the UTHs on a thermostat (recommended) or at least a rheostat?

I also have a 40 gallon tank and have the temps about right with one UTH on a thermostat and a 100W infrared heat emitter. Check out my post "First Time BP Owner" (Hope it doesn't take my credibility away since I'm a firstie )

[Rob]

Also, are you running the UTHs on a thermostat (recommended)

This is not an option. It's mandatory.

[Blaise22]

Thanks for the fast response. Im using a digital temp gun to take the different temps from the cool and basking side. Right now the basking side is perfect at 90-92 but the cool side is around 66 and the ambient temp in the terrarium is only 70. How would you suggest I warm up the cool side and the ambient temp?

[Rob]

Thanks for the fast response. Im using a digital temp gun to take the different temps from the cool and basking side. Right now the basking side is perfect at 90-92 but the cool side is around 66 and the ambient temp in the terrarium is only 70. How would you suggest I warm up the cool side and the ambient temp?

Whatever you do don't go out to the pet store and buy a bunch of mats and plug them into the wall. Your one heat mat is fine, but it MUST be used with a thermostat. Uth do not raise the temps of the enclosure, they only provide a hot spot. If your able to raise the temps in the room it's in, that will directly effect the ambient temps in your tank. If your rooms not pretty cold I don't see why your heat lamp shouldn't get the job done.

Personally, If you want to make life easy on yourself. Get a rack or PVC enclosure.

[TheGreatStevearino]

Thanks for the fast response. Im using a digital temp gun to take the different temps from the cool and basking side. Right now the basking side is perfect at 90-92 but the cool side is around 66 and the ambient temp in the terrarium is only 70. How would you suggest I warm up the cool side and the ambient temp?

Sounds like you're almost there. My 100W heat bulb it placed just before the middle of the tank on the basking side. It puts out a good deal of heat, and keeps even the cool side in the recommended temp range. I have pics in my post that I mentioned above that you can look at to see how I have it set up.

Here is what I would do: keep your single UTH and buy a thermostat. That way you can regulate the temp of the UTH. Then buy either a 75W or 100W infrared heat bulb and see if that works better for warming the tank than the ceramic is doing. That, or just get a higher wattage ceramic.

EDIT: Here's a detailed read about different types of bulbs http://lllreptile.com/info/library/c...le-heat-bulbs/

[Blaise22]

Sounds good, right now i have the uth hooked up to a zoomed digital temp/ humidity regulator but is there a thermostat that will regulate the temp on the ground of the basking spot. And rob my room must be pretty cold beacuse i cant raise the ambient temp higher than 70.

[TheGreatStevearino]

Sounds good, right now i have the uth hooked up to a zoomed digital temp/ humidity regulator but is there a thermostat that will regulate the temp on the ground of the basking spot. And rob my room must be pretty cold beacuse i cant raise the ambient temp higher than 70.

Yeah most thermostats will come with a thermometer probe that is placed in the basking area substrate (location variable) and will regulate the UTH according to the ground temp. My apartment stays between 70-75 degrees and with the bulb and UTH the terrarium temp is doing fine.

[Rob]

is there a thermostat that will regulate the temp on the ground of the basking spot. And rob my room must be pretty cold beacuse i cant raise the ambient temp higher than 70.

The thermostat is regulating your uth that's your hotspot. So you adjust that accordingly to get the 90 deg. That you need. IE you can set your thermostat to 98 but that doesn't mean your hotspot will be that hot, it has to go through the tank and the substrate.
About ambients, yeah sounds like your rooms pretty cold. Your best bet is to up the wattage on your light or get a space heater.

[DNAPythons]

Another thing to try is insulating three sides of the enclosure. This will go a long way in keeping your ambient temps up, and will make your snake feel more secure in a glass enclosure. Also if you have a screen top, covering some of it will help keep ambient temps and humidity up, but be sure and allow for adequate ventilation and keep anything you put on the screen top away from your heat emitter. You should have no problem hitting ideal temps with the heat sources you currently have if you insulate a bit.