Cool side temp

[pythongal]

<b>1. How long have you had your ball python?</b> 2 days

<b>2. How old (or how big) is your snake?</b>

<b>3. Does it eat on a regular schedule?</b> Haven't tried to feed it yet.

<b>4. How long since its last meal?</b> 1 week

<b>5. What type/size prey is being offered?</b> Pinky mouse

<b>6. How often do you offer food?</b> Planning on weekly, just like my tarantulas

<b>7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?</b> 25qt plastic Sterilite bin

<b>8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?</b> 1-1.5" aspen

<b>9. What type of heating do you use?</b> Zoo-Med Reptitherm UTH

<b>10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?</b> Light dimmer right now, thermostat is in the mail

<b>11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?</b> Thermometers with probe

<b>12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?</b> 92F warm spot, 70F cool spot

<b>13. What is the average humidity level?</b>50 pct humidity

<b>14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have?</b> 2 plastic rock hides, one at each end

<b>15. Is water readily available at all times?</b> Yes

<b>16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else?</b> It's a lonely bachelor pad

<b>17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled?</b> Infrequently thus far

<b>18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)?</b> No

<b>19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?</b> No, just already owned inverts

<b>20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of? No

***
So, obviously my cool end is too cool. I have the probe placed underneath the substrate, just as I do the warm end. My UTH is attached to Nashua aluminum tape which is then taped around the edges to the bottom of the bin with the aforementioned tape. I'm using one rated for 10-20g. I'm wondering if I need to get a second smaller UTH for the cool end. Right now, my dude stays in his warm hide. Advice?

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[KMG]

Whats the air temp in the room?

I like to keep a hotspot and monitor my air temps. I keep them in the upper 70s to the low 80s. Even being in a tub you can use a heat lamp to warm the tub during the colder months as uth do not help your air temp. Placing a heat lamp on a lamp stand and using the dimmer you already have could dial in the heat for you very well.

[pythongal]

The house is climate controlled at 72F, so I'm thinking there could be a malfunction of the probe. It's a different brand than the other.

I could very easily attach a lamp stand to the habitat, as it is resting on a metal shelf. Just wasn't sure how that would work with plastic. I'm assuming I would go for a CHE bulb? Thanks.

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[KMG]

I had to use a tub and heat lamp in a pinch one time and found that the heat lamp worked really well. It gave me a nice hotspot and warmed the air in the rest of the tub without any issues. I never tried it with a che but I bet you could get it to work. Just make sure you keep any heating device a good distance from the tub lid so it does not melt or catch fire.

[pythongal]

I think I may have solved my problem. I got a 50W infrared bulb from the pet store and a gooseneck style desk top incandescent lamp rated for 60W from Target. I aimed it at a 45 degree angle and it raised the cool side temp the 76F. The plastic seems "luke warm," but I wouldn't consider it hot considering the fixture itself is over 9000F it seems. I hope the plastic doesn't melt, because outside of this, I don't know what else to do!

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[KMG]

I use these and they are great. http://www.petco.com/product/5011/Zo...a-001b2166c62d

[pythongal]

Here is a pic of my set up.

[KMG]

That pic is not the best. It looks like you have a blue bulb. They are fine and I like the way they look but the red lights put out more heat and last longer.

[pythongal]

Yeah, my phone has a hard time focusing even though it's a S5. I don't get it. Anyway, I have this bulb http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=rept..._id%3D36-14783

It is a blue bulb. I was concerned about the heating of the plastic as far as what kind of a bulb to get. That was more to show the distance of the lamp to the lid. I could get it a couple of degrees warmer, but that would entail moving it closer and getting the lid a little more hot, which I don't feel comfortable with.

I'm gonna see what the daytime temperatures bring. If I can't get the ambient temp up safely, I may go to plan B which is drilling out a section of the lid and attaching chicken wire to it and just resting the dern thing on that lol.

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[KMG]

That is a spot bulb. That mean it creates a center hotspot directly under the bulb. You will need to make sure that it does not create a hotspot higher than needed on the floor of the tub, it can. It will work but in the future a regular style flood bulb would be better. You want the heat spread over the lid and not concentrated in one spot for the application in which you are using it.

I would say DO NOT rest the fixture on the lid. If you need more heat just get a higher watt bulb. I was housing a big blood python in a under bed storage tub because the cages did not arrive on time. I used a regular fixture angled to point the bulb across the tub lid. This gave me a warm spot and proper ambient temps in a room that was 68F. The fixture was at least 10 inches from the lid but the 100 watt bulb I was using heated it well.

Resting the fixture on the lid can be dangerous but it also will shorten the life of the bulb by bouncing it around as its hot moving it to get in and out of the tub to deal with your snake.

I have had really good luck with these. http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Nightl...383HQQVZ8Y6D5Z
You could get a 100watt bulb and a dimmer and get it dialed in right where you need it.