Heat management advice

[Polyangler]

I'm a new guy here, but was once upon a time an avid herp collector. I've owned balls, red tails, berms, emerald tree boas, green tree pythons, panther, veiled, and Jackson's chameleons, Savannah and green tree monitors just to me a few. I sold everything off before joining the military in my early 20's. I've since separated, and buying a ball as a Christmas present for my kids.

So here's what I'm working with, and where I'd like your inputs. My house stays between 67-70 deg in the winter with around 30% humidity. I want the enclosure to be aesthetically appealing for the kids, so I've landed on eco earth for substrate. I'm thinking this plus a nice sized water bowl will significantly raise humidity. I'm torn on heat source though... Before I sold off, I swore by ceramic heaters, but it seems like heat pads have become wildly popular these days. What do you all think? The enclosure is 23 gal 26.6 L - 17.7 W - 12.6 H



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[treaux]

Unfortunately, those enclosures are extremely hard to keep humid without some sort of misting system. I have one myself and I could never keep humidity without misting every 4-6 hours (that's with 50% of the bottom being water dish, wet towels on the top, cypress mulch substrate. I think sealing the top with a solid piece of plexi or glass and sealant can help humidity a bit, but that's a bit of effort.

I think using it with cypress mulch (not sure how eco earth stacks up humidity wise) and covering the top with wet towels and misting should get you into the ball python humidity range 50-60%.

If you are going to keep a herp that needs humidity, look into either that or get a cage that retains humidity better (PVC is generally the best).

As for heat sources, under tank heat pads are very popular for BPs as it allows them to just sit on a hotspot. I found I needed both a UTH and a ceramic emitter to keep the exo-terra in the usable temp range for BPs. You can also look into radiant heat panels which are more safe for reptiles typically due to a more controlled, gentler heat (heats up objects with radiant heat instead of just getting very hot).

Hope that helps! My exo-terra at the moment is just sitting empty as I couldn't find anything that I liked and could create a stable habitat for in there. Maybe you'll have better luck.

[bcr229]

Given that enclosure's size and your house's ambient temps and humidity, I would use it to house a male king snake and then get a PVC or melamine reptile enclosure for theh ball python. A ball python won't be happy in there - they are shy, burrowing, ground-dwelling snakes that get stressed by too open an enclosure. A king will use all of the space and be fun to watch.

[distaff]

I don't have one yet, but I like the looks of the Reptile Basics radiant heat panels (RHP). They direct infrared head down. They should last much longer than a ceramic "bulb" and IIRC, are more energy efficient. Sound more fire safe too.

I have under the tank heaters. They are good for the hot spot, but don't do anything for ambients.

I only worry about humidity when the snake is getting close to shed. You can stuff damp spagnum in a hide. I throw a damp towel over the tank screen for a bit, and offer potted moss, and an extra water dish with water and stones. The kings like to dig around and entertain themselves making a mess of both. Not sure what a ball would do with them.

[Polyangler]

Thanks treaux. Didn't really think about plexiglass over the top. I have a large sheet of it in the garage now. Wouldn't be much effort to fit a piece in the recessed portion of screen top frame. I'd probably only do about 2/3 incase I need the ceramic heater.

My concern with UTH, is air temp. Is it not a big deal to only heat the bottom of the enclosure while leaving the air temp at the mercy of my central heat/air? I always viewed this as a big problem in the past. That's why I was a big fan of ceramic heaters.

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[Polyangler]

Thanks, I'll check those out distaff

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[distaff]

I would go with digital thermometers for ambients over the dial. Also, I find the lazer temp gun essential (I can peak in quickly, shoot the hot spot, and know immediately that the temp there is good). Most here will insist on a t-stat for any heaters (one for each heating device). I've gotten away with the inexpensive Hydrofarm for kings, but the balls may do better on the proportional Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics.

Very jealous of your Exo-Terra. Lots of hides will help a ball imagine it is at home deep in the recesses of a termite mound. Otherwise, for a tiny baby you might want to start off with a small tub. I don't keep balls, buy I think an RHP and a UTH will be your best bet for proper ball temps, based on your reported room temps.

Please keep us posted!

[Polyangler]

Will definitely have digital thermometer and thermostats. Just haven't picked up either as of yet.

Was just looking at the RHPs. Do those just create hot spots, or actually increase ambient temps?

Thanks! Went with the Exo-Terra so it would be pretty for the kids. Aside from my showy snakes like emeralds, and green trees, I was a sweater box rack system kinda guy in the past.

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[Prognathodon]

I like the combination of UTH for a hot spot and RHP for ambient temps. You can increase the feeling of security by covering the sides with aquarium backgrounds, or even plain paper, and cluttering things up with artificial plants.


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[Polyangler]

bcr229: Planning to put multiple hides and some clutter to help a ball feel secure. I also thought about a king, or maybe a corn, but the family is dead set on a ball. I'd really like them to remain excited about their first snake, so I'm willing to put in a little extra work

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