Some questions/concerns

[Elum]

So it's been 6 days since I got my BP and I have a couple questions and concerns.

I have 2 digital thermometers with probes under the hot and cold hides (on top of the substrate) and the thermostat probe on the hot side (under the substrate). The digital thermometers under the cold and hot hides stay between 79-83 and 88-93 and the thermostat between 90-95. Now when I use my temp gun under the hot hide, most of the time it's like 3-7 degrees lower than the digital thermometer; under the cold hide however, it's usually always within 1-2 degrees of the digital thermometer. Should I be trusting the digital thermometers or temp gun more?

I have a 40 gallon terrarium for my BP. Not sure exactly how long he is, but he's about 200 g. I know 40 gallons is a little big for him right now, but it's pretty clustered and hides and water bowls on both sides. I've noticed he's been sticking his head out of his hides more when I walk into the room and exploring/trying to escape in the evening/night. I've also maybe seen him out once or twice during the day but he's in his hides the rest of the time during the day.

Does it seem like he could be stressed from the terrarium size and/or still being in a relatively new enclosure or is he just being curious?

I tried feeding him for the first time today but to no avail. I was told he was on f/t which is what I tried. Since he's still relatively small (195g), how many days should I go before trying to feed him again and how long should a BP as young as him go without eating?

[chrid16371]

What brand thermometers are you using? I use acurite, defiantly the best for your money. But I use 3 temps guns to test against my thermometers. Its hard to say which one is right without something else to test between them. They both could be wrong. I've never had an acurite give me a wrong reading except for one that said -40 but that was obvious, the rest are spot on but I still pull out the temp guns to make sure.

As for the cage its hard to tell, it may be to big and could be the reason it refused food or it could need more time to settle in. It could also be how you prepared your f/t, which leads me to ask how did you prepare the f/t rodent?

Also do you have the screen top covered and your humidity in the 50-60 range?

[PitOnTheProwl]

1. You need to keep track of the heat BELOW the substrate, it can and will burrow. I know you said you have a thermostat to regulate it and that's great but you still want to monitor the surface they can touch.

2. How are you warming your f/t?

3. Even that small they can go a while without eating.

BTW a 40 is HUGE for a young ball much less a full grown adult.

[Elum]

The digital thermometers are zoo med and I think the temp gun is "all living things". The humidity is measured with Acurite.

I have tinfoil covered cardboard covering about half the screen lid and the humidity is in the low 50s.

I'm putting the frozen mice in a plastic bag and submerging then in warm/hot water until they're warm and then use a hair dryer on the head area for about 15 seconds.

If I have the thermostat probe on the glass under the substrate, isn't that telling me what the temperature on the glass is?

If the terrarium is too big, what do you suggest I switch over to, if that's what I should do.

[PitOnTheProwl]

If I have the thermostat probe on the glass under the substrate, isn't that telling me what the temperature on the glass is?

That would be telling you what the hottest item is that your snake can touch so that there isn't any chance of a burn.

[Elum]

Ok so when I took the temperature with the temp gun under the hot hide, I got a 92.2 reading. When I used the temp gun on just the glass under the hot hide, it said 102, which might explain why I haven't really seen him in his hot hide.

How is the glass 102 with the temp gun when I have my thermostat set to 92? I put the digital thermometer probe on the glass and it didn't go above 95.