Temperature - surface temps vs air temps

[Concat]

Hello everyone,

I adopted two adult ball pythons that are approximately 10 years old. Each has their own wooden vivarium that is rather large. It's 5 feet long, 2.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. They are both heated by what appears to be an 80 watt RHP. Temp is controlled by a herpstat 2 near the warm end.

I recently bought a hygrometer - funny story here, the previous owner told me that the herpstat 2 humidity readings are always wrong, and they usually just show 100% or 0%. After some research, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't even measuring humidity. Those figures are for how much power is being applied to the heaters! Anyway, I put this on the cold side because it also has a temp gauge.

The temp from the herpstat is at about 86 and temp on the cold side is about 77.

Where I start getting confused is when I bring out the heat gun. I put one hide underneath the RHP and the top of the hide reaches 99(!). Inside the hide is more like 93 or so. Should I be concerned with the temp on top of the hide? Or any one surface in the tank? If air is 86 on the warm side, and 77 on the cool side... I feel like dropping the temps will make ambient temps too low. But if I leave as is, then the snake could technically bask under the RHP and get too hot. I should note that the entire cold side has the same temp as the ambient air on that side - 77. Majority of surfaces on the warm side only reaches 86-90, but right underneath the RHP it is a particularly warm spot where IR gets absorbed.

The tanks are 5 feet long, so there is plenty of room for the snake to regulate temp (there is a hide on the cold side as well). The temps are set to drop about 6 degrees overnight, and so far I've seen them move from cold to warm and vice versa.

[SDA]

Ambient should be low 80s anyway so you can drop no problem. The temps on top of the hide should be around 90-92 that way it will keep a great temp inside the hide. your cool side is just fine.

Herpstats only read humidity if the optional humidity probe is used otherwise they don't at all. You can also take out the temp drop settings in the herpstat, ball pythons don't need a temp drop at night.

This is what the humidity probe looks like

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....products_id=15

If you don't have that you aren't reading humidity.


By the way, thank you for adopting older snakes that is a very nice thing to do.

[Concat]

Thanks for the quick reply.

My concern is that the only heat source is the RHP. So if I try to hit 90-92 on top of the hide under the RHP, then ambient air temps go down a lot. Id end up with 72 on the cold side and 80 on the warm side.

I just got home and the little bugger actuslly chose the hide under the RHP. Shooting the gun in the hide gets me 94. On top is 98.

Not sure where I read temp drop at night was wise... but isnt mimicking a natural enviro a good thing?

And Im surprised, but the herpstat can only measure temp or humidity... not both. Maybe Im missing something

I should note that I have never had a snake before. Im trying to learn as much as I can.

I feel like trying to heat this big tank with the panel just leads to either cold ambient air, or one spot that is too high in temp.