Would this be alright?

[Roundabout136]

Daytime temperatures are perfect, 92-95 on warm side, around 80 on cool side.

At night i put on a heat pad underneath the warm side and it gets me a steady 85ish degrees. (i'm using the accurite thing)

Should i buy another one of these heat pads for the other side to make temperatures around 85 at night? I wasn't sure if i should do this becuase wouldn't it stress her out having warmth under both hides at night?

Maybe not though, since they need this warmth at night time anyways.

*i'm trying to stay away from buying UTH and a thermosdat all together*

Thanks for the help!

[Smynx]

I'm confused. Are your nighttime temperatures different from your daytime temperatures? What do you use for heat during the day?

[monkeywrench133]

*i'm trying to stay away from buying UTH and a thermosdat all together*

Why?

[Roundabout136]

Why?

I don't have enough money for it right now. I just took my snake to the vet yesterday and walked out with 150 bucks less than i went in with.

This is for the time being though, eventually i'll be getting a plastic tub and flexwatt for when i go off to college.....gotta hide the girl.




I'm using a heat lamp during the day, i've got humidity and temperature perfect during the day.

My question is, if i put another heat pad in there, (i have one in there already, for night time, my accurite reads it at 85ish degrees) but if i put it on the cool side at night, would that be fine for her?

Meaning.....heat pads on both sides on during the night time, giving the belly warmth around 85 degrees.

[Smynx]

I'm still confused. What type of enclosure are you using if you're not using a plastic tub? A heat lamp used with a glass tank would wreak havoc on humidity, yet you say your humidity is perfect. If you do have humidity under control with the heat lamp, why wouldn't you just use a red or black heat lamp at night?

One more question, when you ask about putting "another heat pad in there," are you saying that you put a heat pad in the tank rather than under it?

Belly heat is preferable for BPs.

[monkeywrench133]

Are these "human" heating pads? If so, you need to be very careful, they aren't designed for the continuous use a reptile demands. They tend to overheat and short circuit when used continuouly, so keep a close eye on them (and fresh batteries in your smoke alarm). I don't know how much cash you have, but think about ordering at least one piece of flex and a dimmer switch from Matt ( http://www.mgreptiles.com/DIMMERMAIN.html ) That way you can heat at least one end safely with a UTH, and manually regulate the temps with the dimmer. That set up should cost about $25-30. Then use your heat lamp on the other end, regular incandescent bulb during the day, infrared bulb at night. That should get you thru till you can afford a good t-stat.

[Roundabout136]

I'm using a 20 gallon tank. I've gotten my humidity down to a science.....i've got a damp towell on top of the screen top and i re-wet it every morning. It seems to be doing the trick quite well.

I was planning on getting a red light too, for night time use only. When i said i'm going to put another heat pad in there, i'm saying i'll put it underneath the tank like i have on my warm side, but this one will be on the cool side. Having 2 heat pads on at night.

I'm not exactly sure of the brand of heat pad, exo-therm or something like that. I don't use it on all day and night...i just turn it on at night for heat.

[Smynx]

I have heard people suggest using two UTHs to help maintain proper temperatures. Usually they suggest using a low setting on the cool side and a higher setting on the warm side. I'm not sure whether the type you use allows you to choose a setting or whether you could get a rheostat (since you don't seem to want to purchase a thermostat) to help control the temperatures of the UTHs. The dimmer Erin suggests would work as well. But I strongly suggest belly heat and a thermostat as opposed to heat lamps. I understand that the cost may seem like too much right now, but it is something worth working toward.

[monkeywrench133]

I'm not exactly sure of the brand of heat pad, exo-therm or something like that. I don't use it on all day and night...i just turn it on at night for heat.

Ok, as long as it's a "reptile pad" it'll stand up to the usage.

Here's how I set up my 20long for my cornsnake, I just copied this from a previous post

'Oh, to bad I didn't see your post last night, I just set up a 20 long with hot and cold side flex and two Ranco's.

Couple suggestions

1) get 10feet of 16" wide Reflectix insulation, Matt sells it on his site by the foot. and "wrap" the tank with it. sides, back, bottom and top. I just used clear packing tape. On the top I cut a hole just big enough to for a light, but taped the edges to the lid. This will help maintain your temps AND humidity. People are always talking trash about glass tanks, but IMO if you set them up right, they work great.

2) Now, I'm going to assume from your previous post that you are getting ONE piece of flex, correct? I would suggest two, but one will work for now if money is an issue. Tape the flex at one end using foil tape, again, Matt sells it, I'm sure he suggested some. Then put Reflectix over it. This will help the flex work more efficiently. Tape the t-stat probe to the floor of the tank, in the middle of the piece of flex. then just cover it with substrata. If you did get two pieces of flex, running two t-stats, its ok to overlap the flex a little in the middle. But definitely use the foil tape, nothing else will stand up to the temps for long.

If you have any questions PM me, and I'll email you pics of my setup.


Edit*** Important!!! Get a couple pieces of 1x3 or 2x4 and set the tank on Them, do not put the tank directly on a flat surface. The edge of the tank will pinch down on the power cord to the flex and will eventually wear through the insulation, causing a short. Short in power cord=fire=bad."

This was the thread http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28343
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In your case, I'd get a dimmer to regulate the UTH you already have, get it set so your daytime temp is 82-84, and leave it there all the time. Use your heat lamp for now on the other end to get your hot spot up to 95, change out to the red bulb at night to maintain.

[rabernet]

This is for the time being though, eventually i'll be getting a plastic tub and flexwatt for when i go off to college

Flexwatt can heat, I believe I've read, up to 145 degrees if not controlled by a thermostat. If you're going to use flexwatt (or any UTH for that matter), a thermostat is a MUST!