Insulation

[alyssa_lennon]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to the ball python world, I've had my boy dince last saturday... so yeah, I'm very new.

I want to ask you guys about insulation. I live in a veeery old apartment (almost 80 years old ) with no heating or AC. In my country humidity is always around 80%-85% and temps vary a lot during the day. In winter, it ranges between 50 F-25F and in summer, between 104 F-90F. This is something I did not take into account before buying my boy, which I know I should have. Is insulation going to help me prevent temperature changes in the enclosure? I'm not worried about winter/autumn, as I am planning on getting a second UTH/thermostat for the cool side. Summer worries me the most as I am not sure how to get the cold side to stay cold if the ambient temp is of 100F...

What worries me the most is the fact that as the weather changes constantly, temperatures can drop or increase 20F in a matter of hours, and I am not home 24-7 so as to vary the amount of temperature my boy receives.

Sorry for the long post

[starmom]

I use rigid insulation on my tanks and cages since where I live the temps change drastically from day to night; the insulation helps mitigate these changes a lot!!

[ThyTempest]

To fix the temperature drops, etc when you are not home, try getting a thermostat. The thermostat will supply the right amount of power to the heating elements to keep the temperature where it needs to be (presuming it needs heating, and not cooling) For the summer, maybe a fan system will help keep it cool, or at least moving. I live in Michigan, so keeping it cool is not usually an issue.

[alyssa_lennon]

I do have a thermostat, but if it is 104F outside, even if I have the t-stat set at 92F, it will be hotter than that... or if it is 30F, I will need to set the t-stat at a higher temp to achieve 92F, that is what I meant. And I am not home during the day to make those changes, I was wondering whether insulation will help me prevent temperature variations in the enclosure...

Thanks for the imput guys!

[starmom]

She implied that she has a t'stat and UTH when she said she'd be getting a second one.

[starmom]

I do have a thermostat, but if it is 104F outside, even if I have the t-stat set at 92F, it will be hotter than that... or if it is 30F, I will need to set the t-stat at a higher temp to achieve 92F, that is what I meant. And I am not home during the day to make those changes, I was wondering whether insulation will help me prevent temperature variations in the enclosure...

Thanks for the imput guys!

I'm wondering if instead of another UTH you might want to get a radiant heat panel and put it on a timer and t'stat for the ambient temps for the evenings.
Gosh, this is really a tricky situation.
In the summer where I live day time temps average around 80-85F and drop to 35-40F at night. The ball pythons are all in the warmest room of the house to help with their ambient temps at night. My boas all get RHP's since they are in the living room where it is chillier.
I'm thinking that a combination might be best for your situation- though I am far from certain....

[JoshJP7]

I had the same issue... room got to like 95 in the summer and its in the -'s here in upstate NY... For the summer we bought an air conditioner with a thermostat built in... If the room got above 80 it would turn on... For the winter we did the exact opposite and got a oil based heater to heat the room... I keep mine set at 69 which gets my cool side temps around 78-80... Id keep the UTH and work on finding other ways to heat/cool the tanks... In all honesty an air conditioner for the summer is probably your only choice... in the winter you can go with an oil based heater or maybe hook up a ceramic heat emitter to a thermostat to keep cool side/ambient temps around 80. Good luck, I knows its a pain in the arse... ive been there

[starmom]

So, what if she can't afford the cost or electricity usage of an air conditioner? Any other thoughts?

[JoshJP7]

Nope, I tried just about everything I could think of... Unfortunately its merely impossible(other than with an air conditioner) to cool something down when the ambient temperature is your problem. I shut the shades, turned on fans, put ice cubes in a bowl and put them in the tubs... anything and everything be it ridiculous or plausable... in the end I broke down paid the $$ for an air conditioner... When youre only trying to keep a room @80 the air conditioner isnt really on much... I'm not sure how much of a difference it would be for her with temps in the 100's and mine being in the 90's but I found no other solution.

[alyssa_lennon]

It really is a sticky situation, thank you guys so much for your thoughts and your help. I doubt I'll be able to purchase an air conditioning as I am a student living on financial aid LOL! I just want the best for my ball python, it saddens me to think that I might not be able to give it the PERFECT environment to thrive in, and that perhaps my excitement clouded my judgement. I bought everything I had to, you know, UTH, tstat, hides, the whole thing, and I will do anything it takes for the ball to lead a happy, healthy life...

again, thank you for your help, it does mean a lot to me