brand new bp owner please help

Hello everyone
Today I got my first bp for my birthday at a reptile show Iam so stressed trying to get the temps just right to get him comfortable.. what exactly is the correct temps for hot side? I have heard and read 85 then I heard 95! Iam so confusei have done some research before buying I only have three corns plus him now I just want him to be ok and happy also I have. A heat pad on hot side plugged into a zoomed thermostat and a digital thermometer
Any advice is much appreciated thanks

90-94 hot side

Much of the advice that I have gotten from this site suggest 88-92 for a hot spot :)

Welcome to the site!

Hot side needs to be between 88-92 degrees, and the cool side needs to be between 78-82 degrees.

Give this a read: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

I will also add that no part of the cage should ever get below 75 or above 95 degrees.

Do your thermometers have probes?

Also Under tank heating pads do not affect the air temperature in the cage so you need to keep that in mind.

i used to use that zoo med thermostat and it fried out and was about 5 seconds from lighting on fire until i ripped it out of the wall...i would try and get something else asap

Quote:

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Originally Posted by warlord

i used to use that zoo med thermostat and it fried out and was about 5 seconds from lighting on fire until i ripped it out of the wall...i would try and get something else asap

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I agree, they aren't very good, none of the thermostats sold at pet stores are much good.

I suggest that you get one of these:

The hydrofarm, sold on amazon for $30. These are better than what you have, but should be replaced when possible.

The Herpstat, sold by spyder robotics. Entry models are $99 but there are more costly models as well with additional features. These are the best you can get and will last the rest of your snakes life.

Hydrofarm: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NZ..._bxgy_ol_img_b

Herpstat: http://spyderrobotics.com/

Take a deep breath and relax. While Ball Pythons have stricter requirements than Corns, they are fairly easy to maintain. Stressing about it will only make you crazy. Congratulations on your first BP and Happy Birthday...

Thanks everyone..
As for the thermometers yes it has probes also I only seen the zoo med brands at the shows and stores but I will look to get one as soon as I can .. so another question I'm sorry if its dumb but I know its a boy normal bp and I also noticed the spurs on him and tail end seems bloated like needs to poop is it normal to see these spurs and will they always be like that

It is completely normal to see spurs. Pythons are very different from corn snakes.

You can't get a good thermostat in a store unfornatly, some reptile speciality stores have them, but they are rare. You pretty much have to order them online. (that's why I put the links to where you can get them in my post about them )