Preparing set-up: heat issue

I hope this question hasn't been asked a million times already, and all the experts are tired of it!

I'm getting my set-up ready for my future ball pythons. Set it up yesterday, and let it sit overnight to see how temperatures and humidity stabilize out. I did NOT mist it, just to see what ambient humidity would be. I have an under-tank heat pad with a thermostat, using aspen, and a small water bowl (probably about a cup total volume if filled to the top), using an Accu-Rite indoor/outdoor thermometer/hygrometer for accurate readings. This morning, after the coldest part of the day, I'm reading 50% humidity (misting should help raise that, just need to find out by how much), and 72/77*F for temperatures. Obviously too cold. The thermostat was reading the temperature under the substrate as 85*F, and all temperatures are now rising because the house is starting to warm up from the night, but still obviously too cold.

What is going to be the best way for me to raise ambient temperatures of this bin?
I have a heat lamp with a red light I could shine on just the hot side. I also have a space heater I could point toward it. I do not want to warm up my whole house to 80*F though. Summer time is NOT going to be an issue, since I can't get the house less than 84 at that time, even with the A/C running non-stop (able to breath again now that the electric bills are a little lower!). I have read, being nocturnal animals, ball pythons don't like bright light, which is why I would use the red bulb (used it for my chick brooder, and effectively kept them at about 100*F). But I can use the space heater if it would be a better option, I just won't have as much control over it (it does have a built-in thermostat, but it is NOT very accurate).

What kind of cage do you have?

When I had my balls in glass tanks I used a red bulb on a dimmer to bump up my ambient temperatures.

The down side to using a heat lamp is that it sucked out all my humidity, to combat this, I used a small wet towel to cover one side of the tank to help keep the humidity up when the bulb was running.

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Originally Posted by martin82531

What kind of cage do you have?

When I had my balls in glass tanks I used a red bulb on a dimmer to bump up my ambient temperatures.

The down side to using a heat lamp is that it sucked out all my humidity, to combat this, I used a small wet towel to cover one side of the tank to help keep the humidity up when the bulb was running.

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I'm using a plastic tub, with a completely solid (not transparent) lid. Followed directions on a thread in this forum to set it up. Since the humidity around here is naturally very low, I suspect I *might* have to make adjustments to combat that. I did mist the bin before I left this morning, about 1.5 to 2 hours ago, which brought the humidity up to 70% at that time. About a half hour ago I asked my husband for an update (going to have him send me reading throughout the day to see how stable it is), and it's up to 79%, with temps at 70/77*F.

The issue is likely the ambient air temps tub do not have much (any) insulation so they lose heat as fast as it can be added. Typically this is cool room issues low room ambient air temps can often mean low enclosure ambient air temps. Dropping both the ambient air and cool side temps and in some cases the hot side temps. Are by chance using a Ultratherm UTH or intelliheat, of new zilla? They are low wattage and designed to not get as hot as the typical UTH the down side is in cool conditions simply do not produce enough heat period. The solution is easy higher ambient air temps either the whole room... which for a small number of animals is inefficient or localized. Tubs offer few options for this have you given though to an other type of enclosure system? PVC enclosures offer the best of all worlds they insulate well and have a modest range of heating options a side turned tank also does the same with slightly lower efficiency but much lower pricing (often tanks can be found free)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...arium-Solution

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

The issue is likely the ambient air temps tub do not have much (any) insulation so they lose heat as fast as it can be added. Typically this is cool room issues low room ambient air temps can often mean low enclosure ambient air temps. Dropping both the ambient air and cool side temps and in some cases the hot side temps. Are by chance using a Ultratherm UTH or intelliheat, of new zilla? They are low wattage and designed to not get as hot as the typical UTH the down side is in cool conditions simply do not produce enough heat period. The solution is easy higher ambient air temps either the whole room... which for a small number of animals is inefficient or localized. Tubs offer few options for this have you given though to an other type of enclosure system? PVC enclosures offer the best of all worlds they insulate well and have a modest range of heating options a side turned tank also does the same with slightly lower efficiency but much lower pricing (often tanks can be found free)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...arium-Solution

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Using a Zoo Med ReptiTherm UTH, the small or medium one, but would need to measure to be sure.

Used a plastic tub because that's what I've been reading works well, better than tanks according to many. We are planning to build a snake rack, using melamine, which I've read should help hold in heat? I have a feeling we'll be adding to our snake collection in the future, in which case large enclosures will be impractical (already have the rosy boas set up in a large, divided tank, and it does take up a lot of space).

Sounds like one of two things:
1) I can try using a localized heat source, such as a heat lamp.
2) I'll have to heat up the room.

Two of our bedrooms are newer construction (2006 I think, compared to the rest of the house which is 1940 or older), and better insulated, so it probably won't be a huge issue to heat up one of those. I typically end up turning down the heater at night in cooler weather (and during hot summers I need to turn up the A/C and/or run a fan at night) because the bedrooms do stay so much warmer than the rest of the house (including the hallway). Guess I'll experiment a little and see what works!

Racks have the same issues typically they are used in rooms at or near the correct cool side temps they too are not efficient heaters. Especially given uth do not heat air well there is really only one way to hold correct ambient temps room temp control.

No enclosure is better than an other each has it's own issues the thin walls of tubs have very poor insulation value systems using them have heat issues open top tanks have humidity issues and turned tanks and plastic have cost space issues. I live in a cold area and an old house so heating a room for me is crazy expensive and not practical.


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Some have placed a plastic tub in a half box and used light bulbs to heat the box. This may Aldo work if you are wedded to the tub. I would suggest blue as pythons are tuned for red/IR both optically and with heat pits.


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So I had my husband move the tub (I'm at work, so having this done "remotely" so to speak! lol) to one of the bedrooms, and there's slight improvement. Last reading before moving it was 70/77 and humidity holding at about 75%. Within less than an hour of moving the tub, temp is now 74/78, same humidity. A space heater in that room shouldn't be too bad, since it isn't a large or open space.

With the heat light (red bulb, until we get a blue bulb), the room temperature is a noticeable 78* (by the door where it is influenced from cooler air coming in from the hall, snake bins are about as far from the door as they can get, so probably warmer). The thermometer inside is now reading 83/86, humidity still holding. So I think I've got it! The light is currently suspended about 4 feet above the bins. I'm going to lower it so it's closer and more localized on the hot area. Hopefully that will succeed in getting the hot side just a little higher and make a better gradient.

Ambient air temps are often the key to the whole shooting match as they say.