Heating options

Hey All ~
I'm brand new to the world of ball pythons.. although this dream was 40 years in the making!! I have my new girl, Willow, all settled into her new home for about a month now. She's doing great and eating well. But I've been doing some research and have found that her tank is not warm enough. Right now I have a 29 gallon tank with a small UTH and a day/night light at the top. Got a thermometer with a probe and it's way too chilly... 74 on the cool side and only 78 on the "warm" side. Guess this is why she's spending so much time in her hide?? I've been researching but I'm overwhelmed with the options... ceramic heat lamps, UTH mats, strips, day bulbs, night bulbs, basking lamps... Can someone help a newbie with ideas of what I should use??? :O Thanks!

Hello and welcome! Glad to see you're trying to make Willow's home as happy and healthy as possible. The short answer is: follow this tutorial. Those instructions are a time-tested way of achieving proper conditions in your tank.

The long answer: the most popular option for a tank seems to be a UTH for the hot spot/basking area (90 deg), and a heat lamp to maintain overall ambient temperatures (80 deg.). Your BP doesn't really need a day/light night - just the proper heat and humidity! What size UTH are you using and how is it regulated? You may need to increase your UTH size and get a thermostat in order to make your hot spot warmer.

PS. Are you monitoring your humidity levels as well?

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Originally Posted by Elisa616

Hey All ~
I'm brand new to the world of ball pythons.. although this dream was 40 years in the making!! I have my new girl, Willow, all settled into her new home for about a month now. She's doing great and eating well. But I've been doing some research and have found that her tank is not warm enough. Right now I have a 29 gallon tank with a small UTH and a day/night light at the top. Got a thermometer with a probe and it's way too chilly... 74 on the cool side and only 78 on the "warm" side. Guess this is why she's spending so much time in her hide?? I've been researching but I'm overwhelmed with the options... ceramic heat lamps, UTH mats, strips, day bulbs, night bulbs, basking lamps... Can someone help a newbie with ideas of what I should use??? :O Thanks!

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It's great to see that your snake has been eating. Ideally, when a snake is happy and healthy, they hide all day. Something that snakes do however, is thermoregulate. It seems though that your tank doesnt get warm enough for the snake to ever venture over to the cold side. It sounds like you may want to up the wattage on your nighttime bulb.

Something else that helps keep heat AND humidity in, is covering the screen with aluminum foil. I have my tanks covered with aluminum foil and have a strategic hole cut out for ventilation and for the lamp to actually shine light through. I have it literally taped to the screen ON THE OUTSIDE so that it doesnt move. This helped my humidity and heat issues IMMENSELY. I was having the same conditions as you did prior to doing this, and now I have my big tank with a 100 watt bulb on a timer or else it gets too hot and dry in there. The aluminum foil insulates and reflects heat back into the tank.

With your UTH (your heat pad), are you using a thermostat or rheostat?

Thank you so much! Your step-by-step was incredibly helpful! I've made a list and will start gathering my supplies. I already got the exact thermometer you recommended so I can monitor my humidity levels as well. Willow and I thank you again! :)

Didn't know about the thermostat until today, but I have it on my list of things to get! Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Elisa616

Didn't know about the thermostat until today, but I have it on my list of things to get! Thanks!

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Move the thermostat to the top of your list. An unregulated heat pad can have the temps get up to 120 degrees. That's the point where snakes get burned. A snake could even suffer brain damage if they're kept at too hot of a temperature. The purpose of belly heat is to aid in digestion, and provide warmth while in the hide. It isn't supposed to heat the whole tank. Check the temperature of the glass and substrate directly above the heat pad. It should be under 95 degrees, but ideally in the 88-91 degree zone (on the top of the substrate).

If you decide on a uth, get one with a temp dial. BP's get burned really easy because they can't tell from underneath whether they're hot or not. Some sphagnum moss is great to have on hand. A good heat lamp, and a well secured tank. Make sure you have a very good hide for them (one with only one entrance is best, just big enough for your snake to fit, but not overly large).

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Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

If you decide on a uth, get one with a temp dial.

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A temp dial?

Does that mean a thermostat or a thermometer?

Both should be used but I don't know a uth that comes with either.

They are fairly rare. I have only ever seen one and it was online. I guess its technically a thermometer, just a dial that tells you how hot or cold the heater is.

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Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa

They are fairly rare. I have only ever seen one and it was online. I guess its technically a thermometer, just a dial that tells you how hot or cold the heater is.

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So you have one? Ive never seen one.

The main thing, the most important thing, to have with a uth is a thermostat. I would say a build in thermometer is not needed and only adds a device to break on a unit that is fairly simple and does not need to be made complicated. How would you see it anyways? The tstat monitors the temp at the uth and the thermometer would be used to monitor the hot spot inside the cage. Having one on the uth is really not needed.

Plus if its rare and hard to find why recommend it? Especially without adding a link.