Temps unstable and patchy

Ok, I've had it... I can't control the temperature in my 10 gal. The setup:

100w bulb w/dimmer over one side, human heating pad underneath set on low (had a bulb burn out one night, now I'm paranoid), screen top. Two Oregon Scientific digital thermometers. Dense synthetic vegetation about 2/3 of the length, mostly on the cool side, water dish in the middle.

It can be in the high 90's on one end, and mid 70's at the other at any given time, lower at night. I try to keep it about 89 deg on the hot side under the hide. But when I probe in various locations the temps are just plain wacky. I move it an inch and it's 15 deg higher. What I don't get is the snake seems to prefer the cool side! Why doesn't he stay where it's warmer, or somewhere in between? I mean, the warm is available.. should I just leave it to the snake to find the right temp?

I was thinking of ditching the heat pad, and getting a 250w red heat lamp which I can fine tune w/ dimmer, and leaving it like that at all times. Would this be a more even heat? Will the red light be too bright for him at night?

Thanks!

I think your best bet would be to get a uth and a thermostat. Isn't a 10 gallon rather small for a BP?

My suggestion:

Ditch the 10 gallon, as it is a bit small for a bp, and they are really a booger to maintain temps. Get yourself a rubber maid and set it up according to the DIY artice we have on site. Rubber maids are the best for getting temps in order. And they are not expensive.

My BP's length is a little less than the length of the tank. I think a 10 gal is an okay size for now, but not if I can't control the temp. What's a recommended uth and how do you hook it up to a thermostat?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by unimom

I think your best bet would be to get a uth and a thermostat. Isn't a 10 gallon rather small for a BP?

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The ten gallon will be out grown quickly and in some peoples opinion has already been outgrown. Flexwat works well and it is worth the money to set up right the first time with a good thermostat. You could pm justcage (Matt at MG Reptiles) He knows all the ins and outs

I used a 10 gallon for my first bp. It lasted about a month before I needed something bigger. I would suggest starting to plan on building a rubbermaid home for your bp or getting a bigger aquarium in the next month or so. Rubbermaids work wonderfully and are very cheap. Here is a DIY article on how to build one :
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=40

Like others have already recommended, a thermostat will keep the temps more consistant. Visit www.mgreptiles.com for some info on thermostat functions and costs.

Here is a link to the info pages....
http://www.mgreptiles.com/THERMOCOMPARE.html