Heat gradient?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/25guPmj.jpgHey guys! So I’ve had my BP for about 4 months now, and I still haven’t been able to get the temps in his terrarium where I want them. I live in CT so it’s generally a little colder here. On his hot side I have a heat mat under the hide so he spends almost all his time in there where it’s 87-90 degrees. His cold side is way too low at 72 degrees. I’ve moved his heat lamp to the middle of the terrarium and insulated the cold side which has brought it up to 74 which is better but still too cold. He also has a humidifier to boost the humidity to around 50% because my room is very dry. How can I go about raising the temperature of the terrarium as a whole without overheating the hot side? He spends most of his time in the hot hide but I worry that he’s not exploring or moving around his terrarium often just because it’s too cold everywhere else. Any ideas?

They can see the red light, so having it on 24 hours as a heat source is not ideal. Have you tried a CHE ? That’s what I use and it does a pretty good job with ambient temperature. Just make sure you have the right wattage (probably at least 100W) and a ceramic base dome that will support it. And put it in a thermostat of course. You can buy CHEs on Amazon, the pet stores around me at least usually only have ones up to about 60W.


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One recommendation I have is to replace your stick on thermometer with a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. You can get an Accurite off Amazon for like $8-$10. They're more accurate. Are you also measuring surface temps with a temp gun?

What wattage heat bulb do you use? You may simply need a higher wattage. I usually go with 75 watt infrared bulbs because our room is fairly warm and then dial them down on a dimmer until I achieve desired ambient. I've read mixed info on whether snakes can actually see infrared light. So far I haven't had a problem leaving the bulbs on 24/7. Personally I do not like CHE's.

You could also look at adding a second heat mat to the cold side, setting its thermostat to achieve 80 degree surface temps.

As for humidity, different tricks work for different people. I use Reptile Prime for substrate and mist my tanks. I'll mist more frequently if I know a snake is going into shed. I also redampen the substrate after spot cleaning the cages. This has been sufficient to give good sheds. I use a reptile mister to make things easier.

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

One recommendation I have is to replace your stick on thermometer with a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. You can get an Accurite off Amazon for like $8-$10. They're more accurate. Are you also measuring surface temps with a temp gun?

What wattage heat bulb do you use? You may simply need a higher wattage. I usually go with 75 watt infrared bulbs because our room is fairly warm and then dial them down on a dimmer until I achieve desired ambient. I've read mixed info on whether snakes can actually see infrared light. So far I haven't had a problem leaving the bulbs on 24/7. Personally I do not like CHE's.

You could also look at adding a second heat mat to the cold side, setting its thermostat to achieve 80 degree surface temps.

As for humidity, different tricks work for different people. I use Reptile Prime for substrate and mist my tanks. I'll mist more frequently if I know a snake is going into shed. I also redampen the substrate after spot cleaning the cages. This has been sufficient to give good sheds. I use a reptile mister to make things easier.

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I agree a lot with what willow posted. You can also try adding sphagnum moss to hides to help with humidity and shedding. Quite a few use and recommend it. I personally am a big fan of it. I agree with the red lights, been using them for years. They don’t see the light, they see the heat signal. I think that confuses people into thinking they see the light. And I think Che’s burn way to hot at the base compared to similar watt bulbs. I checked/compared it myself thoroughly. Just my two cents. Peace.