Surface vs ambient temperature... help.

I got my first BP a few days ago, and after a lot of modifications to his 10 gal tub, I'm finally getting the temperatures to where they roughly should be. However, I have two problems. First, there isn't much of a gradient to the temps. Both the ambient and cool temps are at 81 F. The UTH I'm using for his basking spot is at 95 F but I don't think it adds any heat to the enclosure. I know 81 F isn't dangerous, but I from what I've read a good temp gradient helps a lot with thermoregulation. Second, the surface temps I'm reading from my IR thermometer are much lower than the air temps (roughly 70 F all around). Should I worry more about surface temp than air temp, or am I overthinking things? Any help is appreciated.

A UTH will not raise ambient temperatures in the enclosure, it only creates a basking spot. If you put a hide over the UTH then the air under the hide will be warmer.

What kind of thermometer are you using to measure the ambient temperature? I don't see how you're getting ambient air temperatures in the low 80's with surface temps at 70*F.

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Originally Posted by ScaleyFlesh

I got my first BP a few days ago, and after a lot of modifications to his 10 gal tub, I'm finally getting the temperatures to where they roughly should be. However, I have two problems. First, there isn't much of a gradient to the temps. Both the ambient and cool temps are at 81 F. The UTH I'm using for his basking spot is at 95 F but I don't think it adds any heat to the enclosure. I know 81 F isn't dangerous, but I from what I've read a good temp gradient helps a lot with thermoregulation. Second, the surface temps I'm reading from my IR thermometer are much lower than the air temps (roughly 70 F all around). Should I worry more about surface temp than air temp, or am I overthinking things? Any help is appreciated.

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Welcome to the forums!:welcome:

I agree with bcr, the only thing your UTH is doing is heating up that one spot, it's not helping with your ambient temperatures. I'd also like to know what kind of thermometers you're using because unless your room is 81 I doubt the inside of your tub is with just a UTH. You're probably going to need some type of overhead heat source.

jmcrook shared his quarantine tub set up and you can take a look at the link below. His was for a carpet python I'm sure, but the idea is the same and will probably solve some of your issues.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Quarantine-Tub

I know hindsight is 20/20 but in the future, I would recommend setting enclosures up and letting them run for a week, if not two, prior to bringing a snake home. That way you can make adjustments and fix any issues before your animal is living in the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

A UTH will not raise ambient temperatures in the enclosure, it only creates a basking spot. If you put a hide over the UTH then the air under the hide will be warmer.

What kind of thermometer are you using to measure the ambient temperature? I don't see how you're getting ambient air temperatures in the low 80's with surface temps at 70*F.

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Well in many basements and even other floors the floor can be much colder than the air because heat rises. The enclosure could be on a stand or even on the floor and you could very well have colder surface temps than air temp. I could be wrong but this seems true in the basements I've lived in. Both wood burning and oil burning homes.

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If you are just using heat tape or a heat pad and not a heat lamp than I would put a bed sheet over your enclosure it will help out a lot with maintaining your ambient heat as well as your humidity. You could also put foil on top but for me it is just easier to but a bed sheet over plus it adds another layer of security for your bp they do not like glass/see thru enclosures. If you have not already get yourself one of those heat temp guns and scan a couple different areas of the enclosure like 4 places just to get a better idea of what temps are like.

Hope that helps!

I ordered these hygrometers/thermometers off of amazon. Maybe they just aren't accurate?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the reply. I was hesitant to use a CHE with a plastic tub due to concerns of it getting too hot, but it looks like it's worth a try. That might solve all my problems!