New ball python owner

Sup guys i am new to ball python keeping i have yellowbelly pastel female i think shes like 4 months old…i am useing reptichip for beding…shes has a heatmat on hot side set at 92f probe is under her on glass…i also have a deep heat emitter 80 w seting over her hide on hot side temp reads about 98 to 100 f…hide is black…checked with temp gun… humidity is seting at 43%…i got her on Wednesday the breeder said she get feed on Fridays…should i try to feed her now or wait? Ambient is 75 to 80f…is there anything i should improve on?? Any tips would be appreciated sorry for the long post this will be a lifelong pet shes in a 40 gallon breeder all sides are blacked out and top of the mesh screen is taped off besides where the heat lamp is… she never comes out of her hide maybe at night she dose? Maybe i should check on her dont want to stress her out

Hot side is way, way too hot. Cool side is dipping into too cool. You want the hot side about 90F and cool side about 78F. Humidity could afford to go up a little bit, you will probably have shedding issues. I'd let her settle in a week before trying to feed her. You do want some airflow, just not so much that you can't keep temp and humidity right, so I'd probably uncover a little bit more. It's completely normal for her to stay in her hide during the day, especially when she is in a new environment and scared. 40g may be a bit big and intimidating to her so to make sure she feels safe, I'd have multiple hides and decorations to clutter things up and give her plenty of cover.

Is the probe inside the enclosure or underneath? How is it attached? You want to make sure it can't be dislodged or have tape she can get stuck in, so usually outside, directly on the heat mat is best.

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Originally Posted by nikkubus

Hot side is way, way too hot. Cool side is dipping into too cool. You want the hot side about 90F and cool side about 78F. Humidity could afford to go up a little bit, you will probably have shedding issues. I'd let her settle in a week before trying to feed her. You do want some airflow, just not so much that you can't keep temp and humidity right, so I'd probably uncover a little bit more. It's completely normal for her to stay in her hide during the day, especially when she is in a new environment and scared. 40g may be a bit big and intimidating to her so to make sure she feels safe, I'd have multiple hides and decorations to clutter things up and give her plenty of cover.

Is the probe inside the enclosure or underneath? How is it attached? You want to make sure it can't be dislodged or have tape she can get stuck in, so usually outside, directly on the heat mat is best.

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The probe is in side of Tank I put a little bit of black tap to hold it down ....probe is where the heat mat is under hide.
...those 98f readings are on top of her hide....floor temp on hot side it's around 85 to 90f...floor temp on cool side is readings g 73f....air temp is reading 81 right now

Should I move the heat lamp away from her hot hide

Sounds like you need a second thermostat for the lamp. I'd err on the side of too cold instead of too hot. Cold can slowly kill, heat can kill very fast. If it were me I'd remove or shut off the lamp even if temps drop a bit until you have a second thermostat for it. I'd move the probe to directly on the heat mat if it were me. How are you measuring temps? Some devices can be pretty unreliable. I like having a surface reading temp gun that is properly calibrated, along with a few stationary thermometers that stay put in the enclosure in different parts. It's concerning it's going up and down so much instead of consistent. Is it really cold in the room the enclosure is in?

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Originally Posted by fredmsi

The probe is in side of Tank I put a little bit of black tap to hold it down ....probe is where the heat mat is under hide.
...those 98f readings are on top of her hide....floor temp on hot side it's around 85 to 90f...floor temp on cool side is readings g 73f....air temp is reading 81 right now

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The probe for your heatmat should be secured between the mat and the underside of the tank. As it is, your bp will likely dislodge it causing your heatmat to become dangerously hot. Also, you should never use tape to secure things inside of a snake's enclosure. They get stuck to it and injure themselves. I also think your temps are off. This forum has a care guide that you should consult here (https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ius)-Caresheet). Pics would help up to further advise you. This thread will show you how to post (https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures).