New owner with a few questions

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Originally Posted by BPGator

You should have a thermostat to regulate the heat pad temperature.


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That is in the list of things I plan on getting when I can.

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Originally Posted by Bennie1986

That is in the list of things I plan on getting when I can.

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Touch your hand directly over where the heat pad is. Now imagine the snake slithering slowly directly on that spot. Unplug the heat pad until you get the thermostat, unless of course you don't have the heat pad on yet.


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Originally Posted by Bamdiggity

Touch your hand directly over where the heat pad is. Now imagine the snake slithering slowly directly on that spot. Unplug the heat pad until you get the thermostat, unless of course you don't have the heat pad on yet.


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I have an inch or so of bedding over it. If it were to hot wouldn't she just head to her cool side until she want the extra heat again? Seems to be what she has been doing.

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Originally Posted by Bennie1986

That is in the list of things I plan on getting when I can.

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Under-tank heaters get hot enough to burn in under 30 minutes if left unregulated. A vet bill for a burned snake will cost several times what a thermostat does - and you still have to purchase a thermostat.

Ball pythons are a burrowing species. They live underground in nature. They will push the aspen aside and lie on the glass, and they will let themselves get burned.

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Originally Posted by Bennie1986

I have an inch or so of bedding over it. If it were to hot wouldn't she just head to her cool side until she want the extra heat again? Seems to be what she has been doing.

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Snakes burrow to get closer to the heat, and aren't great at judging temperatures on their bellies, so an UTH and no thermostat means disaster waiting to happen.

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She may actually burn herself rather than cool off. If you're on a budget, order a Jumpstart thermostat off of Amazon. It's like $30. You should have a thermometer taking a reading of the glass temp right next to your UTH (under the substrate). That temperature should not exceed 90°F.


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An unregulated UTH will hit the 120 degree mark in under 45 minutes AND KEEP CLIMBING. I tested one, and unplugged it after it hit 147. It took under an hour. No amount of aspen is going to protect against that. You know the saying about how to boil a frog? If you put it into boiling water, it struggles to get out. If you put it in tepid water and slowly bring the water to a boil, it never realizes what's happening and it dies. Same thing with snakes. If the pet store let you walk out with a new snake, UTH, and no thermostat, AND NEVER COUNSELLED YOU TO GET A THERMOSTAT, but they sent you out the door with everything g else, right down to 2 hides (good) and a lamp (unnecessary), then shame on them. Maybe they just didn't have one to sell you...

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Originally Posted by BPGator

You should have a thermometer taking a reading of the glass temp right next to your UTH (under the substrate). That temperature should not exceed 90°F.


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I was instructed to put the probe for thermostat in between the UTH and the glass, outside of tank so as the probe cannot be moved by the snake and worry about a misread. Also if you do decide to put the probe under substrate do not use tape to secure it as I've heard a snake and tape can be fatal. Just a beginners opinion 😀

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Originally Posted by amrakweno

I was instructed to put the probe for thermostat in between the UTH and the glass, outside of tank so as the probe cannot be moved by the snake and worry about a misread. Also if you do decide to put the probe under substrate do not use tape to secure it as I've heard a snake and tape can be fatal. Just a beginners opinion [emoji3]

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That is correct - the thermostat probe should be between the UTH and the glass. I was referring to a thermometer probe on the inside between the glass and substrate so you know the actual temperature your snake can experience.


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Originally Posted by amrakweno

I was instructed to put the probe for thermostat in between the UTH and the glass, outside of tank so as the probe cannot be moved by the snake and worry about a misread. Also if you do decide to put the probe under substrate do not use tape to secure it as I've heard a snake and tape can be fatal. Just a beginners opinion ��

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The way you mentioned is ideal ( stat probe between the heat mat and the outside of the glass ) and then regulate by checking the inside of the viv above the heat where the probe is set ( I use a digital temp gun for reading the temp and then setting the thermostat ) it's obviously crucial to keep checking the temps .