Still new to this.. Had her since April 20th - QUESTIONS

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Originally Posted by RedRabbit

You're asking good questions. There are a few distinct points I want to help address, so I'm gonna try to separate them into sections for easier reading.

The Shed:
- One valuable thing I learned from this forum is that "the next shed begins as soon as the previous one ends." What that means is that, in order for your snake to have a good shed, the humidity conditions have to be on target all the time, not just during the visible shedding period. You mentioned you've been wrestling with the humidity being too low, so for however long it's been in the 20% range, that unfortunately contributed to this time's patchy shed too.
- My first snake Iggy also had two really patchy sheds before I was able to get everything optimized. If Nyx looks like she's done the best she can but still has chunks of shed stuck to her, then in my experience, those only become harder to get off the more you wait on them. In Iggy's case, I did end up giving him a brief warm water soak and then wiping the stuck shed off with a washcloth, and it worked, though of course he didn't like it one bit. If you do decide to go that route, just make sure to read up on it thoroughly so that you're well-prepared and it minimizes stress on your snake; the forum has a great sticky on it here:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...hed-No-problem

The Humidity:
- You probably already know this from previous research and/or other advice on here, but just to be sure - you'll want to aim for around 50-60% humidity at baseline, and shoot for 70% when you see your snake has gone blue/gray and is visibly getting ready to shed.
- Sadly, heat bulbs are really good at drying things out very quickly. If you definitely need the bulb for maintaining your target temperature gradient, then just be prepared to mist regularly to compensate.
- It's good that you have a large water dish - more surface area for that water to evaporate into the air and help the humidity a bit.
- I don't have experience with the cypress mulch so I can't comment on that, but I have heard that coconut fiber substrates are pretty effective for holding a lot of moisture/humidity without getting water-logged.

The Heat Pad + Thermostat:
I'd probably need set-up pictures or more details to give you more specific advice, but here are my questions and comments just going by your current description.
- What kind of thermostat do you have? We might be able to help you troubleshoot why it doesn't seem to be working properly.
- If the heating pad is not adhered to the surface of the tank anymore, then we definitely have a problem there. It's designed to be able to generate a good amount of heat, but in a way that's very localized to a surface and does not "radiate" very far. I wouldn't recommend just letting it sit and run unregulated at full capacity; it'd be at best, unreliable as a heat source, and at worst, a fire hazard waiting to happen (and not something you want anywhere near your cute ball python).
- What is the reason the heat pad is not sticking anymore? If it's just that the adhesive on it was weak, then you can tape it flush to the glass with a heat-safe tape. If it's because the heating pad was peeled back at some point and then stuck back on, then I would recommend replacing with a new heat pad. The peeling back can easily warp and damage the wiring within the pad, resulting in faulty, uneven functioning that even a thermostat can't do much to help.
- Might be an obvious question, but - where is the thermostat probe placed? A thermostat can only do its job based on what its probe measures, so that might also be part of your issue. Most people on this forum place the probe either sandwiched between the heat mat and the glass surface, or right flush against the heat mat's outer surface. If your heat mat isn't even attached to the tank at this point ... well then, you see why I'm asking, haha.

I realize that's a lot of text to wade through, so I apologize for that, but I hope at least some of this info is helpful to you!

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Hi thank you for your help.. The heating pad must have gotten so hot it warped itself and was off the tank when I went back to plug it in with a thermostat. I purchased an inexpensive one because of how much I've already spend trying to make things right for her.
You're right, the bulb dries everything out immediately. It's to the point where I have to mist everyday and cannot get the humidity to stay where it needs to be. By the end of the day it's at 40%.
I am currently soaking her in water to see if I can help with the remaining shed that's left on the thick part of her body. I'm worried that over misting is going to cause mold/mildew. I pretty much have to soak the substrate. The other day I put the moss we soak and use in the hide and that was all dried out by the end of the night. I think I'm going to put the smaller water dish back in. And put it under the lamp.. No heating pad for the time being. Have to find a good one that will stick to the tank. Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate? I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?

Side note. She has always been eating fuzzies. I attempted the small mice the other day (so much larger than a fuzzie) she tried to eat it. Wanted it. No go.. I cut it in half. No go. I ended up going to the store and buying fuzzies and figure I'll give her twice a week. While her mid section is thick. Her neck is maybe as big as a dime around. I appreciate all the help. The humidity is a never ending problem I can't seem to get right

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Originally Posted by Slownlow

Hi thank you for your help.. The heating pad must have gotten so hot it warped itself and was off the tank when I went back to plug it in with a thermostat. I purchased an inexpensive one because of how much I've already spend trying to make things right for her.
You're right, the bulb dries everything out immediately. It's to the point where I have to mist everyday and cannot get the humidity to stay where it needs to be. By the end of the day it's at 40%.
I am currently soaking her in water to see if I can help with the remaining shed that's left on the thick part of her body. I'm worried that over misting is going to cause mold/mildew. I pretty much have to soak the substrate. The other day I put the moss we soak and use in the hide and that was all dried out by the end of the night. I think I'm going to put the smaller water dish back in. And put it under the lamp.. No heating pad for the time being. Have to find a good one that will stick to the tank. Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate? I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?

Side note. She has always been eating fuzzies. I attempted the small mice the other day (so much larger than a fuzzie) she tried to eat it. Wanted it. No go.. I cut it in half. No go. I ended up going to the store and buying fuzzies and figure I'll give her twice a week. While her mid section is thick. Her neck is maybe as big as a dime around. I appreciate all the help. The humidity is a never ending problem I can't seem to get right

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No problem, and thanks for the thorough response, that helps us figure out how to help you. If the heating pad got so hot that it warped, then that is definitely scary and you don't want that anywhere near Nyx. I know how challenging it can be to optimize your snake's set-up while still working within a budget, but I can at least reassure you that after the initial expenses, it's much smoother sailing from there on.

Can I ask what type/brand of thermostat you have? I've found that as long as you invest in a reliable thermostat, you don't need to get fancy with the heating pad itself at all. Any of the common brands of reptile heat mats you often find in pet stores - Zoo Med, Zilla, Exo Terra, etc. - should work just fine, since the thermostat is doing the regulating. (I use the Zoo Med ones, myself.)

For the thermostat, in general, a "pulse proportional" thermostat (which constantly adjusts the power output to the heat pad to maintain a specific target temperature) is better than an "on/off" thermostat (which switches the heat pad off when it rises above target temp, then turns it back on when it drops below target temp, resulting in a wider range of temperature fluctuation). Many of the experienced snake keepers here will likely recommend the higher-end pulse-proportional ones from Herpstat (Spyder Robotics) or Vivarium Electronics, and the reason is because they are a good investment in terms of quality and long-term reliability. However, both of those are very expensive ($100+); luckily there are plenty of more affordable options. My first thermostat was the little 100W on/off one from Exo Terra (costs around $20-$30), and it was still much better than having no thermostat at all. Jumpstart is another commonly mentioned affordable on/off thermostat brand. Lastly, the 600W Exo Terra thermostat is probably the cheapest pulse proportional thermostat I've seen around (around $50-$60).

If your heat bulb is really eating through the humidity, do you think it would be possible for you to remove it? You would maintain the warm side temperature with the regulated heat mat, and the cool side/ambient temperature with a space heater just for the room that your snake is in. (Whether this is feasible kind of depends on where you live.)

Quick side question - what device(s) are you using to measure your temperatures in the tank?

For your specific questions about what to do in the meantime:
- "Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate?"
Yes, you can put the second water dish under the lamp. Since you mentioned you're going to turn off and stop using the warped heating pad (which I agree is a good call), then I assume you mean once you've replaced it with a new heating pad. Either on the glass or on the substrate is probably fine; I'd personally be inclined to put the dish on at least a thin layer of substrate.

- "I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?"
I would set the hides on top of substrate too; as long as your substrate layer is not too thick, the warmth from the heat pad will still reach your snake. And yes, one hide on the cool side of the thank, and one hide on the warm side.

And lastly (sorry, this got long again!), about the feeding. Unbelievable as it may seem, just go by the mid-section width for choosing prey size. I was pretty skeptical too about how that fat frozen/thawed rat was going to fit down the hatch, but after watching the swallowing process (my BEL, Ravus, is not at all shy about being watched while eating), that scrawny little dime-circumference neck can stretch more than a balloon! If your snake was struggling with the larger prey item, it isn't necessarily because it was too big, she might just need more time to figure out how to approach and swallow it. (This happens especially with young snakes, who may wrestle with trying to swallow the prey butt-first or sideways for hours before figuring things out ... or giving up until next time. :sigh2:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RedRabbit

No problem, and thanks for the thorough response, that helps us figure out how to help you. If the heating pad got so hot that it warped, then that is definitely scary and you don't want that anywhere near Nyx. I know how challenging it can be to optimize your snake's set-up while still working within a budget, but I can at least reassure you that after the initial expenses, it's much smoother sailing from there on.

Can I ask what type/brand of thermostat you have? I've found that as long as you invest in a reliable thermostat, you don't need to get fancy with the heating pad itself at all. Any of the common brands of reptile heat mats you often find in pet stores - Zoo Med, Zilla, Exo Terra, etc. - should work just fine, since the thermostat is doing the regulating. (I use the Zoo Med ones, myself.)

For the thermostat, in general, a "pulse proportional" thermostat (which constantly adjusts the power output to the heat pad to maintain a specific target temperature) is better than an "on/off" thermostat (which switches the heat pad off when it rises above target temp, then turns it back on when it drops below target temp, resulting in a wider range of temperature fluctuation). Many of the experienced snake keepers here will likely recommend the higher-end pulse-proportional ones from Herpstat (Spyder Robotics) or Vivarium Electronics, and the reason is because they are a good investment in terms of quality and long-term reliability. However, both of those are very expensive ($100+); luckily there are plenty of more affordable options. My first thermostat was the little 100W on/off one from Exo Terra (costs around $20-$30), and it was still much better than having no thermostat at all. Jumpstart is another commonly mentioned affordable on/off thermostat brand. Lastly, the 600W Exo Terra thermostat is probably the cheapest pulse proportional thermostat I've seen around (around $50-$60).

If your heat bulb is really eating through the humidity, do you think it would be possible for you to remove it? You would maintain the warm side temperature with the regulated heat mat, and the cool side/ambient temperature with a space heater just for the room that your snake is in. (Whether this is feasible kind of depends on where you live.)

Quick side question - what device(s) are you using to measure your temperatures in the tank?

For your specific questions about what to do in the meantime:
- "Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate?"
Yes, you can put the second water dish under the lamp. Since you mentioned you're going to turn off and stop using the warped heating pad (which I agree is a good call), then I assume you mean once you've replaced it with a new heating pad. Either on the glass or on the substrate is probably fine; I'd personally be inclined to put the dish on at least a thin layer of substrate.

- "I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?"
I would set the hides on top of substrate too; as long as your substrate layer is not too thick, the warmth from the heat pad will still reach your snake. And yes, one hide on the cool side of the thank, and one hide on the warm side.

And lastly (sorry, this got long again!), about the feeding. Unbelievable as it may seem, just go by the mid-section width for choosing prey size. I was pretty skeptical too about how that fat frozen/thawed rat was going to fit down the hatch, but after watching the swallowing process (my BEL, Ravus, is not at all shy about being watched while eating), that scrawny little dime-circumference neck can stretch more than a balloon! If your snake was struggling with the larger prey item, it isn't necessarily because it was too big, she might just need more time to figure out how to approach and swallow it. (This happens especially with young snakes, who may wrestle with trying to swallow the prey butt-first or sideways for hours before figuring things out ... or giving up until next time. :sigh2:)

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Spot on. If he can't ditch the heat lamp I would suggest switching to a PVC vision cage. Glass tanks IMO shouldn't be used for ball pythons. Also, if your room temp is lower and you can't use a space heater go with a PVC enclosure with a radiant heat panel and heat tape. Heat sources always controlled by a dimmer thermostat. IF someone can't afford a proper set up I don't think they should keep snakes.

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Originally Posted by Phantom1987

Spot on. If he can't ditch the heat lamp I would suggest switching to a PVC vision cage. Glass tanks IMO shouldn't be used for ball pythons. Also, if your room temp is lower and you can't use a space heater go with a PVC enclosure with a radiant heat panel and heat tape. Heat sources always controlled by a dimmer thermostat. IF someone can't afford a proper set up I don't think they should keep snakes.

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I have heard wonderful things about the PVC cages from Vision Cages, Animal Plastics, and Reptile Basics, among others. Great-looking and great quality enclosures! However, those come with pretty significant price tags, too. I do plan to eventually upgrade to PVC cages as my snakes' "forever homes" once they have reached adult size in 1-2 more years, but until then, they've got Sterilite tub setups, which are quite easy on the wallet.

I do agree that if someone cannot afford the essentials for keeping their snake healthy, then it may be best to wait until they're in a more secure financial position. However, I also think we can play a great role in helping a new keeper distinguish between what is non-negotiably "essential" and needs to be included in the budget, and what is "optimal" but not strictly necessary. So, a thermostat is an essential. But specifically a $100+ Herpstat thermostat? Maybe more optimal, but definitely not essential, haha. In a similar vein, a PVC cage is spectacular ... but a glass tank can definitely be modified to work. I've seen the "tanks vs. tubs" debate come up fairly frequently, particularly in ball python Facebook groups, and I understand the reasons for those who have strong opinions about them on either side - but I think one of the best things about this forum is that for any given enclosure type, glass tanks included, we have experienced keepers available and ready to chime in with setup advice.