Re: temps not high enough!
Re: temps not high enough!
Re: temps not high enough!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristyR
I'm so frustrated because it seems like everyone has their own opinions as to how to house these little guys.
I'm sorry for any frustration that I caused. Here is an explaination of what I meant:
You only need to measure two areas. ACTUALLY, you do not need to constantly measure the temps if your thermostats are correctly calibrated.
There are three areas of Temperature concern that are involved in a snake enclosure. (1) the high end or hot spot (2) the cool end (3) ambient temp.
With a Ball (royal) Python [BP], only two temps are necessary as the ambient temp and the cool end should be the same ~ 80F. The hot end should be ~90F.
The hot end is "usually" created by an Under Tank Heating element (UTH). When this is the case the temperature should be taken on the glass under the hide that is in this area. WHY? Because a BP will usually move any substrate to make the most of the available heat. UNFORTUNATELY, snakes do not have an internal temperature gauge like mammals. Therefore, they can and do often "burn" themselves on a hot element. That is why you should never put a HOT ROCK in a snake's cage. The HIGHEST temperature that the glass above the hot area should be is 94F -- allowing for a moderate amount of substrate this would drop the temp to ~90F at the top of the substrate.
The cool end can be measured as ambient temperature UNLESS there is another UTH controlling the cool side. Usually this is not the case, only in places where the outside temperature is very cold do owners put a second UTH. Most environments use a ceramic heating element from above to heat the entire enclosure thus creating the ambient temp to around ~80F. If a UTH is used then you need to monitor the temp from the substrate above that UTH. If an above CHE is employed then you can measure the temp from a wall about 1 inch above the substrate.
I hope that this clears up what we mean when we ask for your temps: Hot value and cold(ambient) value.
HUMIDITY is a totally different issue. Probably the most difficult to control -- and the reason why most people switch to tubs... (discussed widely on BP.net) I am not an expert on humidity, but I have been successful with a bunch of exotic ways to increase it in glass enclosures. PM me if you are having trouble with your RH [relative humidity].
Re: temps not high enough!
Oh no, YOU didn't cause me any frustration!! I'm just frustrated in 'general' because I want to be sure and house this guy properly and it seems I've read so many different things!!
Thanks very much for the info and I've got it fixed now!
Re: temps not high enough!
So here is what I've got;
My cages are home made. Two are 48"Lx24"Wx18"H split in half and one is the same only 12"H, split in three. In the 12"H cage I have 3" Flex watt that runs the lenght of the cage on a dimmer (which will be a thermostat this weekend) with an Accurite probe taped to the bottom on top of the plexiglass over the Flexwatt that stays between 90 and 94 deg depending on the room temp. I have had to sacrifice some ambient temp due to bad sheds related to low humidity. So, my question is, if they have a warm spot and the humidity is right, won't they just stay there? I'm not talking 40 deg on the ambient temp, but mid 70's. I have had to make a choice, and since there is a appropriate warm spot, I feel I need to go with the humidity. The lamps are just too drying, especially in the smaller cage. Its much more manageable in the larger ones, since the lamp is 6 inches higher from the bottom of the cage. I went with the lower hight for the babies so they don't feel like they are in a cavern, and they have good hides at both ends. The lights actually made the humidity gage hit "Lo". I can't keep the room that they are in at 80 deg. I guess this makes me a bad person, but its not like it's 80 on one end and 60 on the other.
Quote:
There are three areas of Temperature concern that are involved in a snake enclosure. (1) the high end or hot spot (2) the cool end (3) ambient temp.
With a Ball (royal) Python [BP], only two temps are necessary as the ambient temp and the cool end should be the same ~ 80F. The hot end should be ~90F.
The hot end is "usually" created by an Under Tank Heating element (UTH). When this is the case the temperature should be taken on the glass under the hide that is in this area. WHY? Because a BP will usually move any substrate to make the most of the available heat. UNFORTUNATELY, snakes do not have an internal temperature gauge like mammals. Therefore, they can and do often "burn" themselves on a hot element. That is why you should never put a HOT ROCK in a snake's cage. The HIGHEST temperature that the glass above the hot area should be is 94F -- allowing for a moderate amount of substrate this would drop the temp to ~90F at the top of the substrate.
The cool end can be measured as ambient temperature UNLESS there is another UTH controlling the cool side. Usually this is not the case, only in places where the outside temperature is very cold do owners put a second UTH. Most environments use a ceramic heating element from above to heat the entire enclosure thus creating the ambient temp to around ~80F. If a UTH is used then you need to monitor the temp from the substrate above that UTH. If an above CHE is employed then you can measure the temp from a wall about 1 inch above the substrate.
I hope that this clears up what we mean when we ask for your temps: Hot value and cold(ambient) value.
HUMIDITY is a totally different issue. Probably the most difficult to control -- and the reason why most people switch to tubs... (discussed widely on BP.net) I am not an expert on humidity, but I have been successful with a bunch of exotic ways to increase it in glass enclosures. PM me if you are having trouble with your RH [relative humidity].
