:( Major temp probs...

keep the enclosure on the ground. heat rises and this might help a little. a fan blowing on it will do nothing but blow hot air around, and lower the humidity. keep the humidity up by misting, that helps lower temps a few degrees (use ice cold water).

get a/c :)

Well, we haven't found a place yet, and A/C is on the 'must have for Adri's new pet' list...

so describe the areas you have available to put the cage in. what's your budget right now? and, how often can you check on the snake?

so i had this idea for increasing humidity and water freshness. I had never heard anybody else talk about it so I never tried it. But recently, I found it in a python book! The technique is to get a fish tank air pump, hose, and aeration stone attachment. Hook it all up and put the aeration stone in the snake's water dish. You should get a nice source of fizzy air into the water in the dish. I'm sure this will decrease this temperatures and increase the humidity in the tank. I also suspect that it is good for the water because oxygenating things tends to kill bacteria (think of the difference between running water and stagnant water).

Give it a try and let me know how it goes! The cost is very low and I bet it will help alot. It can't hurt!

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Originally Posted by GirDance

Yeah... I think it might be uncommon because most *people* find living at that temp unbearable!!!

Thanks!! I'll definately try that, we have two fans in here, but they don't seem to be doing much... Maybe I'll try a wet towel over the vent with a fan aimed down at it... With the paper towel in there instead of coconut fiber my humidity is too low at the moment as well...

If I can't get it down should I just go without a 'hot' side till we get an air conditioned place at the end of August?? Or settle with the 98 ish hot side and the 89 cool?

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not sure if a minimum of 89 is cool. Also, if you're going to try the fan thing, the water is important (think how sweat works to cool you down - evaporation).

Between me, the boyfriend and the roommate the snake can have someone to check on it every hour if needed, it's very rare that no one is home.

Next pay I've got quite a bit of money, money isn't really an object I'd rather have a well taken care of animal than an animal just for the sake of having it. I've already put about 300 or so into equipment etc over the past two months (for some reason things seem to be a lot more expensive in Canada because they're hard to find for me).

This is the only room where it would not be in direct sunlight or high traffic at all time's... I've been placing the thermometers in different rooms in the house for a day and a half and then checking the min/max settings before moving it. Temps in the house are pretty constant.

Basement is currently at 90% humidity because our stupid landlord flooded it on us last week and it took us a week before finding out it was flooded (he left a tap in the laundry sink on) because we rarely go down there - but it's always really humid. I'll try putting the thermometer in the dining room again tonight, check the min/max and then see if there is any way that I can manage to rearrange the furniture so there's no direct sunlight...

We don't have much room to move things, we've had two roommates move to other countries and 1 best friend, all three of them leaving us all their belongings... (We own 5 couches that we had to squeeze in somewhere!)

Hi,


Bearhart,

Actually I wouldn't put an airstone in the waterbowl as the vibrations could stress the snake - be we do have a sticky on an alternative that avoids that possibility.

Adri,

I asked what was controling the UTH because , if it was on a good theremostat then it would only turn on when required and turn off when it got to hot - and if you got a proportional thermostat ( like a helix) then it would run it at a lower voltage. This would give you more control than switching it on for 5 minutes as this gives you a false idea of what can be done.

How common is the 90 degree heat you are presently suffering?

Is there a big seasonal swing in the house and if so what are the low/highs?

This information will help people try and design a year round heating system for your tank to make sure it keeps your little guy happy.


dr del

Well, I've had the UTH completely off at the moment because my entire tank is just below 90 (staying around 89). It's the 'cool' side that the issue is with, not the hot. I've had no heating sources on actually.

Definately seasonal, and definately typical, however not this bad for everyone... We're renting a really old home - duplex - and for some reason you could open every single window in the house and you don't get the slightest bit of a breeze through any of them. There's not much point worrying about your heating system if your entire tank is pretty much as hot as you ever want it to be with absolutely no heat source :) I have a T-Stat, I just see no point even plugging it in because I don't want it to get any warmer. I only turned on the UTH to see *how* hot it would get if it was turned on for even 5 mins. Within 30 seconds it was at 92, 1 min 94. It will be about this hot for another 2 months...

In the winter it will get to be about -10 to -20 (celcius), but in the winter we're able to regulate the heating levels... We're moving soon, I'm demanding air conditioning, then I'll actually be able to use the TStat and UTH.

Hi,


Yes that's how hot it gets uncontrolled in 5 minutes.

Controlled by a correctly set thermostat it wouldnt get any hotter than 94 thus giving you a small but at least existing thermal gradient.

The reason I recomend that is that, even allowing it should last as is for 2 months, you wouldn't need to adjust the heating again as long as it could keep the cool end above 80f.

I know at the moment your problem seems like it is cooling but its best to set up the systems in the tank to cater for the full range while it is empty and there can be fluctuations without putting any animals at risk.



dr del

Thanks :)
I'm checking out the cool side temps under the dining room table at the moment... If I can get a min max closer to the 80 range I'll just be crawling around on the floor to do anything! The only concern with that is the roommate's cat stressing out the snake... This room is also the only one with a 'no cat's allowed' barrier (because I'm severly allergic and this has become 'my room').

I just wanted to get a good base before I even start with anything else because with a base temp that's off everything is just going to be out of wack... Because I know the thermostat will work I didn't even bother with it at the moment!