New to Ball Pythons

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Originally Posted by HanDiCaPd

I didnt plan on using a thermostat but I was going to use a rheostat on the UTH and the Light so I could adjust.

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if its anything like this rheostat http://www.reptilesupply.com/images/...tat_deluxe.jpg i'd advise against it.

rheterostats are only good if you have a steady constant temperature in the surrounding room(s). thermostats are MUCH more foolproof (assuming you have a good one). i think there are a lot of threads explaining the differences and the goods and bads.

note: i looked up a rheostat and i still have no idea what it is. im not every electrical-savvy.

that said, your baby looks adorable and he is so pretty. his enclosure looks awesome and very natural i hope he's good for you!

a rheostat basicly is a device that allows me to regulate the amount of voltage that goes to the device. the device you posted is an example of a rheostat.

Ill look into a good thermostat tho.

How long should I wait to feed this guy? I just got him in yesterday.

I would wait at least a full week with little to no handling. I made the mistake of over handling my new guy and had a terrible time getting him to feed.

It can be done. You can maintain temps and humidity without a thermostat, but, it is very very tricky. It took me about a month to come up with a set up that works and is safe. I just wanted to see if it could be done. It's way easier with a thermostat!!!

Okay so with the thermostat do I put it on the cold side to measure the ambient temp and humidity and then place the outdoor probe on the hot side?

Do the plugs for the UTH and the Light plug straight into the thermostat?

I was thinking of replacing the light bulb I have now with a red night bulb for a little extra heat and so I can view him at night. Is that okay? My room gets very cold at night so it should help keep his enclosure the right temps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HanDiCaPd

Okay so with the thermostat do I put it on the cold side to measure the ambient temp and humidity and then place the outdoor probe on the hot side?

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You're thinking Thermometer here, which you would set up just like you describe.

A thermostat would have the probe attached to the UTH, usually on the outside of the tank and taped directly to the heater. You would then set the temp on the thermostat to keep it from getting over 93-94 degrees. The hot side temp would need to be measured on the glass, inside the tank.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HanDiCaPd

Do the plugs for the UTH and the Light plug straight into the thermostat? I was thinking of replacing the light bulb I have now with a red night bulb for a little extra heat and so I can view him at night. Is that okay? My room gets very cold at night so it should help keep his enclosure the right temps.

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On the tanks I have both an UTH and a red light on, I only plug the UTH into the thermostat and leave the light on all the time. The light, if isn't over 50W or so, won't get hot enough to cause a problem and the thermostat can them regulate the UTH temp.

Thanks guys for all the help.

I do have another question, while my snake is adjusting to it's new home is it more stressful for the snake if I remove it from the tank and place it in a big tub while I move/rearrange some of the decor or if I leave it in the tank while I move things around?

The less you handle him the better. If there is gonna be alot of activity cover the glass so he cant see. Crumpling a bunch of newspaper and putting it in tank also helps him hide and feel undetected/secure.

So my snake is hanging out on top of the large trunk in his tank just laying there semi balled up spread across it and some of the vines. He hasnt gone in any of his 2 hides so far, during the day he was laying behind his hide between it and the tree trunk...

Is he just laying there because he is nocturnal or should I be worried that he does not like his hides? He hasnt even really gone into either them, im not sure if he really knows they are there. Maybe he just needs to discover them?

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Originally Posted by HanDiCaPd

...should I be worried...?

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That's gonna be me in a week :oops:
heh...sorry to hijack your thread. You probably should just give him a little time to get accustomed to the settings.