Re: New to the world of ball pythons HELP!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jessica Porter
Thanks ok so the day light is now gone. That will save some money.
My heat side is almost up to 80 and the humidity is a little past 40 right now.
Would it be better to get a 75 watt red bulb for the heat side?
and to help with humidity would it be ok to cover one side of the lid with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Hello, and :welcome to BP.net.
Since you have an Under Tank Heat Pad, this is what is going to give you the warm basking spot. I strongly recommend getting a thermostat to control it. This will regulate the heat pad so that it maintains a stable temperature and not allow it to get hot enough to burn your snake. There are several different styles and brands that range in price from about $30 for a good basic thermostat, up to $300+ for the high end models designed for multiple and advanced applications. If you need links to the manufacturers and websites, we will be happy to provide you with them.
Basically, the set-up will be with two identical hides, one on each end. You will need either a thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun. You should measure the warm side temperature inside the tank, under the substrate, on top of the glass, above the heat pad. You would adjust the settings on the thermostat so that spot is maintained at 90-92F. The reason that you measure the temperature under the substrate is because as the snakes move around inside the hides they will move the substrate or burrow down to the heat, so that is the hottest temperature that they can be exposed to. It will also help if you make the substrate layer only about 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
The cool side, which is also the ambient air temperature is what you need to maintain at around 78-80F. Since you have such a tall tank, a red heat bulb or ceramic heat emitter will work as a supplemental heat source to keep the ambient temps where they should be. The ambient air temp on the warm side does not need to be 92F since you are providing belly heat. It sounds like you are maintaining the ambient air temp with a 60 watt red bulb, so you shouldn't need a 75 watt bulb unless the ambient temps don't hold.
To help with humidity, you can cover the entire screen with aluminum foil except for a cut-out for the lamp and maybe about 1 inch or so on each end, which will allow for ventilation.
Some thing that can help with heat retention is to insulate the back and ends of the tank. You can use anything like cardboard, styrofoam insulation or foam core board. You can use this with or without aquarium scenery. I prefer the foam core board because you can get it in different colors and it provides a cleaner look in my opinion. You can usually find it at places like Wal-Mart and Target in the school supplies section near the poster board. All you have to do is cut it to fit the glass and tape it on.
As was already mentioned, you can provide something for you BP to climb on, to help clutter up the tank. Keep in mind that BP's are not the greatest climbers, but they can, and do, so whatever you choose, be it branches or sticks from a store, or something that you make from PVC pipe, make sure it is sturdy and stable enough to support the weight of the snake and not tip or fall over.
Something else that you can use to fill in some of the open space is fake vines and/or plants. Most pet stores will usually carry some of these, or you can go to an arts and crafts store like Michael's and find a pretty good selection, and they are usually cheaper than pet stores. Just make sure that you clip off any sharp points or loops on the end. It also helps, if you want to mount them to the glass, to use a hot glue gun instead of the little suction cup hooks that sometimes come with them.
I hope this helps a little...
Re: New to the world of ball pythons HELP!!
ya so far the light has been on since around 7 this morning and it is only about 80 on the warm side so I think the 60 watt will need to go back. So ill take back the thermometer and get an electronic one instead.
Thanks so much for the help.
