low ambients, but perfect hot spot.

it rarely gets cold down here this far south but the weather is messing with my snakes temps, hot side is 88-91 or so but the ambients have fallen quite drastically, what is the easiest approach to maintaining above 75?

will it hurt them for a few days to have it cold ambient but good on the hot side?

both my rtb and BP are on the hot side hides.

Chad

What sort of heat setup are you using?

I use a space heater in my snake area to keep ambient temps above 68.
Hot spot of 92-93 degrees at all times.
Ambient temps this time of year in the snake room are 68 degrees early morning to 75 degrees by mid day.
The rest of the year I maintain the snake area around 73 to 75 degrees 24/7

i have read to low of ambients can lead to RI's i lost a snake earlier this year and since then have been using snakes rkewls advice with a space heater.

running a heater in the one room for your snake is a lot cheaper than a visit to the vets for a R.I.

Oil filled space heater is the way to go.

If it's not going to be sustained at that temperature, it's no big deal. They will thermoregulate.

heating setup is UTH and t-stat guess I should go get a little space heater, thanks.

Chad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nimitz87

heating setup is UTH and t-stat guess I should go get a little space heater, thanks.

Chad

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I have a $15 ceramic space heater that has a dial to adjust temp and works pretty well, granted its in my closet in a small space; but it is on low and holding temps fine, even when my bedroom was in the low 5x range.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lexxielightning

If it's not going to be sustained at that temperature, it's no big deal. They will thermoregulate.

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are u sayin a heater is not needed? if so poo poo advice friend

If your hot spot is correct then you've got good temperatures. It may not be in your ambient room temperature but if there is enough of a hot spot then somewhere in their enclosure is the temperatures they want. The heat radiates to slowly go down to the lower ambient temperatures from the hot spot. It doesn't just go from hot to cold from one spot to the next so the snakes do have a variance in temperatures within the enclosure to find their optimal spot. I would recommend trying to raise the ambient temps but I wouldn't say that its a dire concern for the snakes health.

well when i had my ball python before finding this site i just had a uth for my bp and that was it, he was in my room he lived for 3.5 years before a rat killed him. just my expirience he shed ate everything normal

Quote:

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Originally Posted by osmbr

well when i had my ball python before finding this site i just had a uth for my bp and that was it, he was in my room he lived for 3.5 years before a rat killed him. just my expirience he shed ate everything normal

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Did you really just come on here and say that? Congrats that your snake lived poorly for 3.5 years. Atleast the rat did that snake a favor. Hope you do a tad bit more research before getting another.

To the OP
Since space heater has been mentioned. You could try supplemental side heat. A strip of flexwatt running along side the enclosurer from hot side to cool side to help the over all temps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LOSTCOAST_BALLZ

are u sayin a heater is not needed? if so poo poo advice friend

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It's not exactly "poo poo advice". Short periods of time like this should not hurt a healthy Ball Python. It's actually what a lot of breeders will do during breeding season. There's a great chance your BP will go off feed though when temps dip.:taz:

BG wouldn't suggest keeping things this way, but short periods should not hurt your snake. No it's not "ideal", but it's not the end of the world. To keep things "ideal", a space heater as suggested would be the easiest fix.:gj:

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/...209_180519.jpg

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Remo...isplay/7855541

That is what I use to hear the small room i'm in. Like $45 bucks for it at wal-mart. Built in digital thermostat. Keeps the room nice and warm. I don't set it to 80 like most people I like to keep the room about 77.

It kicks on at 76 and shuts off at 79. Because the ambient temps in tubs are +4 deg generally so it always around 79-81 in the tubs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

Did you really just come on here and say that? Congrats that your snake lived poorly for 3.5 years. Atleast the rat did that snake a favor. Hope you do a tad bit more research before getting another.

To the OP
Since space heater has been mentioned. You could try supplemental side heat. A strip of flexwatt running along side the enclosurer from hot side to cool side to help the over all temps.

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i guess if you read it and responded i really came on here and said that, ctfd.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by osmbr

i guess if you read it and responded i really came on here and said that, ctfd.

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That wasn't the greatest thing to post on this website a lot of people are going to chew you a new one for that. And seriously you shouldn't have snakes if you allowed a rat to chew your snake to death.:colbert:

There is another option is to increase the efficiency of your enclosure. Insulate the top and back if it is against a wall. The reduction in heat loss will raise the ambient temps if this is a temporary situation it may be enough to get you over the cold snap. Without spending the POWER needed for a supplement heater. I don't know what type of enclosure you have but planning air circulation from under the enclosure where the uth is will raise the cool end temps too.

I have been running efficient enclosures for many many years (not for Balls but other herps) it can be very cost effective mine will maintain 80/91 ambient of 84 (mid air temp) with next to no power use in a very cool room 64º and will hold 80 for about 8 hours with out power. (My power bill for 4 enclosures is 18$ more every 2 months)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/...209_180519.jpg

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Remo...isplay/7855541

That is what I use to hear the small room i'm in. Like $45 bucks for it at wal-mart. Built in digital thermostat. Keeps the room nice and warm. I don't set it to 80 like most people I like to keep the room about 77.

It kicks on at 76 and shuts off at 79. Because the ambient temps in tubs are +4 deg generally so it always around 79-81 in the tubs.

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i was looking at the lasko 755350? and i heard a lot of good things about their products but people have said they overheat easily and the chords and plug will heat up and can burn the wall and even start a fire. and since we need out rooms warm all the time we will need them running all the time. have u had any problems with Lasko??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by osmbr

i guess if you read it and responded i really came on here and said that, ctfd.

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Then you should not own a bp. You should be locked up with 100x hungry rats until they eat you to death. Then we can go on a site and say we once knew a guy until rats killed him, now you ctfd

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

i was looking at the lasko 755350? and i heard a lot of good things about their products but people have said they overheat easily and the chords and plug will heat up and can burn the wall and even start a fire. and since we need out rooms warm all the time we will need them running all the time. have u had any problems with Lasko??

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Iv heard the same thing but let me correct you on one thing u maybe didn't read clearly or wasn't included. The cord heating up and the put heating up i read is only caused by the plug not being in fully. Like if the plug is half hanging out the wall i guess it has the "potential" to heat up and burn.

The thing I dont like about it, is that it has no feature where if it tips over it shuts off. But me i keep my heater in the back corner of room between my desk and my wall so it cant be knocked over. Only pulled it out for the pic.

Iv been running it with no problems. Cords seem fine... The plug seems fine. It heats up fine... I like it overall. It doesn't run all the time tho hardly at all. I got plastic covering my windows along with a thing at the bottom of my door to keep air in. so my room holds heat pretty well. So it doesnt loose heat much where it needs to run a lot.

But overall man I think its worth it. If its as unsafe as u read, Iv yet to see bad reviews saying their house was burned because of it. Nor do i think they would allow them to be sold if the cold and plug just over heated without being misused.

I like it :) Im happy with the $50 i spent on it

i think ill go pick one up then. they have a ton of good reviews.

i was like 12 years old when that happened im am a responsible pet owner now reason i joined this site. sorry if i came off as a bad owner, im in the process of setting up a good enclosure for a future bp. if you look at my post for kingsnake and milksnake area i just saved these snakes from a crummy petstore, and they are in a proper setup now, all my animals are in good health. my bad for coming off as a dumb owner.

Across their natural range they would during the winter encounter temperatures into the low 60's. According to most of you commenting some breeders cooling regimens should give all their snake RI's.

OP, you should consider getting something to maintain temps, but if your snake is healthy and it can still thermoregulate it should not magically get a respiratory infection like some seem to suggest. That being said, you should do what's best for your snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mpkeelee

i think ill go pick one up then. they have a ton of good reviews.

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I love the one i have :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by osmbr

i was like 12 years old when that happened im am a responsible pet owner now reason i joined this site. sorry if i came off as a bad owner, im in the process of setting up a good enclosure for a future bp. if you look at my post for kingsnake and milksnake area i just saved these snakes from a crummy petstore, and they are in a proper setup now, all my animals are in good health. my bad for coming off as a dumb owner.

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You comment one thing that had nothing to do with the thread at all what so ever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

Across their natural range they would during the winter encounter temperatures into the low 60's. According to most of you commenting some breeders cooling regimens should give all their snake RI's.

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So breeders cool them a little bit. I do not think they allow them low enough for a RI tho. Can they handle below 75 deg? Yea. they could prolly live in the winter with a 70 deg ambient temp and not have any sickness. But i just like to not risk it :please:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by f4n70m

So breeders cool them a little bit. I do not think they allow them low enough for a RI tho. Can they handle below 75 deg? Yea. they could prolly live in the winter with a 70 deg ambient temp and not have any sickness. But i just like to not risk it :please:

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I agree with what you're saying it but not at all how you're saying it.