Quick and urgent solutions for a bp lover on a budget!

Hello everyone,

I'm getting my first bp quite unexpectedly tonight, and may need to run out to buy some extra provisions. Now, I'm wondering what are the best things to get for cheap that are still accurate? I can't order online, but I can go to pet stores, target, Home Depot, etc. I'm thinking that I will need a thermometer/hydrometer (digital of course), and probably a thermostat (not just a light dimmer), as I don't think this rescue will come with these things. So what are the best products that can be found at common stores? I've been looking through Target and Walmart's thermometers and am getting terribly confused since I'm not sure which ones have probes. Links for stuff that is sold in-store and product names would be greatly appreciated! If it helps any, I'm in San Jose, CA.

Thanks ladies and gents,
Kat

Heating pad is a must. A reptile one, not a human one. A thermometer to regulate the heating pad, because it will get too hot. Two identical hides, a water bowl, Thermometer/Hydrometer, and substrate. I know places like Home Depot sell types of substrate, don't buy it from them, because they aren't cured to get rid of things like mites, which can be a real problem in Bp's. Get it from a pet store.

My recommendations:

http://lllreptile.com/load-image/Sto...age/image/3874 - Any Pet Store

http://www.reptilesupply.com/images/096316680203.jpg - Any Pet store

http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/cat...ages/aspen.jpg - Any pet store

http://www.songbirdgarden.com/store/...URITE00891.jpg - Walmart

Thanks for your reply. I know all of the requirements, I just need a quick solution for a thermostat and thermo/hydrometer. Do you know of any cheaper digital thermostats that are in the $30 range that could be found? I really hate dealing with non-digital stuff.

That accurite is $12 at walmart.

The thermostat on the other hand is one of the pricey items, that you really can't go without. It's cheaper to buy online. But if you can't afford it at the moment, I suggest buying a cheap plug in dimmer. It will control the output of heat, but it needs to be regulated because room temperature's often fluctuate and change the output of heat. You can buy them for $10 at Lowes or Home Depot.

Another thing you need is a temp gun. Another somewhat pricey item. You can get them at Radioshack or a pet store for around $30-$40. You need to know how hot certain spots get, because your BP can get burned or it can get too cold. The accurite only monitors ambient temps. The temp gun monitors hot and cold sides.

I know its overwhelming, but ensuring proper humidity keeps your ball python happy and healthy, and it ensures that he eats. It's a hefty investment, but once you procure all your necessary items, you won't really have to buy them again, unless for some reason they stop working.

Great list. Be careful with what you get for cheap and what you don't... some things are worth the extra money in the long run, such as a good thermostat and cured substrate that is free of pests. It is not worth it to pinch pennies now and end up with a huge vet bill later. Snakes are just kind of expensive to set up, but very cheap once they are set.

I disagree about the temp guns. There are digital thermometers/hygrometers with dual probes that can be found for 20-25 bucks. A temp gun is nice, but not a requirement if you have a good thermometer and thermostat IMO.

where do you live?i have an extra heat pad.(scorpions dont use it).and i have a cheap stick on hygrometer that is surprisingly accurate and consistant with my digital and expensive stick on hygro.

Home Depot carries the Acurite thermometers...and some stores may carry the hygrofarm thermostat, mine in my area didn't though. If you get a heat pad you will need a thermostat, BUT if it's only temporary you can get a $10 lamp dimmer from Home Depot until you can order the one you want. Temp guns are definitely helpful...I LOVE mine and is well worth the money, but like Otter said it's not necessary. I do recommend them though. Home Depot has them too for about $30 if you were interested.

Thanks for the posts. Again, I don't know what comes with the setup yet, I'm just making sure I have temporary backup plans if some things are not included. I know the costs, so these things are just temporary until I can get high quality things, I've even considered getting a Herpstat in the future. I probably will be going the lamp dimmer route for now if I need to. Thank you for the suggestions!

I live in San Jose, CA.

If these things aren't included, I will be going to Home Depot for the lamp dimmer and to see if the nearby one has an Accurite thermometer. If they don't, I'll stop by Walmart for it as well as some black construction paper to help block out the sides to make the little guy feel more secure.

I think you have a great notion there save some cash with a rheostat and buy a herpstat later. The digital thermometer with a probe they all have the same specs and basically the same accuracy buy the cheapest you can find same hold true for ir guns basically they have the same accuracy.

An update on the guy. I got him, and all that he had was a inappropriately sized Exo Terra cage, a dead overhead light, and a few sticks and fake plants. I went out and bought a heat pad, a lamp dimmer, a temp gun, aspen bedding, hides, and a waterdish. The poor guy was in the 6o degree range, and although he's stressed to no extent, we're holding him to keep him warm while the heat pad heats up. He's warmed up a bit, and is now in the 80's, and is crawling around our (clean) hands. I feel so bad for him/her! Any other suggestions would be nice. S/he has what I think are wood mites, they're a tan/white color. The last owners ended up putting PAM on it's FACE. Ugh.

cool you got the stuff.i live in AZ anyway.at least hes in caring hands now.pam?!?!?!?!?wtf?!?!?!?!

Yeah, it pissed me off, I tried to get it off best I could with a damp towel. He's not terribly head-shy, so it worked out.

An urgent question! My lamp dimmer is totally not working. The second I unplugged it though, the heat mat heated up. I covered the sticky side in aluminum foil, and the temp gun is giving me weird low readings on that side, so I'm just taking the temp readings on the other side. Any clue about the lamp dimmer though? I'm also ~testing~ it on a human heat pad, same results, even when the dimmer is on full blast.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by roboticsundaes

Yeah, it pissed me off, I tried to get it off best I could with a damp towel. He's not terribly head-shy, so it worked out.

An urgent question! My lamp dimmer is totally not working. The second I unplugged it though, the heat mat heated up. I covered the sticky side in aluminum foil, and the temp gun is giving me weird low readings on that side, so I'm just taking the temp readings on the other side. Any clue about the lamp dimmer though? I'm also ~testing~ it on a human heat pad, same results, even when the dimmer is on full blast.

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Could be a faulty dimmer. Try it out on on a lamp, and see if it dims it or not. It should be controlling the output of the UTH. Is it not heating up at all? Or it's just fluctuating alot? Fluctuating room temps will cause the UTH to fluctuate the heat that its giving out.

Hi,

Have you tested the lamp dimmer using an actual lamp?

It sounds stupid I know but some of them work in a completely bizzare way - in that the lower they are turned the brighter their light gets. :rolleyes:

I always just end up writing + or - on mine with a permanent marker. :cool:


dr del

I did try it on a lamp, and it worked just fine. I think I got it to work. Last night woke up and checked the temps about every hour to hour and a half, and they've seemed to settled down. I'm going to remove the aspen bedding later because this is confusing the heck out of me. At a spot where I pushed the aspen away, it's 90-95 degrees, but above the aspen (only 1-2 inches) it's ten degrees lower. On the other side of the tank, it's even lower. What do you guys do in this situation, for future reference? I know I want to have bedding, just dont want the glass under to be 100 degrees a risk a burn if my bp digs. Again, for now I'm switching to paper towels to solve the problem. Also, my friend and I are planning a vet visit to find out the sex and make sure he doesn't have any serious issues.

Hi,

Yep - we usually change the amount or type of bedding. :gj:


dr del

I had 3-4 inches at first, but took out a whole bunch. Is there another type of bedding that lets heat through better than aspen? It's really bugging me.

Any non-conductive material will block some heat a bit. I use aspen (a thin layer) and place the probe just under the surface rather than buried all the way down to the glass. It gives more accurate readings, but do know what the temp is at the glass as well in case the snake decides to burrow down.

Something thin like paper towels or unprinted newspaper will be more even from top to bottom since the layer is so thin, but will still block a tiny bit of heat.

Thanks, next time I use aspen I'll use only a little bit. Another question. I'm having a really hard time regulating temperatures, and it just accidentally got up to 100, but my bp moved to the middle of the tank (yay, s/he has common sense). The cool side of the tank is all the way down to 69 though. Should I have two heat pads and light dimmers to try and keep the proper temps? It's really frustrating.

Bump, cause no one replies if I don't.

You are quickly learning the hard way what a short cut in equipment gets you, sorry. I have been there done that, so I am speaking from experience. The dimmers are nothing but trouble (I gave up on mine after 2 days). You REALLY need to have a thermostat to avoid those spikes in either direction. A cheap on/off thermostat is available at Petco and Petsmart for around $30-40, and will serve you much better than what you have now. It's better to get what you need now, as it will be less expensive than buying a new snake when this one dies.

As for the cool side, you can use a second pad and thermostat (a dimmer on that side will be just as frustrating) or you can use a ceramic bulb above the tank (the ones that don't emit light). That will help bump up the ambient temperature, especially if the rest of the top is covered.

Fluctuating room temps will cause the UTH to fluctuate in temperature, when your using a dimmer. Thats why you need to monitor it several times a day with your temp gun. With a thermostat, you don't need to monitor it as much. I would suggest thinning out the aspen as much as you can, so that the heat can transfer through. But make sure it doesn't get any higher than 95

To answer your other question, you can use another UTH, but just one UTH is enough to drive me crazy, so I use a heat lamp. This is another device that will need a dimmer. It can get too hot, depending on the wattage you use. It's a useful tool in bumping up your cool side, warm side and ambient temperatures.

My suggestion, go buy a thermostat like Otter said. And go buy a heat lamp, and bulb and use the dimmer you already have on it.

Good luck

Yeah, I'm actually about to buy a hydrofarm thermostat on amazon. The pet stores that were nearby didn't have anything I would be willing to use long-term (I didn't look very close, but there may not have been anything), which is why I got the lamp dimmer. I'm not going to let the little guy sit in a 60 degree tank for a few days while I wait for a thermostat to arrive, and I'm not going to let him cook in 150 degrees. I'll also pick up a CHE and lamp when I can. For now I got the temps stable between 93 and 88 in the warm end, and I check every hour or so, even at night. One more question, with the thermostat, would I be able to achieve the proper temps throughout the terrarium with just the UTH? Or do I need a heat lamp? This is the thing that's been confusing me to no extent. I could get a heat mat a size larger than the tank, so it would spread the warmth further?

It totally depends on the ambient temps of your room. If your house is on the warm side, you may be fine, but if it gets cold and/or you like to blast the air conditioner, you will need something else to get the temps up.

Okay, thank you. My questions are answered... for now.