New to Ball pythons trying to make the perfect home before he/she comes home :)

I'm setting up a 36x18x12” glass tank for my first BP. I have been running it for 3 days warm side air temp is 85f in the warm side hide it is 90f I'm using a UTH on the warm side without a thermostat I have a large piece of slate that is about an inch thick so he/she will not be able to come in contact with the glass. the temp of the slate holds at 90, I also have a 100 watt CHE over the hot end. The cool side hide seems to be 80 with an air temp of 78 I know that is a bit cold. I just wanted to ask what I should do to raise the cool side temp a bit an UTH with thermostat or a moonlight bulb? also this is my first post and I have to say this is a very nice site to gather information :)

Raising the overall room temperature a few degrees should do the trick. :)

Thanks,

RJ

What kind of thermometers are you using? If you are using digital thermometers with a probe or a laser thermometer then you are good to go, if not, I would look into getting some so you can get the most accurate temp readings.

I would also HIGHLY recommend getting a thermostat for that UTH. It is a very common problem on this forum where people come with pictures of burned snake bellies from an unregulated heat source. Take the precaution and get a thermostat. Avoid all the costly vet bills a belly burn would bring!

Also, ambient air temp of 78 is perfectly fine as long as you are providing an adequate hot spot. I usually keep my house around 75* and all my snakies are just fine.

Kaorte I'm using two types 1 digital with probe for the slate in the hot hide and 2 gauge types to measure are temps hot/cold. thanks for the warning on the UTH Ill head out to get a thermostat asap. that will also free up the stone for another rubbing post :) as for digital thermometers could you recommend one with 2 probes?

I don't think there are many out there with 2 probes. I know pet stores usually carry the simple black digital probed thermometer. If you head to home depot or lowes you might be able to find an indoor outdoor thermometer that has a probe. I have a bunch of those that I use.

Those gauge thermometers are next to useless.

The important reading is the hot spot one. Your probe should be right on the glass where the UTH is under the substrate. You want to measure the hottest point in the cage that the snake can reach, that way you know for sure that he can't be burned :)

I think your ambient air temp is fine, as long as there's a nice warm spot for your snake. Definitely get a thermostat ASAP, and like Kaorte said, those temp gauges are pretty much garbage. I believe lowes is were I got my thermometer with probe, but I could have sworn I saw one a Walmart too.

Good luck and make sure you take pics for us when you get your new baby :D

I bury my probes so they are touching the glass, for the reason Kaorte mentioned.

How is your humidity holding up?

Oh and welcome to bp.net!!!!!

I have this one linked to me all the time:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Accurite-Dig...#ht_1829wt_952

Good luck and post pics when you can! :)

Thanks,

RJ

my humidity has been at 55% for 3 days w/o misting. 55-60 is okay till they start to shed then your looking for 65-70 is that right? so I was looking into thermostats and I found the Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R has anyone used them in the past or using them now? also Im thinking of getting two UTH 1 for the cool side the UTH on the hot side set at 90 and the cooler at 80 what are your thoughts on this, is it over kill? as for pic's I have 4 babbies im looking at I get to feed them on thursday make sure they all eat b4 I decide then Ill prob bring one home mon or tue then the pics will start flowing :) and I will be going to lowes to get the right thermometers the others are dead to me now :P should have joined and asked b4 I got them.

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Originally Posted by Vivid

my humidity has been at 55% for 3 days w/o misting. 55-60 is okay till they start to shed then your looking for 65-70 is that right? so I was looking into thermostats and I found the Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R has anyone used them in the past or using them now? also Im thinking of getting two UTH 1 for the cool side the UTH on the hot side set at 90 and the cooler at 80 what are your thoughts on this, is it over kill? as for pic's I have 4 babbies im looking at I get to feed them on thursday make sure they all eat b4 I decide then Ill prob bring one home mon or tue then the pics will start flowing :) and I will be going to lowes to get the right thermometers the others are dead to me now :P should have joined and asked b4 I got them.

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I keep my humidity around 60%, and have never had shed issues at that humidity. If it gets drier (50%), I'll add some sphagnum moss to a hide for shedding purposes.

If your house gets really cold, the double UTH could help to keep the glass from getting too cold. I actually have two UTH's in both of my tanks, on separate thermostats and temp gauges. Yes, it's a little overkill, but the benefit is that if one side ever fails, they at least have somewhere to go. My snakes seem happy and healthy, so it must sort of be working :)

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Originally Posted by Vivid

my humidity has been at 55% for 3 days w/o misting. 55-60 is okay till they start to shed then your looking for 65-70 is that right? so I was looking into thermostats and I found the Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R has anyone used them in the past or using them now? also Im thinking of getting two UTH 1 for the cool side the UTH on the hot side set at 90 and the cooler at 80 what are your thoughts on this, is it over kill? as for pic's I have 4 babbies im looking at I get to feed them on thursday make sure they all eat b4 I decide then Ill prob bring one home mon or tue then the pics will start flowing :) and I will be going to lowes to get the right thermometers the others are dead to me now :P should have joined and asked b4 I got them.

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I have used a reptitemp 500r for years with no problem. It is a little tricky to dial in the temperature at first, but once you get it then you are set. I don't really think you need two UTH's unless your house gets below 70*f on a regular basis.

Everyone makes mistakes at first. Even me! I had a completely awful setup for my ball python at first, and now I have a home made rack with 5 thriving snakies :)

Welcome to BP.Net :)

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Originally Posted by Vivid

I have 4 babbies im looking at I get to feed them on thursday make sure they all eat b4 I decide then Ill prob bring one home mon or tue then the pics will start flowing :)

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Since its a baby, some people recommend about a 10 gallon tank (or 15-ish quart tub) because larger (sounds like your using a 30breeder) tanks can stress babies out causing them to not eat consistently, or worse, not at all :(

Also, since there is no such thing as knowing to much :rolleyes:, I would recommend browsing through the Ball Python Caresheet Just to double check that everything is done properly as far as two identical hides, temps ect. :D

thanks for all the input :) I went out and got some digital thermometers and tossed the gauges in a box I also found a tstat at the local co-op found the product online and there are a lot of reptile owner reviews that really love it.
I have the prob on the glass under 1'' of coconut husk one thing I wanted to ask is would setting the temp on the tstat to 95 harm the snake if he got to the glass? right now I have a reading of 85.3 inside the hide.

the tstat is a hydrofarm heat mat thermostat. It also shows current temp :)

The hottest temp in the enclosure, which would be the glass on the bottom, should be between 88-92 degrees. You will have to measure the temp on the glass in order to find out what temp you should set your thermostat to...

This thermostat was recommended by few people:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...2066928&sr=8-2

Haven't tried it yet, I ordered it and it just arrived today. I plan to use it with an UTH.

I also have this one (I paid nearly double Amazon price at a petstore):
http://www.amazon.com/RZilla-11939-T...2067005&sr=8-1

It works fine, but the gauge is really inaccurate. I have a digital thermometer right next to the probe and I used that to adjust the temp. Works perfect so far.

Thanks Voodoodoc I did pick up a hydrofarm Tstat seems to be keeping the mat nice and warm. I had the prob on the inside of the cage but ended up putting on the outside right on the heat source. going to get another today along with a UTH just to be safe. My house gets very cold old windows old heaters :( so I have been reading care sheets and a lot of them seem to shy away from the use of 2 CHEs. My 100 watt can't keep the air temp up Ill get the other UTH see what happens there, but if need be would it be ok to have 2? would it be too hard to keep the humidity up, does anyone use two CHE? air temp seems to be 75 bit cold :(

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Originally Posted by Vivid

Thanks Voodoodoc I did pick up a hydrofarm Tstat seems to be keeping the mat nice and warm. I had the prob on the inside of the cage but ended up putting on the outside right on the heat source. going to get another today along with a UTH just to be safe. My house gets very cold old windows old heaters :( so I have been reading care sheets and a lot of them seem to shy away from the use of 2 CHEs. My 100 watt can't keep the air temp up Ill get the other UTH see what happens there, but if need be would it be ok to have 2? would it be too hard to keep the humidity up, does anyone use two CHE? air temp seems to be 75 bit cold :(

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CHE or any other "bulb" heat source will unfortunately affect the humidity. I find it helpful to get a $10 plug in lamp dimmer from Home Depot or the sorts, and use that so the bulb isn't as intense. My house gets drafty in the winter as well and I end up using a black light on a dimmer for my one tank :)

Covering some of the top of the tank with something that doesn't breathe will not only help lock in humidity, but will act as an insulator too. My air temps definitely stay way more consistent ever since I started using tin foil.

I'll try the tin foil. also picked up some foam core board to hit the sides and the back should help keep some heat :) hoping to get this done tonight so it can run over night. Fingers crossed :) and thank you all for the tips!!

I have some great information for you. I have a Ball Python that continuously tried to escape from his cage every night. He ended up bruising the scales under his chin. I took him to Michael Kiedrowski (a herp vet) and he told me that the snake was trying to get out to search for a better environment. He had me get 2 plastic butter containers and potting soil. I cut a hole in each container and put about an inch of soil in each one. Then I moistened the soil and put one on the cold side and one over the heated side. I change the soil every week. The snake loves these. He goes back and forth between the two and has never tried to escape again. You can use any kind of plastic container as long as it has a lid. I also found some great containers at Lowes and Home Depot in the paint department. Lowes are better because they are plain white and look better in the tank. Trust me, if you want your snake comfortable, do this.

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Originally Posted by OtterGoRun

Covering some of the top of the tank with something that doesn't breathe will not only help lock in humidity, but will act as an insulator too. My air temps definitely stay way more consistent ever since I started using tin foil.

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As an alternative you can check out what I'm doing (toward the end of the thread)
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-really-needed. Working really good so far to hold in heat/humidity can't say it will stand the test of time, so there is that caveat, but we'll see how it goes.

dont get a half log hide, get a circular one, with one way in and one way out, and a small one at that, so they feel reaaaaally secure.

I was thinking of doing the same thing with the top using plexiglass only question I have on it is there any way to measure airflow? could you use a small pc fan or something to increase it?and as for the hides right now im using 1/2 logs but after T-day some butter or sour-cream containers should not be hard to obtain :P what size should I use for a 12'' BP?

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Originally Posted by Vivid

I was thinking of doing the same thing with the top using plexiglass only question I have on it is there any way to measure airflow? could you use a small pc fan or something to increase it?

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My plan is to do as suggested in the thread I mentioned and smell the air. If it smells musty I'll increase air flow. This is really shooting humidity up now. My issue may be too much now! In which case I'll increase air flow. The sheet for plexiglass I got from Lowes was enough to make 2 tops. So I'm going to drill another one with even more holes. Then swap them out as needed.