Getting the temps right

I'm having a hard time getting the temps right in my tank, I would appreciate to know how you get it distributed right. I have a brand new CB baby ball python, in a 20 gallon long tank. I have an infrared 100 w bulb, which in the daytime provides a balmy basking spot of about 95 deg F. the problem is, only a few inches below the climbing stick, the temps are only about 78. My python has spent the last 3 days in the warm sides hide, and I need the ground temperatures to get higher.

I used the dry substrate that you soak in water before putting it in the cage. Maybe the bottom layers are still moist, and because of the high specific heat of water it's still cold even after 5 days. The snake is kept in my apartment where the temperatures are stable, but dropping a bit at night.

Should I wait and see if it warms up? try an undertank heating pad? maybe adjust the height of the lamp and put in a higher wattage bulb.

Funny question, are undertank heating pads a fire hazard? The idea scares my girlfriend.

Thanks

Personally i would ditch the bulb and get an uth with a thermostat. The key to this being successful is the thermostat. Youll be able to set it and adjust it so that the temps are right. It is not a fire hazard at all w/ the t-stat bc you'll only have it set to about 95 degrees so it will keep the inside tank temps on top of the substrate around 88-90. This is an estimate you'll have to play around with it a bit to get it right. Our body temps are 98.6 so having a t-stat set to somewhere around 95 is more than safe lol.

I would try an undertank heating pad. A heat bulb is okay for raising ambient temps, but since ball pythons spend most of their time on the ground hiding, undertank heaters will heat the area they're actually laying on. And as long as they're properly controlled by a good thermostat they are perfectly safe... no more dangerous than a heat bulb ;)

Also, how are you measuring your temps? If you don't already have one, I would recommend a digital thermometer or temp gun so you can monitor your temps more accurately.

Do UTh's come with a thermostat or do you have to buy that separately? I am using a Zoo Med digital thermometer. It has a probe you can put exactly where you want to take the temp, though it was cheap so I'm not too sure how accurate it really is. It seems to work fine though.

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Originally Posted by King Neptune

Do UTh's come with a thermostat or do you have to buy that separately? I am using a Zoo Med digital thermometer. It has a probe you can put exactly where you want to take the temp, though it was cheap so I'm not too sure how accurate it really is. It seems to work fine though.

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No UTH do not come with thermostats. You have to buy them. When selecting you have to choose between proportional (is always on maintaining a steady temp on the heat source) or an on/off (which turns the heat device on until it reaches the set temperature, and then turns off the heating device until it falls below a certain range, usually just a few degrees)

A good digital on/off would be -
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...7270645&sr=8-1

and a good proportional would be one of these (probably just model I if you have one snake)
http://spyderrobotics.com/

Ball pythons need one side of the tank to be 88-92 and the other side to be 78-82. Where do you have your probe? 95 is too hot I would sugest that you get a lamp dimmer for the 100 watt bulb if you plan on continuing to use it so you can adjust the amount of heat that it puts out.

If you don't want to go the UTH route, get a Ceramic Heat Emitter on a lamp dimmer suggested above. I found that did a lot better keeping the temps up at ground level compared to a bulb; mine is sitting right on the screen and I just leave it on all the time, to be turned on/off by the dimmer.

A suggestion for an accurate digital thermometer and hygrometer (humidity) in one? An Accurite thermometer/hygrometer. I got mine in the hardware section of Walmart for 13 bucks and it's more accurate than the zoomed/zilla digi thermometers you're using. I noticed a difference of a few degrees between the two.

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Originally Posted by k8nkane

If you don't want to go the UTH route, get a Ceramic Heat Emitter on a lamp dimmer suggested above. I found that did a lot better keeping the temps up at ground level compared to a bulb; mine is sitting right on the screen and I just leave it on all the time, to be turned on/off by the dimmer.

A suggestion for an accurate digital thermometer and hygrometer (humidity) in one? An Accurite thermometer/hygrometer. I got mine in the hardware section of Walmart for 13 bucks and it's more accurate than the zoomed/zilla digi thermometers you're using. I noticed a difference of a few degrees between the two.

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Yes these are great:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

I want to get that thermometer, as I need a hygrometer anyways. That's a decent price too.

It's not 95 on the hot side, it's only 95 if he climbs up on a branch as close as he possibly can to the bulb. If that's dangerous I can look into a dimmer. I also have a clamp so if I decided to go with a uth I could always lift the bulb up higher.

The reptile specialist at a local pet store was raving about those ceramic heat bulbs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by King Neptune

I want to get that thermometer, as I need a hygrometer anyways. That's a decent price too.

It's not 95 on the hot side, it's only 95 if he climbs up on a branch as close as he possibly can to the bulb. If that's dangerous I can look into a dimmer. I also have a clamp so if I decided to go with a uth I could always lift the bulb up higher.

The reptile specialist at a local pet store was raving about those ceramic heat bulbs.

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Ok if it is only 95 up top that's fine as long as the ground temperature is between 88-92.

By careful the "reptile specialists" at most pet stores have no clue what they are talking about. The people here on BP.net usually are much more knowledgable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Ok if it is only 95 up top that's fine as long as the ground temperature is between 88-92.

By careful the "reptile specialists" at most pet stores have no clue what they are talking about. The people here on BP.net usually are much more knowledgable.

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This. The "specialist" at my store didn't even mention thermostats for my UTH... good thing I have a little common sense and am lucky enough to have easy access to the internet.. or I could have been scratching my head while my snake was burned.

So here is what I did and it works great.

First I covered 3 sides of the tank with aquarium background (the only good item I have found from Petsmart) just to make it look nicer for me to look at.

Second I took some cardboard and cut it to fit the 3 covered sides. Then I taped one side of the cardboard with foil tape to reflect heat back into the tank and taped the cardboard to the 3 coverd sides of the tank as seen below.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...83841836_n.jpg

As for the screen top I purchased a peice of plexi from HomeDepot and cut it to fit just inside the slider top for my tank. Drilled a few holes in it for ventilation and one large hole for the CHE. Taped a portion of it with foil tape and left the back untaped for the tank light. I do like to see my snake when she is out

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...64496118_n.jpg

Heat is supplied from a 60W CHE and Flexwatt 11 taped to the bottom. The CHE is set at about 50% on a lamp dimmer from HomeDepot (plan to get a dual T-stat for it in the future) The Flexwatt is set on a Vivarium VE 300 T-stat set to 96F. This keep my hot spot at 91F and ambient at 78-81F as room temps fluctuate a little. My Snake seems to love it she just got a great checkup from the vet and is eating like a pig. Hasn't refused a meal yet. As you can see in the photo below room temp was about 68f and tank temps were exactly what I wanted them to be. Hope this helps out and feel free to ask me any questions you might have.


http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...38874278_n.jpg

Looks nice as well

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...84084614_n.jpg