hot/cold side newbie

So I'm just gonna come out and admit this.

I have no idea how to make a hot and cold side for my bp.
I was under the impression that the hot side is considered the side with the heat mat, and the cold side is a side you have a basking light on. My current set up is a 20 gallon tank (No clue maker) with a push screen lid that has 2 built in clips on the frame, inch of desert snow substrate, 2 medium size hides (identical), the correct moss for humidity, medium exo Terra heat pad rainforest, hydrofarm thermostat, water bowl, zoo med night and day timer hooked up to a zoo med mini combo deep dome. One side has an infrared and the other a day time bulb. Both 75 watts. A hygrometer and a thermometer.

I have the heat pad on the right, the bulbs hanging over the left, hide on either side, water in the middle. My over all cage temp says 84. I only have one thermometer at the moment, and humidity is 50. I have my thermostat set to 93. Kicks off at 93 and back on at 88.

How do I make a hot and cold spot out of what I have? My boy is 5 months, almost 2 feet long, eats just fine, is not seen during the day, out at night, but yet I feel like I'm doing something wrong. please keep in mind I'm broke ATM but I can return a few things because they were just bought. Also, I went with heating lamps because I live in a house with ac on 70 all day. Even at night.

Help

What type of thermometer do you have and where exactly is it measuring?

The heat pad by itself will create your hot side/basking spot. Heat pads only heat surfaces, because of this you need a probed thermometer with the probe directly over the heat pad on the floor of the cage to measure the hot side temperature. This is also why you need to keep your substrate layer thin. Heat pads do NOT heat the air in the cage. That is the job of the heat lamp. The air in the cage can be the same temperature throughout the cage as long as the heat pad is creating a 90 degree hot spot. I would recommend centering the heat lamp on the cage.

Where is your thermostat probe?

If I didn't explain this well enough just let me know.

Try a modular approach working with temps. For a screen top tank, you could cover a portion of the screen (on the hot side) with some duct tape. I did this many moons ago for my kids bearded dragon. Worked out really well for us. Make sure the temps you are reading are as close to the bottom surface of the tank as possible. Once you reach your goal, look at other items you may need to refine and in no time your snake's home will be fine. Best of luck. :)

Your snakes activity is on par for ball pythons.

One thing to consider is the current placement of the tank. Look around to see if it might be close to a A/C vent that could be throwing off the temps. You might want to move the tank somewhere else if that may be the case considering how cold the house is kept.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

What type of thermometer do you have and where exactly is it measuring?

The heat pad by itself will create your hot side/basking spot. Heat pads only heat surfaces, because of this you need a probed thermometer with the probe directly over the heat pad on the floor of the cage to measure the hot side temperature. This is also why you need to keep your substrate layer thin. Heat pads do NOT heat the air in the cage. That is the job of the heat lamp. The air in the cage can be the same temperature throughout the cage as long as the heat pad is creating a 90 degree hot spot. I would recommend centering the heat lamp on the cage.

Where is your thermostat probe?

If I didn't explain this well enough just let me know.

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my therm probe is under the heat mat in the center outside the tank..thats good, right?

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Originally Posted by greenacid

my therm probe is under the heat mat in the center outside the tank..thats good, right?

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Thermostat probe? If so that is fine. Thermometer probes need to be inside the cage

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Thermostat probe? If so that is fine. Thermometer probes need to be inside the cage

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Yeah, Thermostat probe. Sorry, was holding him at the time. lol.


Here are some pictures (and a few hammy pics i got of him) of my enclosure. I FINALLY got to see him drink for the first time today, while shooting. it was pretty cool.

http://imgur.com/a/I6KQM

Looks good, but you really need to get a probed thermometer so you can actually measure the hot side temperature (If you have one but it's not in the pictures then just let me know)

These are what I would recommend. They are cheap and accurate enough for what it is.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...3.jpg~original

You can get them at Walmart for $12 Simply place the probe on the floor of the cage directly over the UTH, and place the unit on the cool side. This will allow you to measure the hot side temperature, the cool side/air temperature in the cage, as well as humidity all in one unit. Those dial thermometers & hygrometers really are junk and don't measure temperature in the right place anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Looks good, but you really need to get a probed thermometer so you can actually measure the hot side temperature (If you have one but it's not in the pictures then just let me know)

These are what I would recommend. They are cheap and accurate enough for what it is.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...3.jpg~original

You can get them at Walmart for $12 Simply place the probe on the floor of the cage directly over the UTH, and place the unit on the cool side. This will allow you to measure the hot side temperature, the cool side/air temperature in the cage, as well as humidity all in one unit. Those dial thermometers & hygrometers really are junk and don't measure temperature in the right place anyway.

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Right. I'm gonna get one, I just haven't had the time to do it yet. I Picked up the Dial ones because they were at my local feed, and at the time I wanted something to tell me what the humidity and temp was at a quick glance. AND I've had the temp one for like 2 weeks, and it never worked, and then all of a sudden today while I'm misting, it started working :P

I have to thank you again for clarifying what it meant to have a hot and cold side. I Think i was going out of my mind trying to figure out how to keep the air on one side cool, and warm on the other. :confusd: so thank you very much for that help.

As far as he looks (the up close face picture), does he look healthy around the mouth area? I Put that moss in there about a week ago, and noticed he had turned a little green around the mouth, thinking maybe he was rubbing against it. but today after he drank, i noticed he went back to his original color.

I don't see anything to worry about.

The one thing I will caution you about is when using multiple types of substrate in the same cage you sometimes can have issues with mold growth. The moss may cause the white substrate to mold. I'm not saying that it will happen, but it could. You should regularly check the white substrate under the moss for mold just to be safe.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I don't see anything to worry about.

The one thing I will caution you about is when using multiple types of substrate in the same cage you sometimes can have issues with mold growth. The moss may cause the white substrate to mold. I'm not saying that it will happen, but it could. You should regularly check the white substrate under the moss for mold just to be safe.

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Next week I'm replacing it with Coco husk I think. so I can ditch the Moss.

Sounds good. I really like coco husk substrates.

Looks like an ok setup except for the substrate and the temp/humidity gauges. Get that Accurite gauge, set it up on the cool end, and put the probe over the hot spot (just kinda bury it a little in the substrate so it stays in place). Replace the white crap with some cypress mulch, coco husk, eco earth, or a mixture of those. Cover the screen top with some plastic or something similar......I'd do both ends and keep the center open for the heat lamps. Doing all of these things should result in a pretty decent viv. Just be sure to keep an eye on the temps and adjust the wattage of the bulbs and/or distance above the cage. Misting should keep the humidity at the correct levels as well.

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Originally Posted by rocknhorse76

Looks like an ok setup except for the substrate and the temp/humidity gauges. Get that Accurite gauge, set it up on the cool end, and put the probe over the hot spot (just kinda bury it a little in the substrate so it stays in place). Replace the white crap with some cypress mulch, coco husk, eco earth, or a mixture of those. Cover the screen top with some plastic or something similar......I'd do both ends and keep the center open for the heat lamps. Doing all of these things should result in a pretty decent viv. Just be sure to keep an eye on the temps and adjust the wattage of the bulbs and/or distance above the cage. Misting should keep the humidity at the correct levels as well.

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isn't it dangerous to cover up the top now that I have the heat lamps going? I Pretty much have a nail hammered into the wall and they're hanging from them. attached to a Zoo-Med timer that turns the day one on, etc. I'm gonna replace the dials with an accurite thermometer probably this weekend. It'll be a Month next week, so I'm gonna clean his habitat out, put in coco husk substrate, tape down the thermometer to the glass, take out the moss, the exo-terra dials, and feed him...

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Originally Posted by greenacid

isn't it dangerous to cover up the top now that I have the heat lamps going? I Pretty much have a nail hammered into the wall and they're hanging from them. attached to a Zoo-Med timer that turns the day one on, etc. I'm gonna replace the dials with an accurite thermometer probably this weekend. It'll be a Month next week, so I'm gonna clean his habitat out, put in coco husk substrate, tape down the thermometer to the glass, take out the moss, the exo-terra dials, and feed him...

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No tape inside the cage ever! Snakes have a nasty habit of getting themselves stuck to tape and trust me getting them unstuck is not something you ever want to have to go through.

You can cover 70% - 80% of the screen top safely. This will help you maintain the humidity in the cage. I would recommend using aluminum foil for this, it's heat resistant, moisture resistant, and cheap

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

No tape inside the cage ever! Snakes have a nasty habit of getting themselves stuck to tape and trust me getting them unstuck is not something you ever want to have to go through.

You can cover 70% - 80% of the screen top safely. This will help you maintain the humidity in the cage. I would recommend using aluminum foil for this, it's heat resistant, moisture resistant, and cheap

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I've been spraying down 3 times a day. Humidity and temps are perfect. Say Aaron, when I switch to coco husk, how much should I layer? Give me a measurement. Also, how many times a day should I spray after the switch. Sprayed twice today and humidity stayed at 60 all day

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Originally Posted by greenacid

I've been spraying down 3 times a day. Humidity and temps are perfect. Say Aaron, when I switch to coco husk, how much should I layer? Give me a measurement. Also, how many times a day should I spray after the switch. Sprayed twice today and humidity stayed at 60 all day

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When using a UTH you need to keep the substrate layer 1/2" thick or less

Coco husk substrate will need to be mixed with warm water before putting it into the cage, then once it starts to dry out you will need to mist to keep the humidity up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

When using a UTH you need to keep the substrate layer 1/2" thick or less

Coco husk substrate will need to be mixed with warm water before putting it into the cage, then once it starts to dry out you will need to mist to keep the humidity up.

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How often. I heard twice a week

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Originally Posted by greenacid

How often. I heard twice a week

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It will vary based on your setup and local climate. It could be 2-3 times a week it could be every other day. This is one of the aspects of keeping reptiles that isn't an exact science. You will need to find what works for you and your setup. A good hygrometer is key. Try to keep the humidity between 40%-60% normally.