HELPPPPP NEWBIE

Hey i got a ball 3 days ago and had a enclosure set up by a friend. It is a 66 qt rubbermaid in which we cut out the top and used zip ties to fasten on .25 inch hardware cloth on for ventalation. I am using a 100 watt heat lamp right now and my bp doesnt seem to like the enclose too much. I am thinking i might have to switch to a heating pad of some sort. I kind of jumped into this quickly bc i got excited. Can someone help me out here as to what i should do with my enclosure?

what do you mean by he doesnt like the enclosure too much? do u have at least 2 hides a water bowl and the correct temps? Keep the ambient temperature of the cage at 85 degrees. With a basking spot always available of at least 90 degrees. The cool end should be around 78 degrees, but never should it go below 75. also the humidity should be around 70% but not lower that 50% i keep mine at around 68%

Answer a few questions first, so I can hopefully pinpoint what's wrong a bit easier.

What are the temperatures in the warm side, and cool side? Humidity?

Do you have adequate hides for your ball to feel secure in?

What is the substrate you're using?

What exactly is he doing that makes you think he's not liking his cage?

hmmm.... you dont have a heating pad?? you need a heating pad. it's a must. the heat lamp will keep the air inside the enclosure warm, but NOT the bottom. ball pythons are cold blooded so the air isnt going to give them the warmth they need. you should even have 2 heating pads, one kept on the warmer side that has the heating lamp and one kept on the cooler side with no lamp. keep the heating pad on the warmer side turned up higher, and the other cooler. the warm side should be around 90, and the cool side should be around 80. how's your humidity?

ok thanks for the response...ok well i have a 100 watt bulb and thats it but im going out to get a human heating pad tomorrow...is there any suggestions as to which brand i can get or where i can get one without the atuo shut off...or which has a good thermostat on it...my temps are being monitored by 2 thermomoters i got at the pet store...hot side is about 98 just above the substrate and the cool side is just above 80

i have a hide on both sides and a water bowl in the middle

if anyone has AIM and would be willing to talk to me on there i would love to...my screen name is RmKlotz4

Look for the Dunlap human heat pad. You can find it at Walmart and Target and other places like that. Usually costs you around 10-15 dollars. It has 3 temperature settings(low-med-high) but no thermostat built in.

Also if you're using thermometers from a pet store, it's most likely the crap stickons. While you're at Walmart getting your human heat pad, look for the Acurite digital thermometer and hygrometer with probe. Then you just have to put the base unit on one side, and the probe on the other side. It'll provide you accurate measurements of your warm side, cool side, and humidity.

Also you didn't mention what kind of substrate you're using. For a new snake, best thing to use is newspaper or paper towels for the first few weeks so you can easily monitor for ticks, and watch for runny or unhealthy bowel movements.

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hot side is about 98 just above the substrate and the cool side is just above 80

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I didn't see a response to this part of your post, so I will jump in here to let you know, if that thermometer is remotely accurate (the analog ones can be off by as much as 20 degrees F or so in either direction), your snake is far too hot because air temp is going to be generally around 5 degrees cooler than surface temp. That means your surface is most likely at least 103F and needs to be dropped by ten degrees right away.

Welcome to the site and please do ask questions if there's anything you need to know and can't find the answers already in other posts. This is what we're here for. Also, congrats on deciding to go with a Rubbermaid enclosure. Once you get your temps and humidity right, they tend to be a lot easier to maintain in plastic than in glass.

Don't laugh, I have been having problems with temps in kitty's new enclosure, the cool side is too cool for my liking, but kitty keeps hanging out over there,the dope, and I don't want to raise the other side too muc, becuase then it will be too hot. I have been so flustered I didn't even think about putting a heat pad on the cool side, set on low to make up for some difference

Apollo is really annoying... he's always on the cold side, NEVER in any of his hides, and he's constantly lying on top of his half log hide. im like wtf??? lying on top?? so everytime i take him out, he's cold to me, just bcuz the retard doesnt lay on the ground. heh... he's so much different than pandora!! weirdo

Yeah, Kitty, in all his great BP wisdom, keeps hiding behind his falls on the cold side, the goober

I talked to RKRMC4 on AIM the other night and he asked me a bunch of questions on how to fix up his enclosure and husbandry. He admitted that he jumped into the whole thing a bit too fast, and wasn't so prepared. But he did come here to ask for help, which is very good, so I'm sure he'll do fine. :)
I recommended him some stuff to get to fix up the cage, and gave him a few tips, and last I heard, he was going to get the stuff fixed up today. Hope he updates us with some news on the few changes. :)

hey just an update.....i got the new thermomoter with probe....and temps are pretty good now...i am using a heating pad on the hot side and a lamp on the cool side....the only thing i have left to do is lower the wattage of the bulb bc its getting a bit too hott on the cool side...the only problem i am having is the humidity...any suggestions on how to keep humidity up???? i also purchased a closed top for my cage for when Yayo sheds, to help with humidity.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...ewtopic&t=2208
http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...ewtopic&t=4748
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....rtid=41&page=1

Those threads should give you some good info on humidity. Are you the same person as RKRMC4?

hahaha yeh im sorry i switched the name...ill use this one from now on...one question.....i have the heating pad and that keeps the hot side nice...now what wattage bulb do u think would be good for the cool side????? i have a 100 w not bc i was using it for the whole cage b4...but now i have it suspended over bc it is wayyyyyy too hott...i dont know how low i should go tho

and also...how do the black lights look??? they cool?

Are you measuring your temps? Do you even need the light on the cool side? If you dont need it to maintain your temps, i'd say go without it ( unless you want it for you own personal light to see them with ).

yeh i do need it....i have an open top....and the heating pad itself isnt cutting it.....i have a digital theremometer with probe in there so i know the temps

You said you have a normal rubbermaid top without any screening on it? Throw out the one you modified with the mesh wire, and put the new top on. Then you need to drill about 10-20 holes in the sides of the rubbermaid top for adequate ventilation. By doing this, you should notice improvement with your humidity and heat. If you can't drill the holes and stuff right now, then just take a towel and cover all of the top except just enough for air. What are your temperatures right now? Mark down the temperatures and humidity you have now, then cover the top with a towel, and don't use the light for now. Then see what the temperatures and humidity are. I'm thinking your problem is the mesh top. So do the towel thing until you can drill some holes and put a normal top on the rubbermaid. :)

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Originally Posted by Cody

You said you have a normal rubbermaid top without any screening on it? Throw out the one you modified with the mesh wire, and put the new top on. Then you need to drill about 10-20 holes in the sides of the rubbermaid top for adequate ventilation. By doing this, you should notice improvement with your humidity and heat. If you can't drill the holes and stuff right now, then just take a towel and cover all of the top except just enough for air. What are your temperatures right now? Mark down the temperatures and humidity you have now, then cover the top with a towel, and don't use the light for now. Then see what the temperatures and humidity are. I'm thinking your problem is the mesh top. So do the towel thing until you can drill some holes and put a normal top on the rubbermaid. :)

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agreed... remember how i told ya that online?? :) and cody says i know nothing.... pssshhhh!!!

You on an anti-cody thing tonight? *grumble*

:(

awwww come online. :)

temps now are not a prob...just humidity...im gonna try to get a bigger water dish first and if not ill get a humidifier for the room

Whats the humidity at now? You don't seem to ever tell us what your temps and humidity are, lol. If your humidity is at 50-60%, you're fine.

i got the temps to 92-95 on the hot side...a lil above 80 on the cool side...my humidity is about 40 on average...i gotta up that tho