Substrate question (and let's throw in one about lights, too)

As much as I've read the past while, I still would like to double check! I want to give my baby a good home and life, after all.

Substrate

My friend got aspen and it was infested with mites, so today I took the cypress mulch I bought and baked it just in case. My question is, can I (or should I) mix it with anything? Soil, sand...? It just seems like it would be hard to dig in. It's the ZooMed "forest floor". Their chart says it's good for burrowing but it just seems... chunky.

Yes, I realize papers are way easier to maintain, but I like the look (and smell!!) of the cypress~

As for lighting

Pretend that I can keep good humidity and heat in my tank. Does anyone recommend a CHE over a (red) bulb, or vice versa, and give me some reasons? The lightless part of a CHE is appealing to me, but I hear they get SUPER SCARY hot?? The lamp dome I have has a built in dimmer (All Living Things), so I was wondering if that would help.

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I've had two pet store employees (who own bps) tell me NOT to use heat pads. And one said he heats the tank with a regular old house lightbulb (and turns it off at night). The second especially is making me... nervous? So I just want some... back up, on info, since what he's recommending is contradicting some things I've read. I'm also wondering what his night time temps are if there's no heat at all... He says "it gets cold in the desert after all".

I would be using a heat pad but can't find a thermostat that isn't 100-200$... I'll be getting one later for sure, though. Canada sucks, my area especially.

Thanks for reading!

There is Canada distributors of spyder robotic Herpstat thermostat, you just have to order online.

Che is way better than a red bulb, they heat similar to a rhp which in my opinion is the best heating device. The che will help with humidity issues. Just make sure your snake cant come in direct contact with it, same with a red bulb. You do need to control the heat and a thermostat is the best choice but your dimmer dome would work in the mean time, you will just have to make sure you monitor your temps closely with a temp gun or digital thermometer with probe placed under the middle of che on the ground to make sure temps is 88-90, you would do the same with a red bulb. The reason you have to monitor more closely when using a dimmer is bc if the room temperature changes you will have to dim it more or less bc it won't automatically adjust like a thermostat will, you have to do this whether your using a red bulb, che, uth, or any heat device. If your going to buy a che then you should buy the highest watt you can find and dim it where you need it to be, better to have to much and dim then to little and can't do anything. Like I said make sure you use a digital thermometer with probe like an acurite 00891 or a temp gun, the analog thermometers are cheap and not accurate.

Unfortunately I don't have advice on the substrate bc I don't use it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

My pythons hate the red bulb and never come out of the hide with it on. I have both a UTH and a che because my houses gets super cold in the winter and that worked fine. Also order it on amazon? This one will work until you get more money for a herpstat. and heating your cage with a regular lightbuls is ridiculous and probably stresses the snake out a ton. I highly recommend a UTH and thermo over any type of light

http://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Cer...mostat+reptile

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

As much as I've read the past while, I still would like to double check! I want to give my baby a good home and life, after all.

Substrate

My friend got aspen and it was infested with mites, so today I took the cypress mulch I bought and baked it just in case. My question is, can I (or should I) mix it with anything? Soil, sand...? It just seems like it would be hard to dig in. It's the ZooMed "forest floor". Their chart says it's good for burrowing but it just seems... chunky.

Yes, I realize papers are way easier to maintain, but I like the look (and smell!!) of the cypress~

No don't mix it with anything. Use it as it comes

As for lighting

Pretend that I can keep good humidity and heat in my tank. Does anyone recommend a CHE over a (red) bulb, or vice versa, and give me some reasons? The lightless part of a CHE is appealing to me, but I hear they get SUPER SCARY hot?? The lamp dome I have has a built in dimmer (All Living Things), so I was wondering if that would help.

-----------------

I've had two pet store employees (who own bps) tell me NOT to use heat pads. And one said he heats the tank with a regular old house lightbulb (and turns it off at night). The second especially is making me... nervous? So I just want some... back up, on info, since what he's recommending is contradicting some things I've read. I'm also wondering what his night time temps are if there's no heat at all... He says "it gets cold in the desert after all".

I would be using a heat pad but can't find a thermostat that isn't 100-200$... I'll be getting one later for sure, though. Canada sucks, my area especially.

Thanks for reading!

You can use either or both. In the past I used an UTH during the day and a 75w red that cam on at night. I used the UTH on a proportional thermostat the light on a timer. I used the eco earth too keep the humidity where it should be.

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As for substrate i wouldn't put extra stuff in. Sometimes the dirt and sand can get in mouth or between scales and cause problems. I use plain aspen and nothing else for bedding and it works fine for my needs. It doesnt keep humidity as well but if you mist when it is low it works fine and has easy clean up and looks better than paper imo

I can't comment on the substrate. I only use paper. It is ugly but clean.
I don't use tanks, I use tubs.
Lights and heat emitters cause problems that I do not need.

Those statements can be helpful if you understand what I am telling you.

The most direct help I can be is I would not be listening to pet shop employees unless they work at a very reputable reptile specialty shop. The combined knowledge on this forum regarding ball pythons is very high and is far beyond anything I have found in any pet store, even those that specialize in reptiles.

Thanks guys!
Okay, I can return the bulb for a CHE next time I go; I haven't used the red bulb yet. Do not mix substate. Save for that Herpstat - maybe even get a cheap on-off, use the dimmer and always check with the heat gun. *note to self, but it more batteries! The battery low message keeps coming up...*


@Chris, I've done A LOT of looking, and ordering from Canada and shipping to where I live (which isn't somewhere in the middle of no where!) is more expensive than shipping from Spyder themselves or Bean Farm (cheapest). Sadly, all options are near 200$ and I can't afford that right now.



@Soord, that unit at checkout is about 60$. I was hoping I would just save for a Herpstat Intro+, or a Hertpstat 2 if I should run the lamp+UTH. I have a digital temp/humidity probe and a digital - on - the - glass temp reader and a heat gun. The tank will be in an area I'm in 80% of the time, so there will be plenty of time to check it! I didn't think BPs could see the infrared light, though? How do we/you/they know they 'hate it'? I got red so I could keep it on all night. White light is stressful, and probably would not help me sleep :P I was wondering if a 'moonlight' would even be better than a red.


@Frankie_Frog, okay, I won't mix the substrate. I was just wondering since it feels chunky if it would be hard for them. Maybe I'm just a worry wart lol. I plan on doing the UTH/Lamp set up in the future. How long is the red lamp on at night? Are you saying that at night the UTH turned off and the lamp came on, or both were on at night?


@Soord, again, I'm afraid of the aspen my store carries now since my friend's was infested with mites... I also like the smell of mulch, hehe. I was worried about the soil/stuff getting caught in the eyes or heat pits, so that's why I asked. I just wanted to see if I could have a natural substrate that's less.. chunky, ad a bit more natural.


@Jordan, I'm keeping the BP as a pet, so I'd like him to have a nicer display than a translucent, plain papered tub that I can't enjoy watching him in. Yes, it would be the most cost effective and easily maintained, but I'd like to be able to peek over and see him doing his noodly stuff, than a foggy white bin. I understand their uses and pros, especially for breeders. But as a pet owner, I guess I'm going more for a... 'vivarium'?


What problems to heat and light emitters cause you? Humidity? I will be getting a UTH when I can afford a Herpstat, but 200+ is quite a lot for a unit that's 99$.


I'm not listening to the pet store employees; I mostly mentioned them because what they say contradicts the thousands of experienced keepers and breeders here, almost to a funny extent! I don't usually listen to them when they speak to me. Smile and nod, and read all you can weeks ahead of time. Though, I'd feel bad if someone said that to me and I worked in a pet store, because I love my animals and want to give them good care beyond "Oh yeah just get the plastic tiny hamster cage from All Living Things and all these tubes and attachments he can suffocate in. It's just a hamster, buy another".


I was talking to a breeder who used to work at one of the pet stores, who moved to a more specialized one, and when I told him he got upset and was tempted to go in and give them a big lecture! Some are passionate, some are there because "Animals!!!!" and a paycheck. Heck, I'd say most are there because "Animals!!!!",but that's a discussion for another time ;)

UTH can have a hard time keeping the temps right at night in a glass tank. I would keep the light on from sundown to sun raise. The light was more to offer the UTH some backup. With the proportional thermostat runs the UTH 24/7.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

UTH can have a hard time keeping the temps right at night in a glass tank. I would keep the light on from sundown to sun raise. The light was more to offer the UTH some backup. With the proportional thermostat runs the UTH 24/7.

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I 100% agree with this, I had problems keeping my cool side to temp with only a uth and that was in a PVC cage. I switched to rhps. A che will help heat your cool side as well as giving you your hot spot or you can run a uth with a che or bulb like said above.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

Thanks guys!
Okay, I can return the bulb for a CHE next time I go; I haven't used the red bulb yet. Do not mix substate. Save for that Herpstat - maybe even get a cheap on-off, use the dimmer and always check with the heat gun. *note to self, but it more batteries! The battery low message keeps coming up...*


@Chris, I've done A LOT of looking, and ordering from Canada and shipping to where I live (which isn't somewhere in the middle of no where!) is more expensive than shipping from Spyder themselves or Bean Farm (cheapest). Sadly, all options are near 200$ and I can't afford that right now.



@Soord, that unit at checkout is about 60$. I was hoping I would just save for a Herpstat Intro+, or a Hertpstat 2 if I should run the lamp+UTH. I have a digital temp/humidity probe and a digital - on - the - glass temp reader and a heat gun. The tank will be in an area I'm in 80% of the time, so there will be plenty of time to check it! I didn't think BPs could see the infrared light, though? How do we/you/they know they 'hate it'? I got red so I could keep it on all night. White light is stressful, and probably would not help me sleep [emoji14] I was wondering if a 'moonlight' would even be better than a red.


@Frankie_Frog, okay, I won't mix the substrate. I was just wondering since it feels chunky if it would be hard for them. Maybe I'm just a worry wart lol. I plan on doing the UTH/Lamp set up in the future. How long is the red lamp on at night? Are you saying that at night the UTH turned off and the lamp came on, or both were on at night?


@Soord, again, I'm afraid of the aspen my store carries now since my friend's was infested with mites... I also like the smell of mulch, hehe. I was worried about the soil/stuff getting caught in the eyes or heat pits, so that's why I asked. I just wanted to see if I could have a natural substrate that's less.. chunky, ad a bit more natural.


@Jordan, I'm keeping the BP as a pet, so I'd like him to have a nicer display than a translucent, plain papered tub that I can't enjoy watching him in. Yes, it would be the most cost effective and easily maintained, but I'd like to be able to peek over and see him doing his noodly stuff, than a foggy white bin. I understand their uses and pros, especially for breeders. But as a pet owner, I guess I'm going more for a... 'vivarium'?


What problems to heat and light emitters cause you? Humidity? I will be getting a UTH when I can afford a Herpstat, but 200+ is quite a lot for a unit that's 99$.


I'm not listening to the pet store employees; I mostly mentioned them because what they say contradicts the thousands of experienced keepers and breeders here, almost to a funny extent! I don't usually listen to them when they speak to me. Smile and nod, and read all you can weeks ahead of time. Though, I'd feel bad if someone said that to me and I worked in a pet store, because I love my animals and want to give them good care beyond "Oh yeah just get the plastic tiny hamster cage from All Living Things and all these tubes and attachments he can suffocate in. It's just a hamster, buy another".


I was talking to a breeder who used to work at one of the pet stores, who moved to a more specialized one, and when I told him he got upset and was tempted to go in and give them a big lecture! Some are passionate, some are there because "Animals!!!!" and a paycheck. Heck, I'd say most are there because "Animals!!!!",but that's a discussion for another time ;)

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I mean they weren't active ever with the infrared. And my boy is a very active snake exploring all night around his cage and I left it on for about two weeks and used his che for my baby girl until I got her a uth. As soon as I switched back he was fine roaming the cage. The temps were similar and humidity was slightly more dry so my conclusion was he either didn't like it or something was going on. They both were fine with purple light though and both even better with a che. I currently use uth for all and a che on one to go with that and all seem happy.


Ahh I forget that Amazon does sales tax other places and last time I went to Canada it was like 15% or something. I also have prime so that may be a thing. The link I sent you says $26.50 USD for me which is like 35$ CAN. I guess it wouldn't be too bad as long as you have a dimmer and monitor it a lot but I'm all for a lazier approach haha.

And that pet store sounds terrible. In us if you gave someone mites you could prooobably get sued if it cost them a lot of trouble/money. And even if your bedding didn't have mites be wary and keep a look out if there was mites in the store they could be hiding in yours too.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

Thanks guys!
Okay, I can return the bulb for a CHE next time I go; I haven't used the red bulb yet. Do not mix substate. Save for that Herpstat - maybe even get a cheap on-off, use the dimmer and always check with the heat gun. *note to self, but it more batteries! The battery low message keeps coming up...*


@Chris, I've done A LOT of looking, and ordering from Canada and shipping to where I live (which isn't somewhere in the middle of no where!) is more expensive than shipping from Spyder themselves or Bean Farm (cheapest). Sadly, all options are near 200$ and I can't afford that right now.



@Soord, that unit at checkout is about 60$. I was hoping I would just save for a Herpstat Intro+, or a Hertpstat 2 if I should run the lamp+UTH. I have a digital temp/humidity probe and a digital - on - the - glass temp reader and a heat gun. The tank will be in an area I'm in 80% of the time, so there will be plenty of time to check it! I didn't think BPs could see the infrared light, though? How do we/you/they know they 'hate it'? I got red so I could keep it on all night. White light is stressful, and probably would not help me sleep [emoji14] I was wondering if a 'moonlight' would even be better than a red.


@Frankie_Frog, okay, I won't mix the substrate. I was just wondering since it feels chunky if it would be hard for them. Maybe I'm just a worry wart lol. I plan on doing the UTH/Lamp set up in the future. How long is the red lamp on at night? Are you saying that at night the UTH turned off and the lamp came on, or both were on at night?


@Soord, again, I'm afraid of the aspen my store carries now since my friend's was infested with mites... I also like the smell of mulch, hehe. I was worried about the soil/stuff getting caught in the eyes or heat pits, so that's why I asked. I just wanted to see if I could have a natural substrate that's less.. chunky, ad a bit more natural.


@Jordan, I'm keeping the BP as a pet, so I'd like him to have a nicer display than a translucent, plain papered tub that I can't enjoy watching him in. Yes, it would be the most cost effective and easily maintained, but I'd like to be able to peek over and see him doing his noodly stuff, than a foggy white bin. I understand their uses and pros, especially for breeders. But as a pet owner, I guess I'm going more for a... 'vivarium'?


What problems to heat and light emitters cause you? Humidity? I will be getting a UTH when I can afford a Herpstat, but 200+ is quite a lot for a unit that's 99$.


I'm not listening to the pet store employees; I mostly mentioned them because what they say contradicts the thousands of experienced keepers and breeders here, almost to a funny extent! I don't usually listen to them when they speak to me. Smile and nod, and read all you can weeks ahead of time. Though, I'd feel bad if someone said that to me and I worked in a pet store, because I love my animals and want to give them good care beyond "Oh yeah just get the plastic tiny hamster cage from All Living Things and all these tubes and attachments he can suffocate in. It's just a hamster, buy another".


I was talking to a breeder who used to work at one of the pet stores, who moved to a more specialized one, and when I told him he got upset and was tempted to go in and give them a big lecture! Some are passionate, some are there because "Animals!!!!" and a paycheck. Heck, I'd say most are there because "Animals!!!!",but that's a discussion for another time ;)

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Also if you are going for display and not utility (most cages for cheap) you should look into an animal plastic t8. They look really nice and make great display cages with both benefits of a tank and a tub

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

@Frog: I must be cold blooded cos I'm unhappy if the temp is 20 or lower (why am I in Canada?!), so my room is always hot. Though, even in the summer now, the temp was 30 (86) on Tuesday, and last night it was 2 (35), so I was fully intending on using both a UTH and lamp. For now, I'll just keep my heat on in my room, since I enjoy it too (not that I turned it off yet...). There was a petstore in the city that DID carry thermostats (on/off) but they are going out of business and closing officially on the 15th. I'm just a month late! :( I had called and looked myself and they were gone. Apparently, one of the stores will still be open in the city 2h away, so maybe I can go up there and check or get it mailed. It'll be cheaper than shipping and such.

@Chrid: I was hoping the lamp would make the hot area, and carry-over heat would help heat the other side. There was a heat cable for 70% off at the store that I Was tempted to get that had it's own dimmer (not thermostat) but I'm sure it's gone, now.

@Soord: Conversion plus shipping to Canada (which is absurdly expensive, even within Canada!) makes buying anything online difficult :( I used to have Prime, but we didn't use it enough and I was able to use the 90$ refund on something I needed. It's useful, but .CA doesn't have as many, or as good items as .COM, and 50% of items on .COM won't ship to Canada, so it was kinda hard to use, anyway.

As for mites, the aspen was supposed to be pre-treated. She said she thought she saw a 'mass of black' when she put it in, but only noticed the mites recently, so were thinking those might have been eggs. Her snake hasn't been in contact with any other snakes or animals since she got him, and I don't have mites, so the aspen is all we can think of. I told her to go to the store and complain about it, but she'd rather treat him now and just not buy it again in the future... I would complain and get a refund, at least. And actually, since it was 14 days since she got him, she could have argued for a refund on the snake, too, since he was technically 'sick'.

I'll look into plastic t8 for the future! :) Always looking to get nice displays~

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

I'm keeping the BP as a pet, so I'd like him to have a nicer display than a translucent, plain papered tub that I can't enjoy watching him in. Yes, it would be the most cost effective and easily maintained, but I'd like to be able to peek over and see him doing his noodly stuff, than a foggy white bin. I understand their uses and pros, especially for breeders. But as a pet owner, I guess I'm going more for a... 'vivarium'?


What problems to heat and light emitters cause you? Humidity? I will be getting a UTH when I can afford a Herpstat, but 200+ is quite a lot for a unit that's 99$.

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You can run heat tape and a rheostat for about $8 total. This is not ideal but is safe when monitored. I understand the desire to display your pet. All of my animals other than the ones being sold are treated as pets. They are taken care of and handled by my entire family. When we want to see one we take it out. The problem is that a happy ball python is a very poor display animal. You can spend a lot of time and effort making a beautiful and functional vivarium and what you are going to end up looking at are your snake's hides. A ball python does very little. A "happy" ball python does nothing but hide. They do like to paint though. With their poop. Be ready to clean everything in the enclosure. If you want a display animal I would suggest getting something that puts on a little bit more of a show.

As to lights, they can be a humidity nightmare and ball pythons do not care for bright light. Due to personal experience I also view lights as a potential safety hazard (my nephew set a bed on fire because he took a light array off a a tank while it was still on and put it on a bed).

Can you successfully keep a ball python in a tank? Yup. I think I recall Pit saying he started out this way. Is it worth the effort? I don't think so.

On another note most people that I know that keep balls start out with one then another one, then another one etc. This is where the thermostat, heat tape and bins really start to make sense.

Hmm, the JumpStart, ZooMed ReptiTemp and R-Zilla thermostats are 42-51$ with free shipping on Amazon.CA. That's up to 15$ cheaper than the .COM one... I'll have to check my visa.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

The problem is that a happy ball python is a very poor display animal. You can spend a lot of time and effort making a beautiful and functional vivarium and what you are going to end up looking at are your snake's hides. A ball python does very little. A "happy" ball python does nothing but hide. They do like to paint though. With their poop. Be ready to clean everything in the enclosure. If you want a display animal I would suggest getting something that puts on a little bit more of a show.

On another note most people that I know that keep balls start out with one then another one, then another one etc. This is where the thermostat, heat tape and bins really start to make sense.

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I think just a nice vivarium would be calming for me to look at, even if I can't spot the noodle. I realize setting up a tank is much more work, but hey, at least I didn't spend the 200-400$ on the tank. We had a 5, 15, 40 and 55 in the basement. Just needed a bit of a clean.

Haha, well, I'm running out of space as is. We have a lot of bookshelves that are full, and my craft room is full of large items, too. So I don't think I'd get another any time soon, mostly due to space. Maybe when I move out in... er... whenever that'll be.

For bedding- In my opinion, i'd mix it with a bit of eco earth dirt, but to each his own- Since I have paper towels right now but been thinking of switching to different type(s) of bedding(I may do different beddings in the terrarium to try em out). I also have a humidity box with eco earth and some moss, which you may want to do(you can easily make a box from a container from your kitchen or a shoe box container).

For Lights- I like to use the blue uva lights for daytime, sometimes the red ones, you'll just have to try them out, since every snake is different.

For UTH- I've been trying this heat pad that doesn't get very hot(it's for putting in dogs beds) that I got at petco clearance section. So far I like it. My mother also made a comment that I could try the heat pads for humans(with temperature control on it).

Hope this helps!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nitewolfie

My mother also made a comment that I could try the heat pads for humans(with temperature control on it).
Hope this helps!

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Do not do this. They are not made for this use. I like to think that I am at least slightly smarter than my snakes but I managed to give myself a nice second degree burn when I fell asleep on one. It got a lot hotter than it was set for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I managed to give myself a nice second degree burn when I fell asleep on one. It got a lot hotter than it was set for.

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Oh gosh! That's awful!

I use the zoo med 40 watt night red in a mini deep dome. 20 gallon long. Zoo med large coner bowl. NPI hide. Zilla screen top with zilla heavy duty clamps. One plastic plant. 1/3 custom cover on top. And put moss in the hide (humidity covered). Have six display cages set up. If you want I'll post a picture in my gallery. I'm in Chicago. Yeah, I like bulbs. Edit: I have two temp guns. I'm very happy with the temps.

Oh, I would love pictures!!

We just finished cutting the plexiglass for our custom top (our tank is an awkward size, nothing fits!). I lo e seeing other people's set ups :D

I added a picture in my gallery. I made custom inserts that rest on the lip of the tank under the screen (no the snakes can not knock them down). I can add one or two depending on the season.

I have a ceramic bulb on one side of my tank. Hunidity has been an issue (aspen), and I was getting tired of keeping up with soaking the patch of sphagnum moss.....I also can't soak the moss if we leave for a weekend.

I just bought a bag of the All Living Things brand cypress to mix in my aspen. I am going to watch the humidity and make adjustments to ratios if need be.

Next purchase is going to be two identical hide rocks. My snake spends all his time on the warm side during the daytime because he prefers that hide.

I personally use bioactive substrate. It's the best thing I've found as far as price, maintenance, and efficiency. It's simply top soil without any additives and leaf litter for your clean up crew.

Put in about 5-6" of top soil for any live plants. Leaf litter from outside. Add a bunch of spring tails and sew bugs and there's virtually no maintenance needed. The bugs are there to clean up any poo. The plants are to keep the air fresh and not stagnate. I've also added earthworms to help aerate the soil.

I've put in a shop light fixture and put a UVB in it simply for the plants.


The combination of the shop light fixture heat and my UTH pad keeps the ambient temperatures spot on almost through out the year and I never have to pay for substrate again.


Also, the tank I use is 5' long and roughly 2' wide. :gj:

Everyone seems to have their own preferences, but I like to use aspen bedding from Petco for all my snakes. It comes in a big compressed block and I think it's about $12 and it's kiln dried so no chance of getting bugs in it. About half of my snakes including some of my ball pythons like to burrow in it and they go down to the heat source, some just stay on top and some snakes move it all over the place LOL. I use cheaper pine bedding for my rodents from the feed store, I think it's about $8 per block but not as clean, sometimes it can get a little wet from sitting out in the yard. My mice don't seem to mind though, probably wouldn't use pine for my snakes as they recommend aspen. But the pine sure makes my rodent / snake room smell good!

I like the smell of the cypress because it smells like petrichor :D But I wouldn't mind it smelling like Christmas all the time, either.

@captain, someone mentioned earlier not to use soil? Os it can get in the mouth/nose/heat pits. I mean, sure there's soil/dirt in the wild... I'd love to plant real plants in the vivarium (I love gardening!) But I haven'tseen much about that topic...


Hmm. Can you use a CHE with a lamp dome? It says it reccomends the wire lamp thing on the box, but I like my dome. Especially since it has a built in dimmer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

I like the smell of the cypress because it smells like petrichor :D But I wouldn't mind it smelling like Christmas all the time, either.

@captain, someone mentioned earlier not to use soil? Os it can get in the mouth/nose/heat pits. I mean, sure there's soil/dirt in the wild... I'd love to plant real plants in the vivarium (I love gardening!) But I haven'tseen much about that topic...


Hmm. Can you use a CHE with a lamp dome? It says it reccomends the wire lamp thing on the box, but I like my dome. Especially since it has a built in dimmer.

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My che I have in the dome. Works fine for my needs

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Do you rest it on the top of the tank?

My tank is 31.5*14.5 (and most lids/screens are 30*12) so we're making one out of plexiglass with a piano hinge and velcro to keep it down. I'll be drilling ventilation holes but I'm m worried that drilled holes won't be enough to let the heat in and melt the plexi... But, plexi melts at like 160c (320f).

I was also reading that it's advised NOT to use a dome cos it'll trap the heat, and that's why you use the cage lamp so there's lots of circulation. But that means it'll be hotter to compensate for the loss when it's open 360° like that... so they get way hotter. One post I read said she temp gunned it at 400f, which will melt the plexi. I wonder if she was using a dome? At least my dome would have a dimmer on it.

I think I'll keep the bulb for now. They must be tired seeing my face from picking up supplies from fish, axolotl, cat to snakes a few times a week. I would also feel weird returning something I had gotten from a previous return...

I like the words for CHE, being lightless and lasting way longer than bulbs, but it's the oft mentioned heat i'm worried about...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

Do you rest it on the top of the tank?

My tank is 31.5*14.5 (and most lids/screens are 30*12) so we're making one out of plexiglass with a piano hinge and velcro to keep it down. I'll be drilling ventilation holes but I'm m worried that drilled holes won't be enough to let the heat in and melt the plexi... But, plexi melts at like 160c (320f).

I was also reading that it's advised NOT to use a dome cos it'll trap the heat, and that's why you use the cage lamp so there's lots of circulation. But that means it'll be hotter to compensate for the loss when it's open 360° like that... so they get way hotter. One post I read said she temp gunned it at 400f, which will melt the plexi. I wonder if she was using a dome? At least my dome would have a dimmer on it.

I think I'll keep the bulb for now. They must be tired seeing my face from picking up supplies from fish, axolotl, cat to snakes a few times a week. I would also feel weird returning something I had gotten from a previous return...

I like the words for CHE, being lightless and lasting way longer than bulbs, but it's the oft mentioned heat i'm worried about...

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My viv has a partial screen top or of metal so yeah I do

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As far as thermostats I would stay away from zoo med and zilla, I've owned them both and returned them 2 days after I had them, they drop 4-6 degrees before they start heating again and that's really not good. If you can't get a proportional thermostat right now and have to get an on/off get one that only drops 1 or 2 degrees at most before it starts heating again. One option is if you or someone you know can do basic wiring is get an STC-1000 from EBay and a short medium duty extension cord from a hardware store, all you have to do is cut and splice extension cord and wire it to the stc-1000 and you have a cheap on/off thermostat that only drops 1 degree before it turns heating device back on. Make sure you get one that is 110v if you have 110 electricity. You can use this thermostat for uth, che, rhp, heat cable, heat tape, any non light emitting heat source. The reason you don't want to use on/off thermostats for red bulbs and other light heat source is bc they will constantly flicker on off, you will need a dimming proportional for light emitting heat sources. Pulse is also a good thermostat bc it will keep one constant temp but it is also only for non light emitting heat sources. Dimming can be used for any heat source.

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[QUOTE=Moosefriend;2446045]
@captain, someone mentioned earlier not to use soil? Os it can get in the mouth/nose/heat pits. I mean, sure there's soil/dirt in the wild... I'd love to plant real plants in the vivarium (I love gardening!) But I haven'tseen much about that topicQUOTE]


Not many BP owners like the idea but mine have been in my set up for a year with no problem.

Here's a link to a thread I did. It's got some informational links on it you can check out. :D

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-for-Reptiles

Oooooh! Thanks for the link! I'm gonna look into it

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

Oooooh! Thanks for the link! I'm gonna look into it

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Not a problem!:gj:

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Originally Posted by chrid16371

As far as thermostats I would stay away from zoo med and zilla, I've owned them both and returned them 2 days after I had them, they drop 4-6 degrees before they start heating again and that's really not good. If you can't get a proportional thermostat right now and have to get an on/off get one that only drops 1 or 2 degrees at most before it starts heating again. One option is if you or someone you know can do basic wiring is get an STC-1000 from EBay and a short medium duty extension cord from a hardware store, all you have to do is cut and splice extension cord and wire it to the stc-1000 and you have a cheap on/off thermostat that only drops 1 degree before it turns heating device back on. Make sure you get one that is 110v if you have 110 electricity. You can use this thermostat for uth, che, rhp, heat cable, heat tape, any non light emitting heat source. The reason you don't want to use on/off thermostats for red bulbs and other light heat source is bc they will constantly flicker on off, you will need a dimming proportional for light emitting heat sources. Pulse is also a good thermostat bc it will keep one constant temp but it is also only for non light emitting heat sources. Dimming can be used for any heat source.

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I'm not very comfortable splicing electronics that aren't battery operated. Would the BAH-500 work?

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Originally Posted by Moosefriend

I'm not very comfortable splicing electronics that aren't battery operated. Would the BAH-500 work?

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Are you talking about the big apple herp bah-500? If so I would not recommend it. It was a new product when I bought them so I called and they told me they were proportional so I ordered 5 of them. They came in the mail and they were on/off but I tested 2 of them and they dropped 5 degrees before heating again, ouch! I called them and received my money back including shipping and return shipping. There is much better on/off style thermostats out there.

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For around the same cost you can get the inkbird itc-308 and it will only drop 1 degree.

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