Having trouble keeping the cool side cool

Hello!

I've been researching this issue like crazy with few results, as most people have trouble keeping the hot side hot enough and not the cool side cool. My apartment is hot and my air doesn't reach my room fully until hours after I turn it on. I've recently had trouble with the cool side of the terrarium hovering around 86 degrees, with the warm side remaining at 90 and a basking spot of 95. I have a mini fan that I clipped to the top but I'm worried about all the dust that could be flying in and it only drops the temp about 2-3 degrees. I've also tried putting ice packs on the top but that's a very temporary fix.

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to cool off the cool side. Thank you!

When you say a basking spot are you talking about a heat lamp?

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I guess it's more like a warm spot; it's 95 right above my UTH and 90 where my heat lamp is.

Ditch the heat lamp and dial the pad down to 92. They don't need the lamps and lamps are notorious for pulling the humidity out of your enclosure. The lamp will also have more heat spillage and raise the temp of your whole cage.

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Originally Posted by decensored

Ditch the heat lamp and dial the pad down to 92. They don't need the lamps and lamps are notorious for pulling the humidity out of your enclosure. The lamp will also have more heat spillage and raise the temp of your whole cage

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Will that mess with his day/night cycle at all? I don't get that much natural light where his tank is.

Also then there won't be a true gradient and both hides will be the same temperature. My UTH doesn't have a temp control setting so I have to be able to monitor the heat via a thermometer placed on it, so I don't have it under the warm hide.

Not really. Ball pythons are neither nocturnal nor diurnal they are crepuscular meaning that day cycles are not particularly important to them, they are awake when their prey normally is. But in the wild they dont see a whole lot of sun. Most breeders and keepers with extensive collections house them in bins where they see little to no natural light. Give it a try and see how your Temps settle. Hope this helps :)

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Originally Posted by KittyLex

Also then there won't be a true gradient and both hides will be the same temperature. My UTH doesn't have a temp control setting so I have to be able to monitor the heat via a thermometer placed on it, so I don't have it under the warm hide.

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your UTH isn't regulated?? ALL heat sources MUST be regulated, either by thermostat or dimmer/rheostat. your taking a risk on the safety of your animal by running a UTH unregulated.

here's a relatively cheap and relatively reliable thermostat you can use until you can save up for a Herpstat. i'd unplug the UTH until you get it regulated.

I'm not trying to be a jerk but under heat is the best heat source and I always strongly advise against lamps. I'm not even a fan of back heat in racking systems. You really do need a way to regulate your UTH, I've stopped pushing people to buy herpstats and VE systems but you can get a inkbird controller on amazon for like $40, it sounds like it might solve your heat issues.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by decensored

I'm not trying to be a jerk but under heat is the best heat source and I always strongly advise against lamps. I'm not even a fan of back heat in racking systems. You really do need a way to regulate your UTH, I've stopped pushing people to buy herpstats and VE systems but you can get a inkbird controller on amazon for like $40, it sounds like it might solve your heat issues.

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And an unregulated UTH can quite often lead to burns on the animal which is a whole can of worms no body wants to open. In the mean time you can purchase a dimmer switch for like a lamp at a hardware store for under $5. It's not a solution but it will hold you over until you get your thermostat set up.

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I would say unplug the uth and continue using the light until you get a tstat for the uth.

You could also add a dimmer to the heat lamp so you could control it. That would let you adjust it although if you have 85 on the cool side and 90 on the warm you don't have much to worry about at the moment. Now if it gets any warmer you may and at such a time it would be nice to be able to turn down the lamp.

If the ambient temp is ALWAYS between 84-89 you do not need to provide supplemental heating at all, but it will not hurt as long as that supplemental heating is being regulated by a thermostat.

So what I'm gathering is I should ditch the lamps completely and get a regulated UTH. In the mean time, does anyone have any tips for me regarding the cool side being warmer than it should be, or is it ok to have it around 84 degrees? When I'm home I can run the air and cool it down to around 78-80 but when I'm working the temp will be higher.

84 is fine

Thank you everyone!!!

I would unplug all heat sources and get a tstat for your UTH. The ambient temps in the room are fine for your snake. They don't need the temperature gradient if the ambient temps remain ok. The UTH, once you have a tstat, will create a hot spot which your snake may use occasionally, may use for digestion only. Until the summer is over and the room temp drops you will be fine without it as long as the ambient temps don't drop below 78-80 or so.

BPs also don't require a day/night cycle. The natural light that enters the room is perfectly sufficient, as BPs spend the majority of their time hidden away from light anyway.

It is very important to regulate ALL heat sources with a thermostat (for the UTH/UTH and light) or dimmer switch (for the light) at the very least. Without regulated heat the temps can spike and anything from a mild burn, serious burn, through being fatal is a possibility. Unregulated heat sources are basically ticking time bombs for your snake. It's not if, it's when will something happen?