New ball python owner, seriously need advice

After spending a lot of time researching about ball pythons and buying all The necessary tools for the enclosure, I bought my Spider Ball Python just last Saturday at my local Snakes at Sunset. I have a 20 gallon tank, Barczyk’s coconut fiber substrace, heating mat with a thermostat put at 90F, and 3 items to measure temp and humidity. First is a digital thermo/hydrometer with both probes around the “colder” hide area, a dual analog more to the hot side, and a single digital thermometer on the ground next to his hot hide( since i cant stick it on the glass). The heat mat runs 88-91F so i think im good there, but my dual digital and analog thermo/hydrometers dont match well. The analog reads 60sF and 60% humidity even though the thermometer on the same side but on ground is reading 80F, while the digital on the colder side reads 75F and 84% humidity( After putting more ventilation it went 65ish%). Ive been paying more attention to the digital because of its higher popularity regarding accuracy, the temps sometimes go lower at night reaching as low as 71F for some time on the cool hide. I want to know if im doing something wrong. I have a part of the screen lide covered with a black towel and the enclosure is located in my living room here in Miami where the temps go between 78-69 accordingly inside my house with AC. I do plan on relocatig the tank to my own bedroom since where i have it right now is making it difficult for spot cleanings inside the hides( I havent cleaned there yet ). However, ive been hesitant of moving the tank right now since i plan on feeding him thursday and i dont know if the tank’s relocation will stress him out, even though that would mean no cleaning on hides until 2 days after feeding. He was exploring a lot when i first put him there and becomes active at nights. I have read a lot regarding things i could be doing wrong but I think it would be better just explaining my exact situation in different topics to the more experienced ones. Thanks for your time.

hello, friend!

since your post isn't broken into paragraphs it made it a bit hard to read. consider that next time you have a long post so more people read it. i mean this to be productive and not mean-spirited in any way! [emoji3]

so reading through your post i have some scattered comments:

• ditch any analog/dial/non-digital thermometer/hygrometer. they're almost literally useless for a species that requires such specific husbandry.

• an under tank heater (UTH) does nothing to raise ambient (air) temps. if your enclosure is reaching as low as 70° F you will need an ambient heat source on a thermostat to raise temps to the appropriate degree (77-82° F). a lot of people on the forum have great success with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) as have i.

i hope this helps get you on the right path to proper husbandry! if you have any more questions feel free to ask. [emoji4]

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

hello, friend!

since your post isn't broken into paragraphs it made it a bit hard to read. consider that next time you have a long post so more people read it. i mean this to be productive and not mean-spirited in any way! [emoji3]

so reading through your post i have some scattered comments:

• ditch any analog/dial/non-digital thermometer/hygrometer. they're almost literally useless for a species that requires such specific husbandry.

• an under tank heater (UTH) does nothing to raise ambient (air) temps. if your enclosure is reaching as low as 70° F you will need an ambient heat source on a thermostat to raise temps to the appropriate degree (77-82° F). a lot of people on the forum have great success with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) as have i.

i hope this helps get you on the right path to proper husbandry! if you have any more questions feel free to ask. [emoji4]

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Yea the Temperatures on the cold side can get as low as 71F while around the hotter side where the 90F belly heat is located at has been in 76F.
What do you use to control your CHE’s temp? i need a cheap and effective item if possible. Let it be rheostats or thermostats. Thanks for answering

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

Yea the Temperatures on the cold side can get as low as 71F while around the hotter side where the 90F belly heat is located at has been in 76F.
What do you use to control your CHE’s temp? i need a cheap and effective item if possible. Let it be rheostats or thermostats. Thanks for answering

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it depends on the environment:

if the room you keep the snake in has a fairly stable temp throughout the day (i.e. not more than a 3° fluctuation) then a rheostat will suffice. i used a CHE + rheostat for kind of a long time before as the room temp was stable, but this was before i stopped using glass. a rheostat takes daily monitoring regardless. if the room temp fluctuates more than that, then a thermostat is necessary.

not to sound condescending, but why do you want to go a cheap route here? a quality thermostat is the single most important piece of equipment you will buy for your beep, and they almost pay for themselves with the protection they provide. what thermostat do you have now? and is there a reason a more expensive option is not practical for you?

i just want to fully understand your situation and offer as much help as i can. it took me almost 3 years before i bought a quality thermostat, so i understand that dropping that kinda $krilla isn't easy for everyone, but TBH i can't believe my snakes and i lasted so long without them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

it depends on the environment:

if the room you keep the snake in has a fairly stable temp throughout the day (i.e. not more than a 3° fluctuation) then a rheostat will suffice. i used a CHE + rheostat for kind of a long time before as the room temp was stable, but this was before i stopped using glass. a rheostat takes daily monitoring regardless. if the room temp fluctuates more than that, then a thermostat is necessary.

not to sound condescending, but why do you want to go a cheap route here? a quality thermostat is the single most important piece of equipment you will buy for your beep, and they almost pay for themselves with the protection they provide. what thermostat do you have now? and is there a reason a more expensive option is not practical for you?

i just want to fully understand your situation and offer as much help as i can. it took me almost 3 years before i bought a quality thermostat, so i understand that dropping that kinda $krilla isn't easy for everyone, but TBH i can't believe my snakes and i lasted so long without them.

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My house AC goes around 78 to even 69 at night( ive been trying to not put it so low lately). The glass tank is located in my living room right now but i will put it on my bedroom soon..either a day before eating or 2 affer eating( considering he’ll take the food, i havent fed him yet.)Which do you recommend?
The thermostat i have is the Jumpstart one, I dont think its in your good list of Stats since is meant for plants, i just saw a youtuber recommend it. I really have no knowledge regarding temperature control devices besides mentions here and there, so i was trying to keep it simple. Ive been trying to cut the spendings short because i have spent some money already plus other personal things that need my financial attention. But if given the advice and a specific setup ill definetly switch to whatever is more beneficial for my python. The reason Im even here is because the last i want is to kill it with irresponsible care.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

My house AC goes around 78 to even 69 at night( ive been trying to not put it so low lately). The glass tank is located in my living room right now but i will put it on my bedroom soon..either a day before eating or 2 affer eating( considering he’ll take the food, i havent fed him yet.)Which do you recommend?
The thermostat i have is the Jumpstart one, I dont think its in your good list of Stats since is meant for plants, i just saw a youtuber recommend it. I really have no knowledge regarding temperature control devices besides mentions here and there, so i was trying to keep it simple. Ive been trying to cut the spendings short because i have spent some money already plus other personal things that need my financial attention. But if given the advice and a specific setup ill definetly switch to whatever is more beneficial for my python. The reason Im even here is because the last i want is to kill it with irresponsible care.

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[emoji4] im so happy to read you're more concerned with safety than price. TBH a reliable thermostat protects you and your home as well as the snake; a runaway heating element for pets is a common cause of house fires.

you will need a second thermostat with your house conditions. i stared out using Jumpstart thermostats, and i still have them for backups; one quarantine enclosure of mine still uses one. now i use expensive yet reliable Herpstats (Herpstat 2 and a few Herpstat intro+) and i have one VE300 (Vivarium Electronics). the thing that sucks about the cheaper thermostats is that they run and either 100% or 0% with no inbetween. for a cheap electronic control, over time this will easily cause the unit to fail, and since our snakes live 20+ years, this is not ideal.

i used a Jumpstart for almost 3 years without fail, but i would NOT take the risk of assuming it won't fail on you. i consider Jumpstarts an economical bridge between now and the time it takes to throw that money down on a reliable thermostat (Herpstats).

i hope this helped! you do need an ambient heat source. lmk if this was confusing or if you're having issues getting another electronic control.

i just want to retract my statement about runaway heating elements for reptiles and house fires: poorly regulated heating elements causing house fires is NOT super common. HOWEVER, it is absolutely known to happen and that risk is not worth the "reward."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

[emoji4] im so happy to read you're more concerned with safety than price. TBH a reliable thermostat protects you and your home as well as the snake; a runaway heating element for pets is a common cause of house fires.

you will need a second thermostat with your house conditions. i stared out using Jumpstart thermostats, and i still have them for backups; one quarantine enclosure of mine still uses one. now i use expensive yet reliable Herpstats (Herpstat 2 and a few Herpstat intro+) and i have one VE300 (Vivarium Electronics). the thing that sucks about the cheaper thermostats is that they run and either 100% or 0% with no inbetween. for a cheap electronic control, over time this will easily cause the unit to fail, and since our snakes live 20+ years, this is not ideal.

i used a Jumpstart for almost 3 years without fail, but i would NOT take the risk of assuming it won't fail on you. i consider Jumpstarts an economical bridge between now and the time it takes to throw that money down on a reliable thermostat (Herpstats).

i hope this helped! you do need an ambient heat source. lmk if this was confusing or if you're having issues getting another electronic control.

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So i would need to replace Jumpstart with a herpstat is that right? That would mean i need another one for the CHE I would get as well since they wont be using the same amount of heat. Could you provide me some links of the one you use or others on your own time? Appreciate the help

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Originally Posted by YounGod

So i would need to replace Jumpstart with a herpstat is that right? That would mean i need another one for the CHE I would get as well since they wont be using the same amount of heat. Could you provide me some links of the one you use or others on your own time? Appreciate the help

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replacing your Jumpstart for the UTH is the right direction, but it does not need to happen this second. you're okay for the time being, but the sooner you can replace your Jumpstart with a reliable thermostat, the better. a Jumpstart failure is not an if, but when.

however, your immediate next step is raising your ambient temps, and that means getting a CHE, ceramic socket dome and thermostat for it. the size/wattage of CHE you'll need depends on the size of your enclosure: when i ran a 20gal glass, i used a regulated 100 W CHE (on a rheostat, which i do NOT recommend for your environment). 100 W is a bit more power than needed for that size enclosure, but i'd rather run a higher watt element on low power than a low watt element on high power.

LINKS:

Herpstat thermostats (Cadillac of thermostats; well worth the money and will last for a snake's lifetime)

100 W CHE (available at most pet stores) depending on your enclosure size this might need to change.

Ceramic socket dome for CHE. i did not include a link here bc idk what size enclosure you have. just be sure whatever dome you buy: 1. has a ceramic socket, and 2. is rated AT LEAST 100 W to be used with your 100 W CHE. but again, idk what size your enclosure is so maybe 100 W might not be the right size.

hope this helped!!! again, if a second thermostat is a true issue please lmk. i might be able to help you with a temporary solution.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

replacing your Jumpstart for the UTH is the right direction, but it does not need to happen this second. you're okay for the time being, but the sooner you can replace your Jumpstart with a reliable thermostat, the better. a Jumpstart failure is not an if, but when.

however, your immediate next step is raising your ambient temps, and that means getting a CHE, ceramic socket dome and thermostat for it. the size/wattage of CHE you'll need depends on the size of your enclosure: when i ran a 20gal glass, i used a regulated 100 W CHE (on a rheostat, which i do NOT recommend for your environment). 100 W is a bit more power than needed for that size enclosure, but i'd rather run a higher watt element on low power than a low watt element on high power.

LINKS:

Herpstat thermostats (Cadillac of thermostats; well worth the money and will last for a snake's lifetime)

100 W CHE (available at most pet stores) depending on your enclosure size this might need to change.

Ceramic socket dome for CHE. i did not include a link here bc idk what size enclosure you have. just be sure whatever dome you buy: 1. has a ceramic socket, and 2. is rated AT LEAST 100 W to be used with your 100 W CHE. but again, idk what size your enclosure is so maybe 100 W might not be the right size.

hope this helped!!! again, if a second thermostat is a true issue please lmk. i might be able to help you with a temporary solution.

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I just measured the tank its 30”12”12(lenght,height,width). 78F on ground by the hide, 90F on mat, 76F 66% on cold side. And thats at the expense of the household, taking advantage my parents are sleeping. What CHE would go with those numbers?
Im looking at that Herpstat EZ1 but might just get the EZ2 for those 2 outputs if ill need the CHE on another STAT anyways. My girl and I give each other a hand since we on this together with the spendings, I just dont want to take it too far its a lot of stuff we’ve bought already. Im also considering a temp gun to ditch thermometers.

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!

Just throwing this out there to try to help you moving forward...
Seperate your thoughts into paragraphs. It make reading your threads much easier, there for will often lead to more people reading and in return, more replies.

Now to help you out:

- definitely rely on the digital thermometer/hygrometers. You might as well just ditch the analog. As you can already tell, they are wildly inaccurate. It's like using a Fisher Price doctors kit to check a child's temperature.

- get those ambient temps up! After spending "a lot of time researching" you should have already known this, but let's just move on...
Your UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot to aid in digestion and not for ambient temps. Since you don't want your temps dropping below 75 you'll need an additional heat source. Whether you go with a CHE or bulbs you will need to regulate the heat source with an additional t-stat.

Also keep in mind this additional heat source will drastically drop your humidity, so be prepared for that.

Other than that, sounds like you're on the right track.

Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions you may have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

I just measured the tank its 30”12”12(lenght,height,width). 78F on ground by the hide, 90F on mat, 76F 66% on cold side. And thats at the expense of the household, taking advantage my parents are sleeping. What CHE would go with those numbers?
Im looking at that Herpstat EZ1 but might just get the EZ2 for those 2 outputs if ill need the CHE on another STAT anyways. My girl and I give each other a hand since we on this together with the spendings, I just dont want to take it too far its a lot of stuff we’ve bought already. Im also considering a temp gun to ditch thermometers.

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a 100 W CHE should be enough power, so be sure to get a dome rated at that wattage. i ran a 100 W on my 20gal and barely had to turn the electronic control up to reach the appropriate temps.

i'd trust the lower-end Herpstats over a Jumpstart any day; you just can't go wrong with Herpstats. i'd go for the EZ2 if you can swing it.

keep us posted! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

a 100 W CHE should be enough power, so be sure to get a dome rated at that wattage. i ran a 100 W on my 20gal and barely had to turn the electronic control up to reach the appropriate temps.

i'd trust the lower-end Herpstats over a Jumpstart any day; you just can't go wrong with Herpstats. i'd go for the EZ2 if you can swing it.

keep us posted! :)

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When i got home the temps were 76F 60% and 81F on hot side. AC set at 77.
I recieved a Zoo med CHE 60 watt along with the porcelain clamp lamp. Will that work?
My plan would be to get the Herpstat EZ2 and use that to regulate both the CHE and UTH, so i wont be inserting the CHE until the Stats arrives. At what temp should i set the STAT with the CHE and where should the probes be? Would that be a correct setup?
Also what about electricity consumption by all these items.
Sorry for all the questions im really interested hehe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

When i got home the temps were 76F 60% and 81F on hot side. AC set at 77.
I recieved a Zoo med CHE 60 watt along with the porcelain clamp lamp. Will that work?
My plan would be to get the Herpstat EZ2 and use that to regulate both the CHE and UTH, so i wont be inserting the CHE until the Stats arrives. At what temp should i set the STAT with the CHE and where should the probes be? Would that be a correct setup?
Also what about electricity consumption by all these items.
Sorry for all the questions im really interested hehe

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don't apologize for trying to learn. :)

what you have will work, yes.

as for what temperature to set it at: that depends on your environment. my temp settings will be different from yours, as will everyone else's. once you get your t-stat, you'll need to play scientist and spend an hour or so letting everything run and periodically checking temps until you're happy and getting consistent readings. it's a bit of work, but once everything is dialed in the rest is a breeze. an IR temp gun will be a YUUUGE help here.

for CHE probe placement: you'll want to hang it down an inch or so above the substrate. how big is your snake btw? depending on size, they might climb the probe so be aware of that and try to anchor it down somehow, as best as you can (NO TAPE IN THE ENCLOSURE EVER). with a bigger snake this won't be an issue.

regarding electricity: well, the CHE won't pull more than 60 W lol, and if it's running full-blast then your thermostat isn't doing it's job. regulated heat sources are much cheaper to run than unregulated heat sources, as their electricity usage is, well, regulated. the thermostat will be pulling the most electricity, but the wattage is listed on the Herpstat website if you need to look it up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

don't apologize for trying to learn. :)

what you have will work, yes.

as for what temperature to set it at: that depends on your environment. my temp settings will be different from yours, as will everyone else's. once you get your t-stat, you'll need to play scientist and spend an hour or so letting everything run and periodically checking temps until you're happy and getting consistent readings. it's a bit of work, but once everything is dialed in the rest is a breeze. an IR temp gun will be a YUUUGE help here.

for CHE probe placement: you'll want to hang it down an inch or so above the substrate. how big is your snake btw? depending on size, they might climb the probe so be aware of that and try to anchor it down somehow, as best as you can (NO TAPE IN THE ENCLOSURE EVER). with a bigger snake this won't be an issue.

regarding electricity: well, the CHE won't pull more than 60 W lol, and if it's running full-blast then your thermostat isn't doing it's job. regulated heat sources are much cheaper to run than unregulated heat sources, as their electricity usage is, well, regulated. the thermostat will be pulling the most electricity, but the wattage is listed on the Herpstat website if you need to look it up.

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The snake is a juvi i dont think he can take the whole lenght of the tank with his own body. I dont have exact measures tho, 6 months old at most.
i heard is good setting CHE with dimmers or should i just keep with the Herostat EZ2 setup? That one takes 300w by output.. not sure what it means just sounds like a lot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

The snake is a juvi i dont think he can take the whole lenght of the tank with his own body. I dont have exact measures tho, 6 months old at most.
i heard is good setting CHE with dimmers or should i just keep with the Herostat EZ2 setup? That one takes 300w by output.. not sure what it means just sounds like a lot.

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the lights in your average ceiling fan pull ~200 W, to give you some perspective.

from what you described earlier in this thread, i would not recommend a dimmer/rheostat for your environment as you had stated your temps fluctuate by a fairly large amount:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

the enclosure is located in my living room here in Miami where the temps go between 78-69 accordingly inside my house with AC.

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a rheostat works best in a room with stable temps, as a rheostat does not have a probe to read temps and adjust the electronic control like a thermostat does. i used a rheostat with my 100 W CHE and it worked really well, but my room has a stable temp (no more than a 3° swing).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

don't apologize for trying to learn. :)

what you have will work, yes.

as for what temperature to set it at: that depends on your environment. my temp settings will be different from yours, as will everyone else's. once you get your t-stat, you'll need to play scientist and spend an hour or so letting everything run and periodically checking temps until you're happy and getting consistent readings. it's a bit of work, but once everything is dialed in the rest is a breeze. an IR temp gun will be a YUUUGE help here.

for CHE probe placement: you'll want to hang it down an inch or so above the substrate. how big is your snake btw? depending on size, they might climb the probe so be aware of that and try to anchor it down somehow, as best as you can (NO TAPE IN THE ENCLOSURE EVER). with a bigger snake this won't be an issue.

regarding electricity: well, the CHE won't pull more than 60 W lol, and if it's running full-blast then your thermostat isn't doing it's job. regulated heat sources are much cheaper to run than unregulated heat sources, as their electricity usage is, well, regulated. the thermostat will be pulling the most electricity, but the wattage is listed on the Herpstat website if you need to look it up.

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Yeah guess Ill get that Herpstat EZ2 for both UTH and CHE. Also the temp gun which ive been considering for a while( can the laser from the gun damage the snakes eyes?). I just put him into my room and when theres traffic or a bright light-on I put a towel accross the top an the front of the tank with a spot uncovered on the top so some light drops inside mimicking a ray of sunlight in a dark forest😂.
I hope this works out. Thanks for your help i was looking for somoeone exactly like you. Ill post more in these forums as time goes by and i face more questions. Appreciate it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

Yeah guess Ill get that Herpstat EZ2 for both UTH and CHE. Also the temp gun which ive been considering for a while( can the laser from the gun damage the snakes eyes?). I just put him into my room and when theres traffic or a bright light-on I put a towel accross the top an the front of the tank with a spot uncovered on the top so some light drops inside mimicking a ray of sunlight in a dark forest[emoji23].
I hope this works out. Thanks for your help i was looking for somoeone exactly like you. Ill post more in these forums as time goes by and i face more questions. Appreciate it.

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laser safety 101: never point any laser at any eyeballs. [emoji6]

cover 3 of the 4 sides of the enclosure with dark paper it fabric: beeps are very secretive animals and like their privacy, and this will help them feel more secure.

you're very welcome for the help, that's what we're here for! and hey!!! i think you owe me some pics of your snake! [emoji12] pleeeaaasssee.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

laser safety 101: never point any laser at any eyeballs. [emoji6]

cover 3 of the 4 sides of the enclosure with dark paper it fabric: beeps are very secretive animals and like their privacy, and this will help them feel more secure.

you're very welcome for the help, that's what we're here for! and hey!!! i think you owe me some pics of your snake! [emoji12] pleeeaaasssee.

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This is him: Kirah is the name
https://imgur.com/6wRWPiq
https://imgur.com/Te2W2i6
https://imgur.com/3Flqkjq
https://imgur.com/aNdznYe
Dont pay much attention to the thermometers thats when i first put him there, humidity was 94%...

and this is where i have him now. Furniture below tank is provisional just needed one so I could put him into the bedroom, works good. Close to the room TV, hope it wont be an issue. Barely use it though.
https://imgur.com/9i8hLwz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by YounGod

This is him: Kirah is the name
https://imgur.com/6wRWPiq
https://imgur.com/Te2W2i6
https://imgur.com/3Flqkjq
https://imgur.com/aNdznYe
Dont pay much attention to the thermometers thats when i first put him there, humidity was 94%...

and this is where i have him now. Furniture below tank is provisional just needed one so I could put him into the bedroom, works good. Close to the room TV, hope it wont be an issue. Barely use it though.
https://imgur.com/9i8hLwz

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awwwwwe what a cute little Spider beep! thanks for sharing pics! you should go post them over to the BP Pictures section. [emoji3]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

awwwwwe what a cute little Spider beep! thanks for sharing pics! you should go post them over to the BP Pictures section. [emoji3]

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Yea he's amazing, hopefully not my last snake. Kinda planning on taking this further. Thanks for everything.

I well second or third or whatever. I got a herpstat 2 redline to replace my EZ and a viv I had. Nothing wrong with the others but I do like the digital on the 2 and it being proportional. I now use the EZ as a backup and the Viv as a emergency backup if the need arises.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stout76

I well second or third or whatever. I got a herpstat 2 redline to replace my EZ and a viv I had. Nothing wrong with the others but I do like the digital on the 2 and it being proportional. I now use the EZ as a backup and the Viv as a emergency backup if the need arises.

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Is the herpstat 2 more reliable than the EZ2? does it have more than one output?