Got our first python Sunday... few ?s

I cant figure out how to get pics to post sadly..
But he is in an all black acrylic enclosure with a clear door on the front purchased from the reptile fair we got him at. He ate today...yay!

I have heat tape under a third of the enclosure with the thermostadt probe on the floor inside the enclosire and set to a few degrees above 90. I have an inch plus reptibark coconut fiber on top. Inside thedigital thermometer about 3 inches up registers 78 even tho the floor temp under the coir in set to 92. Humidity is sitting at 90. The reptibark is a tad bit damp so im thinking this will decrease a bit... im wiping down the inside door and walls a bit just so its not tooooo high. Should i be concerned about the ambient temp or humidity right now?

Look forward to seeing the pictures - this should help;

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures


del

The thermostat probe does not go in the enclosure. It should be under the enclosure, sandwiched between the enclosure floor and the heat pad. Otherwise your snake can move it off the heat, pee on it, dump his water bowl on it, etc. and cause the heat pad to overheat.

You don't need an inch of substrate. Half of that is fine.

I wouldn't worry about the high humidity, and taking out half the substrate should help. If it remains high you can always add some small ventilation holes to the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

The thermostat probe does not go in the enclosure. It should be under the enclosure, sandwiched between the enclosure floor and the heat pad. Otherwise your snake can move it off the heat, pee on it, dump his water bowl on it, etc. and cause the heat pad to overheat.

You don't need an inch of substrate. Half of that is fine.

I wouldn't worry about the high humidity, and taking out half the substrate should help. If it remains high you can always add some small ventilation holes to the enclosure.

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

I 100% agree with the above reply.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/2/snake.jpg



I did have the therm probe under the enclosure but the enclosure wasn't heating up welll (custom ABS plastic). It was reccomended that I glue the probe down to the floor instead and use a heavy ceramic water dish on the opposite (Cool) side as the heat tape may be shutting off before the enclosure heats up. I'm still having trouble getting the enclosure up to temp though.... seems to be some issues with ABS plastic and thermoregulation.... I'm wondering if putting some stick on rubber feet under the enclosure and using metal tabe to tape the plastic to the bottom then putting the probe back would help. It's sitting on a wooden base which may be acting as a heat sink...

What are the avg temps in the room the enclosure is in?

Is your heat mat your only heat source?

It's important to understand that your UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot to aid in digestion and not for ambient temps.

So unless the room stays a constant 82-86 degrees you'll need an additional heat source

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

What are the avg temps in the room the enclosure is in? Room is 74 and that is the "upper air temp" in the enclosure.

Is your heat mat your only heat source? YES, we were told that is all we needed.

It's important to understand that your UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot to aid in digestion and not for ambient temps.

So unless the room stays a constant 82-86 degrees you'll need an additional heat source

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Not a problem, just need to decide what. everything but the clear acrylic door is black ABS plastic. I wonder if draping a quilt over it would hold in more of the heat. ventilation holes are up high in the back. Might try that first...otherwise I need to think about what to use...

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Originally Posted by indyerin

Not a problem, just need to decide what. everything but the clear acrylic door is black ABS plastic. I wonder if draping a quilt over it would hold in more of the heat. ventilation holes are up high in the back. Might try that first...otherwise I need to think about what to use...

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You'll need an additional heat source. There's no way around it.

What should I use that won't melt the plastic?

I got my enclosure at the show from Snake FX / The Reptile Factory, here's pic.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=77852

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Originally Posted by indyerin

What should I use that won't melt the plastic?

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Ypur options are basically a Radiant Heat Panel (RHP), heat lamp with a bulbs or Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE). The other option is to heat the entire room, which isn't practical with only one snake.

RHPs are far and away the beat choice, but obviously the most expensive. Bulbs are the cheapest, but need replacing the most often. CHEs are around $30 I think and last a lot longer than bulbs without shining any light.

Bulbs and CHEs also dry the enclosure out, so tweaks will need to be made to achieve proper humidity.

The RHP would be mounted inside the cage on the ceiling. The bulbs would be placed where I would assume the enclosure has a screen for a heat lamp.

Thanks ... no screen for a heat lamp but I could easily modify. I'm liking this light weight ABS and plan to order some panels myself to make lighter wait outdoor painting stuff (pochade box, panel holder etc.) . I do like the radiant heat panel... never seen those before. Need to investigate which one to buy and from where and assume it also connects to my thermostadt...

Always fun to discover what no one at the reptile fair tells you :)~ I swear I asked like everyone about their husbandry practices. They probably have warmer rooms.

I have red heat lamps from my chickens I can hang well above him for now and secure to keep ambient temps higher.

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Originally Posted by indyerin

Thanks ... no screen for a heat lamp but I could easily modify. I'm liking this light weight ABS and plan to order some panels myself to make lighter wait outdoor painting stuff (pochade box, panel holder etc.) . I do like the radiant heat panel... never seen those before. Need to investigate which one to buy and from where and assume it also connects to my thermostadt...Always fun to discover what no one at the reptile fair tells you :)~ I swear I asked like everyone about their husbandry practices. They probably have warmer rooms.I have red heat lamps from my chickens I can hang well above him for now and secure to keep ambient temps higher.

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Yeah, RHPs are fantastic. If you can afford one that's the way to go. Super easy.
And yeah, ties right into the thermostat.

This is why we always advise to have enclosures setup, equipment running and dialed in prior to bringing the animal home.

But hey, we all start somewhere and we've all made mistakes. It's important to simply learn and apply what you learn.

I always tell people to cross reference different sources too, cause there's TONS of be advice and incorrect info out there.

Anyway, keep up the good work and when you get your NEXT snake you'll be up and running before bringing it home.

Good luck! Ask all the questions you need to. We're happy to help.

Yep... I always "plan" to have the enclosures all set up for my pets before I buy them...50% of the time it works as planned. ..:P but then when you shop for the enclosures ... there all the wonderful animals are and that temptation to just go ahead and get it all at once is right there.:rolleye2: You think this is bad.... I should tell you about the time we brought our first two goats home before I had the fence *quite* finished! lol. In this day and age with amazon prime and shops everywhere its hard to screw up super bad though. Although ... those goats sure had too much fun in my garage that night....

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Originally Posted by indyerin

Yep... I always "plan" to have the enclosures all set up for my pets before I buy them...50% of the time it works as planned. ..:P but then when you shop for the enclosures ... there all the wonderful animals are and that temptation to just go ahead and get it all at once is right there.:rolleye2: You think this is bad.... I should tell you about the time we brought our first two goats home before I had the fence *quite* finished! lol. In this day and age with amazon prime and shops everywhere its hard to screw up super bad though. Although ... those goats sure had too much fun in my garage that night....

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Hahahhaha,I hear ya!!

Like I said, feel free to ask any questions you have, even if they sound silly. That's how we learn after all.

Okay ... my RHP is on order. In the meantime, I brought in my whole-room safe space heater and placed it near but definitely not too near the enclosure but so that cross ventilation would take in the warmer air. It worked! Definitely prefer the safety of an RHP long term but the space heater in the room over about an hour got the cool side and the warm side of the enclosure within range. I set a thermostat alarm for if it gets to high. So far so good. Now I just need to get a small locking lid bin to place him in while I install my RHP when it comes.

I'm still a little concerned that the humidity is holding at 99%. The bowl I get him is a flat but wide ceramic bowl I made years ago ... it's like 12" across but only 1" deep and filled halfway. I'm thinking that much surface area is making it too humid so I may try a smaller bowl when I install the RHP. The coconut substrate was nearly dry when I put it in so I'm surprised it is holding humidity this well, especially with the number of holes drilled along the back of the enclosure. It's so moist the walls and front are covered in droplets. Wiping them down should theoretically be removing moisture but with it staying that high the bowl is the only source of water in there. Still glad too have too wet as a problem over too dry...we will get there.

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Originally Posted by indyerin

Okay ... my RHP is on order.

Now I just need to get a small locking lid bin to place him in while I install my RHP when it comes.

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Awesome!!!

Just a little tip: you can always use a pillow case to keep the snake secure while you install the RHP.
But having a spare tub is always good too. When transporting snakes (for vet trips or moving or whatever) a pillow case will work if temps are safe. The tub allows you to control the temps a bit though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by indyerin

Okay ... my RHP is on order. In the meantime, I brought in my whole-room safe space heater and placed it near but definitely not too near the enclosure but so that cross ventilation would take in the warmer air. It worked! Definitely prefer the safety of an RHP long term but the space heater in the room over about an hour got the cool side and the warm side of the enclosure within range. I set a thermostat alarm for if it gets to high. So far so good. Now I just need to get a small locking lid bin to place him in while I install my RHP when it comes.

I'm still a little concerned that the humidity is holding at 99%. The bowl I get him is a flat but wide ceramic bowl I made years ago ... it's like 12" across but only 1" deep and filled halfway. I'm thinking that much surface area is making it too humid so I may try a smaller bowl when I install the RHP. The coconut substrate was nearly dry when I put it in so I'm surprised it is holding humidity this well, especially with the number of holes drilled along the back of the enclosure. It's so moist the walls and front are covered in droplets. Wiping them down should theoretically be removing moisture but with it staying that high the bowl is the only source of water in there. Still glad too have too wet as a problem over too dry...we will get there.

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I would get another method of checking your humidity levels. Get one of the digital ones if you don't have one already. Lots of the analog ones just get stuck. You likely don't have 99% humidity, though the fact there are droplets forming says that it is at the least very high...

I have a very nice digital sensor in their and it fluctuates between 90 and 99% humidity. :/ my one from my garden room says the same.

Well, in that case, when you get your RHP amd take him out, maybe give everything a good drying out.

Ive heard blow dryers can work, or if you have heat lamps on stand clamps, hang them over the top until the humidity gets down lower. Seeing as you don't have a problem keeping humidity high, you could probably dry it out to below range, wait to see if it goes back up, and if it doesn't, add humidity until you have it where you want it.

I'm not sure how long that would take though, but at this point I can't think of another method aside from emptying everything out, changing the substrate, and giving everything a good drying.

I also don't know how long they can be in such high humidity environments before starting to get health problems. :/