Cant Get My Tank Warm

I have a 40 gallon for my ball python that is heated by a heating pad placed under the tank but I can get my surface temp to be hot enough without setting the thermostat really high. So I then went and bought a heating lamp but the the thing is it would suck all the humidity in my tank within hours. I don't know what to do. I thought maybe my heating pad or thermostat was no good or maybe even my substrate I use zoomed reptibark. What should I do?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nicholaus343

I have a 40 gallon for my ball python that is heated by a heating pad placed under the tank but I can get my surface temp to be hot enough without setting the thermostat really high. So I then went and bought a heating lamp but the the thing is it would suck all the humidity in my tank within hours. I don't know what to do. I thought maybe my heating pad or thermostat was no good or maybe even my substrate I use zoomed reptibark. What should I do?

---

Start by posting a picture and detailed description of your enclosure. The more information you give us, the better our advice will be.

This definitely^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

However I will add how are you measuring the temperature to know it’s “not hot enough” despite setting the tstat on high? “Really high”?

Ok I will attach a picture when I get home U have a temperature gun to measure the surface temp. I had to set my thermostat to 100 in order to get a surface temp of like 86 degrees in my hot spot but I am scared my snake will get burnt it it moves the substrate. and I also a digital thermometer and hydrometer and that only read like 79 degrees.on my hot side. when I use the heat lamp it gets the temp up but it j screw my humidity.

The surface temperature should be taken on the glass to be accurate. If tstat is set to 100F we need to see if that is the same temperature on the glass above the heat pad. Remember glass is a poor conductor of heat. Unless the heat is coming directly from the sun into the enclosure. Then the heat gets magnified. Heat pad applications are different. Looking forward to the pictures of the enclosure.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...V3kuFa7WcHY_Luhttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...AxC1iVr3X4IwM1https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...Zr0ZPeevlioYzahttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...dF2ivkm1xbERcyThis is my enclosure for my tank the heat pad is a zoomed 16w(I forgot its dimensions) and it is supposed to be good for a 40 gallon I also have the heat lamp i mentioned earlier but im not using it because it sucks up all my humidity. the pick with the heat gun is the surface temp inside the hide directly on top of the heat mat

All that substrate is a really good INSULATOR- meaning, it's preventing the heat (UTH) from rising into the tank. Over the UTH, the substrate needs to be really shallow, otherwise you're just overheating the UTH* & not getting the heat into the tank where you need it. ;) (*& btw, make sure the UTH has a bit of ventilation for safety as specified in the installation instructions).

You DO want to take the temperature inside the tank right over the UTH & ON** the glass, to make sure it's not too hot & a safety hazard for your snake- some just don't seem to realize (maybe because BPs are heavy-bodied?) until they're injured ("burned") after laying there too long. (**In case your snake pushes the substrate aside, which they can easily do.) The substrate can be deeper elsewhere, just not over the UTH, for best results.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

All that substrate is a really good INSULATOR- meaning, it's preventing the heat (UTH) from rising into the tank. Over the UTH, the substrate needs to be really shallow, otherwise you're just overheating the UTH* & not getting the heat into the tank where you need it. ;) (*& btw, make sure the UTH has a bit of ventilation for safety as specified in the installation instructions).

You DO want to take the temperature inside the tank right over the UTH & ON** the glass, to make sure it's not too hot & a safety hazard for your snake- some just don't seem to realize (maybe because BPs are heavy-bodied?) until they're injured ("burned") after laying there too long. (**In case your snake pushes the substrate aside, which they can easily do.) The substrate can be deeper elsewhere, just not over the UTH, for best results.

---

^^this.. Both our BPs burrow down to the glass in the hides on both the cool and hot side heat mats. We keep the substrate kinda thin over the mats and thicker elsewhere. When we check the temps, we will move the substrate aside to test the glass temp, since they always end up straight on it anyway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AutumnVanilla

^^this.. Both our BPs burrow down to the glass in the hides on both the cool and hot side heat mats. We keep the substrate kinda thin over the mats and thicker elsewhere. When we check the temps, we will move the substrate aside to test the glass temp, since they always end up straight on it anyway.

---

And a 40 gal tank has a LOT of air in it- so unless the room is kept about 75*, you're going to need supplemental (overhead) heating of some kind (besides the UTH) to achieve the temperatures your BP needs to live in this tank. You also might need a larger UTH, or more than one. Lot's of variables, so each set-up has to be adjusted for YOUR situation.

Nice set up. Also, where do you have the probe to the tstat sitting. That’s very important also. It needs to be taped to the underside of the heat mat and outside of the tank. Just checking. :confusd:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Oz...tGZJFw-uHpK7aIthis is how I have my probe setup for my tstat. Also I have a I have a heat lamp for my tank but how can I set it up so that my tank doesn't lose all of its humidity when its on?

The probe needs to be outside the tank- underneath & sandwiched between the UTH & glass, and THEN you make adjustments to the thermostat to achieve the temperatures you need INSIDE the tank (over the UTH) & which you verify independently (you don't take the t-stat's "word" for it- you need to check what is actually achieved because that is what's important, not the actual t-stat setting).

Inside as it is now, the probe can (WILL) get pulled* out of position or have water spilled on it, which will cause it to mis-read & overheat the tank- it's not safe this way. ;)

*Snakes find everything around them that provides traction- wires WILL get pulled on, & your tape will soften from the heat & let go. After that, the tape can stick to your snake & get "hot-glued" in place when he stays over the UTH- causing injury & harm to his scales. NO tape belongs inside ANY enclosure with snakes- ever.

You need to fix the UTH heat & t-stat first, then we'll talk about your humidity. (This sort of substrate helps hold humidity, & a humid hide can help also; if you have room for a larger water bowl, that will help humidity too, especially when it's on the warm side. But the biggest thing to raise humidity is to restrict the air-flow- ie. you'll need to cover most -not quite all- of the screen top with anything air can't flow thru- because heat rises up & out, taking the humidity with it.)

Ok. What should I do in order to keep the humidity up while the heat lamp is on?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nicholaus343

Ok. What should I do in order to keep the humidity up while the heat lamp is on?

---

I added to my post above.

BTW, your probe placement is a common mistake- we see this all the time. You DO want to know what the temperature is inside the tank, where the snake can touch.

BUT you'll want to set the t-stat to achieve the temperature you need using a temp. gun- & do check it periodically until you're sure it's stable.

We encourage everyone to set-up & test out their enclosures of any kind for at least a week BEFORE a snake moves in, for safety & best results. Never put the probe inside the tank- because snakes always find everything around them to hang onto & pull themselves forward with- & without hands, we'd do the same thing. And seriously, tape inside the tank is a "no-go"- guess how I found out? :D (When I got into snakes, there wasn't a forum around to share what works & what doesn't.)

I don't have quite as big of a tank but I definitely dealt with the humidity issues. I have a ceramic heat emitter and I was spraying my tank 3 - 4 times a day. Within an hour the humidity would be back down to 20%. I live in a desert so the air is very dry.

Personally, I bought a reptile fogger. I've heard mixed things from people on them but I turned mine on the lowest setting and set it up with a humidity gauge. The fog that comes out vanishes before it touches the bottom of the tank so there's no fog in the tank unless I turn it up which I don't do. Now his humidity stays between 53 - 58% at all times. The reason I tried this is because I bought him very young and I had him for three months with no shedding. About a week after I added this fogger there was a perfect snake skin in his bigger hide. May not work for all, but it worked for me!

I also stay away from heat pads. if your snake burrows under the substrate to the heat pad, he might get burned if the temperature below the substrate is too high. I personally prefer overhead heating. I put foil on the screen lid (which it seems you don't have) and cut a hole for the heat emitter and to allow air flow.

Another option that I have used to great success is insulation! I bought foil insulation off amazon and wrapped the back and sides (with your tank you can even do part of the top where the heat emitter isn't set) and it'll insulate the tank and keep it toasty inside. It'll also make it so that you don't have to have the heater on as much because it holds the heat in. It's not the most pretty thing in the world, but if you use decorative duck tape, it's not so bad.

I'm still a newbie with ball pythons, but this has all worked for me, so maybe it'll help you! Hope it helps! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stofey

...

I also stay away from heat pads. if your snake burrows under the substrate to the heat pad, he might get burned if the temperature below the substrate is too high. I personally prefer overhead heating. I put foil on the screen lid (which it seems you don't have) and cut a hole for the heat emitter and to allow air flow....

---

Heat pads ("UTH") work well to provide comfortable "belly heat" for good digestion in snakes. It mimics the sun-warmed rocks they seek out in nature. BUT, you're correct that if they're too hot (over 90*) a snake can get "burned" by laying over them too long without realizing their mistake, & BPs (perhaps because they're heavy-bodied & it takes longer for the warmth to "register"?) seem prone to making this mistake. It's up to us, their caregivers, to prevent it.

The main reasons snakes may get "burned" from UTH heat is either they're not regulated properly (controlled by a thermostat & properly monitored) OR, there's too much substrate over the UTH, allowing heat to build up, & then the snake digs down into the substrate, pushing it away, & ends up laying on the over-heated floor of their enclosure. The substrate over UTH should not be very deep, to help prevent this from happening.

There are options for heating a snake's home- overhead options work too, but ALL must be regulated for safety. What each person chooses can depend on what they're comfortable using & what kind of snake or what kind of enclosure they're using. There are ways to make each option work best, which is why we share our tips here.