New BP, I have questions.

[Stormaggeddon]

Hi, I just bought my snake today and I'm super worried about the temperature in his cage. I bought an under tank heater but that only got the so called "warm side" up to 78 degrees. I moved my desk lamp over and placed it directly on to the cage and that raised the temperature to 83 degrees, though I'm not sure how accurate my thermometer is. I also threw a blanket on top of the cage hoping that might help stop any possible drafts from the window. I just ordered a heat lamp online that will be here in a few days but I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to get the temperature up before then. I'm super worried and I don't want my new baby to be freezing. Thank you!
P.S. What should I clean the cage with?

[O'Mathghamhna]

You need to read the stickies in the husbandry forum and main page, as they will help you tremendously with your questions.

As far as the UTH, are you regulating it with a thermometer? If not, you must remove it IMMEDIATELY. UTHs that are not regulated can (and often do) easily overheat causing burns to your snake. The UTH is not going to raise the temp in the tank, they are only designed to heat the underside of the tank so your snake can warm its belly. Again, if it's not being regulated, remove it until you get a thermometer.

As far as cleaning the tank, use what you prefer. There are many options. My personal favorite and most recommended is Pro Products' "BioShield." It's non-toxic to any animal but kills bacteria and fungus and even works underwater.

I would advise getting either heat lamps or Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHEs) now from a local store so you can safely heat the tank while you wait for the other stuff to ship. It's best to research the setup prior to getting a new pet, so try to do as much reading as you can! And good luck!

[PitOnTheProwl]

UTH is for a regulated hot spot. When regulated they really do not do anything for ambient temperatures.
What are you using to check your temperatures with?
What are you using for substrate and how thick is it? Shouldn't and doesn't need to be more than 1/2 inch.

[Stormaggeddon]

UTH is for a regulated hot spot. When regulated they really do not do anything for ambient temperatures.
What are you using to check your temperatures with?
What are you using for substrate and how thick is it? Shouldn't and doesn't need to be more than 1/2 inch.

I'm using aspen and they suggest on the package using at least 2 inches so that's what I have approximately, may be a little less.

[Mr Sunshine]

Don't remove the UTH, just unplug it. If you remove it you can't use it again, it's a fire hazard.

[Ax01]

As far as the UTH, are you regulating it with a thermometer? If not, you must remove it IMMEDIATELY. UTHs that are not regulated can (and often do) easily overheat causing burns to your snake. The UTH is not going to raise the temp in the tank, they are only designed to heat the underside of the tank so your snake can warm its belly. Again, if it's not being regulated, remove it until you get a thermometer.

u mean thermostat.

OP needs both a thermostat and thermometer. the thermostat will regulate the UTH and turn it off it gets too hot. the thermometer will just measure the temp. get a digital thermometer like an Accurite which is more accurate. follow Pit's famous diagram above to set-up your BP's enclosure.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I'm using aspen and they suggest on the package using at least 2 inches so that's what I have approximately, may be a little less.

Just wasting

[Skeletor]

Sounds like you have a glass cage with screen top ???? Did you ever consider spending about four hundred bucks on a setup that will make everything much, much, much easier for you and your BP? If that's an option for you....I could share my cage setup with you. In my opinion, it's hard to make a glass cage with screen top work easily but it can be done. If you want something easy, you may consider looking into a PVC cage with a controlled radiant heat panel. I only want to make you aware that you could just spend big once and sit back more and enjoy your BP rather than fooling with stuff all the time. I got a combination package from PVC cages for my BP. I got a 36x12x24 cage, LED light, 40 watt RHP, Vivarium thermostat. Then I got 2 hides, water bowl, disinfectant from Reptile Basics. I use paper town on the floor. Got an AcuRite combination thermometer/hygrometer from Wall Mart. I set the cage up on those plastic shelves you get from Home Depot. The shelves are 36x24 so it fits right up on there.

Another way you could go is to just use a tub setup or small rack for you BP....you will be able to control heat hand humidity much easier.

[chrid16371]

I'm new to ball pythons also but I have leopard geckos that require belly heat and have one bp so I'll tell you what works for me. You need a thermometer with a probe and put the probe right on the hot spot, not just hanging in the air. You could have air temp of 80 but the hot spot could be 100+ which is really bad. Acurite makes a great thermometer with probe for $12 at Walmart. If your local Walmart doesn't have any go to your local pet store and as long as they sell reptile supplies you will find a thermometer with a probe there. Just remember to put the probe directly on hot spot. A temp gun is also good to have, not necessary but I like to compare to my thermometers. You don't have to shell out $50-$100 for a thermostat, just go to Lowes or any store with a lighting department and get a lamp dimmer. There will be a spot for you to plug your uth into the dimmer then the dimmer into the wall. I use dimmers for two beardies basking bulb, my 2 leos uth, and my bp uth. They work great and only cost $14 each. If you want a nice thermostat get a herpastat. But get the lamp dimmer in the mean time. The lamp dimmer is a cheaper permanent alternative if you don't want to shell out the money for a quality thermostat.

[DennisM]

your BP will not be freezing at 78 degrees. it will do fine at that temp. is it ideal? no it is not. is it dangerous? no it is not.

not saying you shouldn't try to improve the situation, saying no need to freak out.