New owners - Husbandry questions

[funtimebritt]

I've read numerous posts, but just want some clarification on a few things My husband and I recently bought an albino ball python, unfortunately, the person who sold him to us did not give us all details and it seems a bit more work than we were told, which we absolutely do NOT mind, we just want a happy snake

1) As far as the UTH's, would 1 be okay, or is 2 recommended? Also, how do we keep the heat up on the cooler side of the tank? We have a 20 gallon tank and are having issues heating the cooler side (the temp is hovering around 74-75 which we know is unhealthy). We have the mesh top, but keep the cooler half covered to try keeping the heat in. Our apartment is approx 70 degrees - 66 at night. We have a 100W bulb because the 75W bulb was keeping more at the 70 degree range on the cooler side. The basking side is hovering around 90. Our humidity is fine. I don't want him to get sick from it being too cold

2) For probes for the UTH's - do you stick the probe under the UTH prior to sticking it to the tank? We were sold a UTH, with no mention of needing to continuously measure that heat output (although we should have assumed this, I know), so it is already stuck to the bottom on the basking side.

3) Feed inside or outside the enclosure? I've read it's not recommended to pick up the snake after he's eaten because he can regurgitate & also if he isn't warm enough, he won't eat. We have not fed him yet, so just want an idea of what is usually best because we also don't want to have an issue with him striking every time we put our hand in his cage thinking it's food.

[bcr229]

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!

[funtimebritt]

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!

I did read this. Unfortunately there are no pictures, so it wasn’t a bit confusing as far as placement. The way it reads, he put two lamps on the cage top? And then used a dimmer for the cool sided one?

[JustinGatCat]

I've read numerous posts, but just want some clarification on a few things My husband and I recently bought an albino ball python, unfortunately, the person who sold him to us did not give us all details and it seems a bit more work than we were told, which we absolutely do NOT mind, we just want a happy snake

1) As far as the UTH's, would 1 be okay, or is 2 recommended? Also, how do we keep the heat up on the cooler side of the tank? We have a 20 gallon tank and are having issues heating the cooler side (the temp is hovering around 74-75 which we know is unhealthy). We have the mesh top, but keep the cooler half covered to try keeping the heat in. Our apartment is approx 70 degrees - 66 at night. We have a 100W bulb because the 75W bulb was keeping more at the 70 degree range on the cooler side. The basking side is hovering around 90. Our humidity is fine. I don't want him to get sick from it being too cold

2) For probes for the UTH's - do you stick the probe under the UTH prior to sticking it to the tank? We were sold a UTH, with no mention of needing to continuously measure that heat output (although we should have assumed this, I know), so it is already stuck to the bottom on the basking side.

3) Feed inside or outside the enclosure? I've read it's not recommended to pick up the snake after he's eaten because he can regurgitate & also if he isn't warm enough, he won't eat. We have not fed him yet, so just want an idea of what is usually best because we also don't want to have an issue with him striking every time we put our hand in his cage thinking it's food.

1 UTH should suffice. However, you should cover the entire screen lid with foil to trap both heat and humidity properly. As tanks are pretty bad at holding heat in, use a Ceramic heat emitter on the cool side so it can warm it up to about 79-85. CHE are better than bulbs because they add heat without drying out the enclosure. Another easier(but a bit expensive) is to just keep the room temps above 79 degrees. You can achieve this by just raising your house temps or just using a space heater.

Before I go further in answering the second question, I just want to clarify the difference between Thermometer vs Thermostat because some people seem to get the two mixed up. A ThermoMETER measures the temperature while the ThermoSTAT regulates it. Remember
ThermoMETER=Measures
ThermoSTAT=Stabilizes
Thermostat probes go directly on the heat source, or in between the heat source and the top/bottom of the tank. Thermometer probes go in the tank, underneath the substrate or on the side of the tank. Honestly for ambients and hot side temp checks a Temp Gun works awesomely, as they’re super accurate.

Feed in the enclosure. There’s really no difference in behavior between feeding inside of outside of the enclosure, and it’s just easier(and less stressful) for the both of you if you feed in the enclosure. But use tongs to feed, as this lessens the chance your boi will associate your hand with food. Also don’t handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feed day. This allows the snake to relax, prepare, digest, and rest during the feeding period. Most snakes are very good at recognizing feed schedules. My Bumblebee girl knows it’s feeding time every Tuesday and paces eagerly waiting for her snack.

Hope this helps!!! Boops!




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[funtimebritt]

1 UTH should suffice. However, you should cover the entire screen lid with foil to trap both heat and humidity properly. As tanks are pretty bad at holding heat in, use a Ceramic heat emitter on the cool side so it can warm it up to about 79-85. CHE are better than bulbs because they add heat without drying out the enclosure. Another easier(but a bit expensive) is to just keep the room temps above 79 degrees. You can achieve this by just raising your house temps or just using a space heater.

Before I go further in answering the second question, I just want to clarify the difference between Thermometer vs Thermostat because some people seem to get the two mixed up. A ThermoMETER measures the temperature while the ThermoSTAT regulates it. Remember
ThermoMETER=Measures
ThermoSTAT=Stabilizes
Thermostat probes go directly on the heat source, or in between the heat source and the top/bottom of the tank. Thermometer probes go in the tank, underneath the substrate or on the side of the tank. Honestly for ambients and hot side temp checks a Temp Gun works awesomely, as they’re super accurate.

Feed in the enclosure. There’s really no difference in behavior between feeding inside of outside of the enclosure, and it’s just easier(and less stressful) for the both of you if you feed in the enclosure. But use tongs to feed, as this lessens the chance your boi will associate your hand with food. Also don’t handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feed day. This allows the snake to relax, prepare, digest, and rest during the feeding period. Most snakes are very good at recognizing feed schedules. My Bumblebee girl knows it’s feeding time every Tuesday and paces eagerly waiting for her snack.

Hope this helps!!! Boops!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very helpful, thank you! Won’t covering the entire screen with foil limit the airflow though? Or is covering with half recommended?

[JustinGatCat]

Very helpful, thank you! Won’t covering the entire screen with foil limit the airflow though? Or is covering with half recommended?

Poke some holes in the foil. Covering the entire screen will prevent as much heat/humidity as escaping as possible. But I’d recommend cutting a circle for a CHE if you’ll use one.


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[Phillydubs]

Really well said Justin....

if you follow what he said you should be just fine.

I moved from a glass set up like you have to pvc. However it can work if you set it up properly and stay on it. Also get a good coco substrate that will hold moisture otherwise you will constently
battle humidity

a good substrate dampened slightly will slowly help maintain levels and last you days as opposed to hours.

I used a heat bulb and t can work if you have one but as said a CHE is best

[Craiga 01453]

I've read numerous posts, but just want some clarification on a few things My husband and I recently bought an albino ball python, unfortunately, the person who sold him to us did not give us all details and it seems a bit more work than we were told, which we absolutely do NOT mind, we just want a happy snake

1) As far as the UTH's, would 1 be okay, or is 2 recommended? Also, how do we keep the heat up on the cooler side of the tank? We have a 20 gallon tank and are having issues heating the cooler side (the temp is hovering around 74-75 which we know is unhealthy). We have the mesh top, but keep the cooler half covered to try keeping the heat in. Our apartment is approx 70 degrees - 66 at night. We have a 100W bulb because the 75W bulb was keeping more at the 70 degree range on the cooler side. The basking side is hovering around 90. Our humidity is fine. I don't want him to get sick from it being too cold

2) For probes for the UTH's - do you stick the probe under the UTH prior to sticking it to the tank? We were sold a UTH, with no mention of needing to continuously measure that heat output (although we should have assumed this, I know), so it is already stuck to the bottom on the basking side.

3) Feed inside or outside the enclosure? I've read it's not recommended to pick up the snake after he's eaten because he can regurgitate & also if he isn't warm enough, he won't eat. We have not fed him yet, so just want an idea of what is usually best because we also don't want to have an issue with him striking every time we put our hand in his cage thinking it's food.

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

1) Yes, one UTH is fine. The UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot and not for ambient temps. Your UTH should be regulated by a thermostat to prevent dangerous heat spikes which can cause serious burns or worse to your snake. Your substrate in top of the UTH should be about 1/4" deep, although your snake will most likely push most of it out of the way anyhow. For this reason, you want to measurethe actual surface temp, not the substraye, using a temp gun. I keep mine at 90 for my BP.

2) the probe should be outside the enclosure sandwiched between the UTH and the glass.

3) feed inside the enclosure. Using a seperate feeding tub is old school and proven counter productive. Moving to a feeding tub a) stresses the snake increasing the risk of the snake refusing to eat, b) increaes the likelihood of the snake regurgitating it's meal when moved back, and c) increases your odds of getting tagged. I've fed in the enclosure for years and none of my snakes have ever struck at me inside their enclosures (well, except for my Kingsnake when he's in shed, but that's a different story altogether). I have also never had impaction issues due to substrate. If you're worried about that, lay a paper plate or something over the substrate prior to feeding.


Using glass works just fine once set up properly, I've been doing it for years. It jyst takes a little more effort, but really only in the winter months.
I wrap the back, sides and top of my enclosures in 1/2" foam board insulation and that helps tremendously with keeping temps and humidity on point. Just cut a circle out for the heat lamp with a little extra room for airflow.
This also helps to offer the snake a sense of security. BPs do best when they feel as safe and secure as possible. The glass sides often make them feel too out in the open and can stress them.


I hope I helped! Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[funtimebritt]

1 UTH should suffice. However, you should cover the entire screen lid with foil to trap both heat and humidity properly. As tanks are pretty bad at holding heat in, use a Ceramic heat emitter on the cool side so it can warm it up to about 79-85. CHE are better than bulbs because they add heat without drying out the enclosure. Another easier(but a bit expensive) is to just keep the room temps above 79 degrees. You can achieve this by just raising your house temps or just using a space heater.

Before I go further in answering the second question, I just want to clarify the difference between Thermometer vs Thermostat because some people seem to get the two mixed up. A ThermoMETER measures the temperature while the ThermoSTAT regulates it. Remember
ThermoMETER=Measures
ThermoSTAT=Stabilizes
Thermostat probes go directly on the heat source, or in between the heat source and the top/bottom of the tank. Thermometer probes go in the tank, underneath the substrate or on the side of the tank. Honestly for ambients and hot side temp checks a Temp Gun works awesomely, as they’re super accurate.

Feed in the enclosure. There’s really no difference in behavior between feeding inside of outside of the enclosure, and it’s just easier(and less stressful) for the both of you if you feed in the enclosure. But use tongs to feed, as this lessens the chance your boi will associate your hand with food. Also don’t handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feed day. This allows the snake to relax, prepare, digest, and rest during the feeding period. Most snakes are very good at recognizing feed schedules. My Bumblebee girl knows it’s feeding time every Tuesday and paces eagerly waiting for her snack.

Hope this helps!!! Boops!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Would you recommend a CHE on both sides? (Two lamps) Or just one? Right now, we use a red heat bulb and hot side has been 80-85 but as I’m typing it is 87 with foil covering almost the whole top. And cool side is 76. We have been using a towel and wetting it but humidity stays between 50-60 unless I spray every few hours which will be problematic when he sheds. We are currently using 1 of the red bulbs. I don’t want to dry his cage out and don’t want him to be cold In the summer it will be fine, but I live in upstate NY so it is still chilly here and freezing in the winter.

Also - will the red light on all the time affect his sleep cycle? He tends to be up at odd times and I’ve read he essentially is a 12/12 hr cycles. But if I switch to the CHE this should hopefully not be a problem

[funtimebritt]

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

1) Yes, one UTH is fine. The UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot and not for ambient temps. Your UTH should be regulated by a thermostat to prevent dangerous heat spikes which can cause serious burns or worse to your snake. Your substrate in top of the UTH should be about 1/4" deep, although your snake will most likely push most of it out of the way anyhow. For this reason, you want to measurethe actual surface temp, not the substraye, using a temp gun. I keep mine at 90 for my BP.

2) the probe should be outside the enclosure sandwiched between the UTH and the glass.

3) feed inside the enclosure. Using a seperate feeding tub is old school and proven counter productive. Moving to a feeding tub a) stresses the snake increasing the risk of the snake refusing to eat, b) increaes the likelihood of the snake regurgitating it's meal when moved back, and c) increases your odds of getting tagged. I've fed in the enclosure for years and none of my snakes have ever struck at me inside their enclosures (well, except for my Kingsnake when he's in shed, but that's a different story altogether). I have also never had impaction issues due to substrate. If you're worried about that, lay a paper plate or something over the substrate prior to feeding.


Using glass works just fine once set up properly, I've been doing it for years. It jyst takes a little more effort, but really only in the winter months.
I wrap the back, sides and top of my enclosures in 1/2" foam board insulation and that helps tremendously with keeping temps and humidity on point. Just cut a circle out for the heat lamp with a little extra room for airflow.
This also helps to offer the snake a sense of security. BPs do best when they feel as safe and secure as possible. The glass sides often make them feel too out in the open and can stress them.


I hope I helped! Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

So much helpful info! Do you happen to have pictures of your set up!? I’d love to see esp with the foam how you do it with the airflow on top of the tank since you use glass like we do