Help getting tub temps higher

[yellowbelly76]

I have tried looking through the threads, but I am having trouble zeroing in on what I’m looking for. I have a BP coming in the next day or two, and I am struggling with my setup. I have a Sterilite tub with a UTH underneath (stat probe between the UTH and the tub). I am struggling to get the ambient temps to the right level (currently in the low 70s). The hot spot, under the substrate, is around 88-91, depending on what spot I hit with the temp gun. How can I increase the air temp inside, without heating the whole house (I don’t have a reptile room)?


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[Naginii]

From what I understand about UTH is that they won't really heat up the ambient. In my tub systems, I set up my UTH so that the inside of the tub gets to 89/90. The ambient house temps are about 70 but the ball pythons seem to do really well with just the belly heat. In fact they sometimes go to the cool end of the tub where it's only like mid to upper 70s and hang out for a while.

[yellowbelly76]

From what I understand about UTH is that they won't really heat up the ambient. In my tub systems, I set up my UTH so that the inside of the tub gets to 89/90. The ambient house temps are about 70 but the ball pythons seem to do really well with just the belly heat. In fact they sometimes go to the cool end of the tub where it's only like mid to upper 70s and hang out for a while.

Out of curiosity, what kind of substrate are you using? I have some kind of mulch that I got from the pet store (can’t remember specifics, and I’m not home right now). The humidity level is pretty high, but it’s fresh. I’m sure it’ll go down once it dries out a little bit. Was just curious what you use.


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[yellowbelly76]

Out of curiosity, what kind of substrate are you using? I have some kind of mulch that I got from the pet store (can’t remember specifics, and I’m not home right now). The humidity level is pretty high, but it’s fresh. I’m sure it’ll go down once it dries out a little bit. Was just curious what you use.


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Just got home, and it is cypress mulch. Because it was just out of the bag, it is damp, and has by tub humidity at 99%. I'm not sure if I should just let it dry out, or use something else entirely (I didn't buy a large bag of it). My biggest concern is getting the temp right. I don't know if I should put another UTH with stat on the other side, set to a lower temp, or if there are other tricks to increase the temp inside.

[Naginii]

Out of curiosity, what kind of substrate are you using? I have some kind of mulch that I got from the pet store (can’t remember specifics, and I’m not home right now). The humidity level is pretty high, but it’s fresh. I’m sure it’ll go down once it dries out a little bit. Was just curious what you use.


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I use a couple different things. In some tubs I use coconut husks (reptichip I think), and in others I use paper towels. I am trying both to see what I like more. The coconut holds humidity really well. It's easy to get to 99% with water condensation on the sides of the tubs. Paper towels have proven easier to use to keep humidity in the 75% area, just a couple sprays here and there and they work well. If they knock a water bowl over the coconut absorbs the water and can make it too humid where the paper towels are easier to grab and replace. The snakes that have shed have shed better with coconut though. I don't know yet, I'm still deciding. I am also still figuring out how to use both substrates for my needs so as time goes on I'm sure I'll pick one.

Maybe someone else with more experience can chime in with the temp issue though. For my snakes I keep the ambient pretty low and it doesn't seem to bother them as long as they have constant access to the heat pad when they want it.

[WhompingWillow]

We briefly tried using tubs but found our ambient room temperature was too low to make them work. Humidity was fine, but temps were way too low. So we switched back to tanks. Now that I have a dedicated reptile room that's much warmer, we are going to be transitioning our BPs over to a rack system.

I have seen some creative ways people heat tub ambients using heat lamps on stands, or if it's a taller tub, cutting out a hole and using wire mesh or hardware cloth on top of it to give the lamp somewhere safe to sit (I'd probably use a thermostat or dimmer in this situation).

If you do a Google image search of "snake tub with heat lamp" that may give you some ideas.

[yellowbelly76]

We briefly tried using tubs but found our ambient room temperature was too low to make them work. Humidity was fine, but temps were way too low. So we switched back to tanks. Now that I have a dedicated reptile room that's much warmer, we are going to be transitioning our BPs over to a rack system.

I have seen some creative ways people heat tub ambients using heat lamps on stands, or if it's a taller tub, cutting out a hole and using wire mesh or hardware cloth on top of it to give the lamp somewhere safe to sit (I'd probably use a thermostat or dimmer in this situation).

If you do a Google image search of "snake tub with heat lamp" that may give you some ideas.

When you went back to tanks, how did you manage humidity levels? I had a BP in a tank in NJ, and really struggled with humidity levels. I ended up making my own fogging system out of a humidifier. I had to leave him there with a friend when I moved to MN. However, we are in the process of getting a new one.

[WhompingWillow]

When you went back to tanks, how did you manage humidity levels? I had a BP in a tank in NJ, and really struggled with humidity levels. I ended up making my own fogging system out of a humidifier. I had to leave him there with a friend when I moved to MN. However, we are in the process of getting a new one.

With the tanks (pre-reptile room) I relied on misting frequently with a hand pump sprayer and using a good substrate. After trying several kinds I settled on Reptile Prime. I like that I control the moisture level since it comes dry but loose, as opposed to EcoEarth and Reptichip. That worked fine for us, everyone had good sheds most of the time, and it got pretty dry where we were in Indiana.

Now that I have a dedicated room, I still mist (not as frequently) but also use a humidifier. Getting a decent humidifier may be one way to help even if the snake is in your bedroom or somewhere similar.

As a side note, where about are you in MN? We just moved back to the state (grew up in the Twin Cities), but now we are up north a few hours.

[yellowbelly76]

With the tanks (pre-reptile room) I relied on misting frequently with a hand pump sprayer and using a good substrate. After trying several kinds I settled on Reptile Prime. I like that I control the moisture level since it comes dry but loose, as opposed to EcoEarth and Reptichip. That worked fine for us, everyone had good sheds most of the time, and it got pretty dry where we were in Indiana.

Now that I have a dedicated room, I still mist (not as frequently) but also use a humidifier. Getting a decent humidifier may be one way to help even if the snake is in your bedroom or somewhere similar.

As a side note, where about are you in MN? We just moved back to the state (grew up in the Twin Cities), but now we are up north a few hours.

I'm down in the Twin Cities area. I am re-homing a BP that was listed online, and I want to make sure I have everything right for him. I don't really have a place in the house that I can make a reptile room...plus, we only plan on getting the one BP (I was lucky to get my wife to agree to the one ). The struggle to get temps right is tough. I just took out the cypress mulch because the humidity sat at 99%. I have paper towel on the floor of the tub now, and the humidity is around 71%. It came up from 53%, I think because the water bowl is partially over the UTH. However, the towels over the UTH are reading 82-88 degrees, and the air temps appears to be about 71.

[NewmanLovesSnakes]

I'm down in the Twin Cities area. I am re-homing a BP that was listed online, and I want to make sure I have everything right for him. I don't really have a place in the house that I can make a reptile room...plus, we only plan on getting the one BP (I was lucky to get my wife to agree to the one ). The struggle to get temps right is tough. I just took out the cypress mulch because the humidity sat at 99%. I have paper towel on the floor of the tub now, and the humidity is around 71%. It came up from 53%, I think because the water bowl is partially over the UTH. However, the towels over the UTH are reading 82-88 degrees, and the air temps appears to be about 71.

Idk if your opposed to using a CHE but i hang one over my tub enclosure to help bost air temps. I live in a very cold house at times and this helps keep things warm. You could also run a space heater in the room to help bost the over all air if you don't have central air/heat.

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