Help with Lethargic Ball Python?

[Deltagirl]

YES! It's a must...otherwise your BP will likely end up with burns, which is a serious health issue & will require the care of a competent herp vet. Best avoided, don't you think?

He can get burns from a ceramic heat emitter above the enclosure?

[Deltagirl]

Ok, I thought not. You can order off Amazon, some pet stores carry them, or if you want the Cadillac of thermostats you can look into Herpstat.

You definitely need to get one asap. Its literally the most important piece of equipment you can have. Not trying to be rude, but most caresheets mention a thermostat. Almost any research will lead you to a thermostat pretty quickly.

I... might have read “thermostat” and thought “thermometer”... I thought regulating the temperature by keeping an eye on it myself would work but I guess not

[GoingPostal]

He can get burns from a ceramic heat emitter above the enclosure?

Any unregulated heat source could potentially get hot enough to harm him. Generally CHE are run on dimmers to lower the power.

[Craiga 01453]

He can get burns from a ceramic heat emitter above the enclosure?

Burns are unlikely with a terrestrial species like BP, but still possible.
Unregulated heat from above can spike to dangerous temps which can be fatal or cause permanent neurological damage.

[Craiga 01453]

I... might have read “thermostat” and thought “thermometer”... I thought regulating the temperature by keeping an eye on it myself would work but I guess not

That may have been the case. No worries. Now you know. But ALL heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat. I'm willing to bet my house the previous burn was from an unregulated heat mat.

Heat mats are not for ambient temps, they are designed solely to provide a hot spot, primarily used for digestion. Heat lamps are used for ambient temps. You can definitely get away with not providing belly heat though. I don't run belly heat with any of my pythons or my hognose. But, that means either heating a room in winter or upgrading to a Radiant Heat Panel (by far the best heat source). In winter I heat my snake room and use the RHP to provide a warm and cool side. In summer, my snake room stays low 80s most of the time, so my heating equipment hardly turns on.

[Deltagirl]

Yeah, the burns he had when he was given to me were definitely from a heat mat. He also had a rat bite. Took a couple vet visits and a lot of medicated baths to deal with that.

[Craiga 01453]

Yeah, the burns he had when he was given to me were definitely from a heat mat. He also had a rat bite. Took a couple vet visits and a lot of medicated baths to deal with that.

Yeah, I can imagine. I'm glad you've got him in a better place now!!

[Deltagirl]

That may have been the case. No worries. Now you know. But ALL heat sources should be regulated by a thermostat. I'm willing to bet my house the previous burn was from an unregulated heat mat.

Heat mats are not for ambient temps, they are designed solely to provide a hot spot, primarily used for digestion. Heat lamps are used for ambient temps. You can definitely get away with not providing belly heat though. I don't run belly heat with any of my pythons or my hognose. But, that means either heating a room in winter or upgrading to a Radiant Heat Panel (by far the best heat source). In winter I heat my snake room and use the RHP to provide a warm and cool side. In summer, my snake room stays low 80s most of the time, so my heating equipment hardly turns on.

So do you think having the CHE on one side of the tank provides enough of a hot and cold side? I can’t keep the room in the 80s because he shares a room with me, although the heat emitter does not discriminate in what it heats and has warmed the whole room to nearly 80.

[Craiga 01453]

So do you think having the CHE on one side of the tank provides enough of a hot and cold side? I can’t keep the room in the 80s because he shares a room with me, although the heat emitter does not discriminate in what it heats and has warmed the whole room to nearly 80.

I'm not sure where you live, but yeah you can definitely get a proper heat gradient with the CHE. Once winter hits you may need to make adjustments though. Once the heat source is regulated it gets 100000000 times easier, I promise. It basically does the work for you once it's dialed in. Just check daily to make sure equipment is running properly.
You can also use a rheostat (essentially a dimmer switch) but as the ambient room temps change you need to adjust it. It basically just pumps out heat until it reaches your setting. Whereas a thermostat knows when to shut off and turn on because it has a probe reading the temps and relaying the message.