Cant Get My Tank Warm

[nicholaus343]

this 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?

[Bogertophis]

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.)

[nicholaus343]

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

[Bogertophis]

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? (When I got into snakes, there wasn't a forum around to share what works & what doesn't.)

[Stofey]

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!

[Bogertophis]

...

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.