dang lil' thermometer probe

[lukin000]

this post is for all of you out there who have a an indoor/outdoor digi thermometer. i have my basic unit(accurite) velcro'ed to the cool side an inch or so above the surface. i then run the probe behind Ira's log all the way to the other side of the cage and put it face down in the substrate(i dont use the adhesive back it comes with). would it be better to stick it to the glass on ground level, or is my set up good? as for the actual unit, at the height it is velcro'ed above the surface, will it still get pretty accurate readings for the cool side? thanks for listening out there!

-phil

[Pythons Rock]

I personally have the probe on the floor of the enclosure and then use a laser thermometer to check actual temp (for me on the hot side 104 on the accurite= 93 degrees at the substrate) On the cool side I do the same thing but have my thermometer touching the substrate check it with the laser in multiple places and write down the offset.

[frankykeno]

We have the base unit of the Acu-Rite on the cool side just basically above/at substrate level, then like you run the probe to our warm side except we tuck the actual probe just inside the warm side hide. Since that's where the snake is going to be spending a lot of time, and some hides can really trap a lot of heat, we like to know the temp in there.

[lukin000]

thank you for the replys! i think i need to invest in a temp gun and start keeping track of the temps. as for getting hot inside those hides joanna, i know exactly what you mean. i moved Ira's hide from the warm side to the cool side because it was getting temps of 98+ inside. i want her to be warm, but i dont wanna cook her! I also think im gonna get another more ventilated hide for the hot side.
btw brian, what do u pay for a good temp gun?

-phil

[muddoc]

I would say invest in a PE-2 temp gun. It cost a little bit more than a basic temp gun, but is an invaluable tool for herp keeping. It has a laser pointer, and can measure a much wider range of temps than you will ever need. They run about $45. You can find these on Pro Exotics website, and some other people offer them for sale sometimes. I bought mine from Neil Golli, with the carrying case shipped for $55.

[Lioness]

i got the accurite as well.. and i have it sitting on the substrate on the cool side..which usually reads about 66 at night and 75-80 during the day. the warm side probe however, i have it running under the repti-bark and under her warm hide.. which reads like 111. i dont know if this is because its acutally under the substrate or what?!.. because i know the top cant possibly be that hot because i would feel it if i touched it. should i move the probe a little higher up in the substrate?.. like maybe stick it to the inside bottom of the actual hide?

[Smulkin]

What kind of substrate are you using Lioness?

(Sorry if its been mentioned and I misssed it - i am hopelessly behind the caffeine curve today)

[frankykeno]

i got the accurite as well.. and i have it sitting on the substrate on the cool side..which usually reads about 66 at night and 75-80 during the day. the warm side probe however, i have it running under the repti-bark and under her warm hide.. which reads like 111. i dont know if this is because its acutally under the substrate or what?!.. because i know the top cant possibly be that hot because i would feel it if i touched it. should i move the probe a little higher up in the substrate?.. like maybe stick it to the inside bottom of the actual hide?

Why are you getting such a huge drop/swing in temps Lioness? Anything much under 80 degrees cool side is going to cause issues over the long term for your BP. As far as the warm side probe just tuck it into the hide. The snake won't bother with it other than you might see the occasional dip as a cool snake enters it's warm hide or they occasionally poop on it (quick clean with a baby wipe and it's good as new). How deep is your substrate? You want to read the temp on top of the substrate where your snake actually is. Don't trust your hand picking up temps...trust a good digital or better yet a temp gun.

[lukin000]

yea, i was getting those high readings when i had the probe actually in the substrate. its because most of the heat gets trapped underneath before making its way to the surface.i got scared about temps getting too high, but when i moved my probe to the "just touching the surface" position, it came back down to 92. this is the most accurate reading i think, and ira dosent burrow down so i think im safe.


-phil

[muddoc]

To anyone who is reading this. Please do your best to not allow the temp in any part of your cage to get over 95 degrees. 111 is entirely too much. As well, I would not judge by temps on top of my substrate, especially if I had a thick layer of substrate. Just because you haven't seen your ball python burrow does not mean it won't. Temps under the sustrate that are getting over 95 degrees can be very dangerous for your snake. Make the temp on the bottom of the enclosure directly above the heat tape no hotter than 95. Even if you have a thick layer of substrate, and the temp on top of the substrate seems rather low, just remember that your snake is very well equipped to detect very small increases in temperature over a fairly long distance. That means that if the enclosure bottom is at 94 degrees and on top of the substrate is 88 degrees, if the snake feels the need to have a higher temp than 88, it will detect that warmer temp under the substrate, and begin to burrow towards it. Just my 2 cents.