Need Advice - Improving Setup

[Savage420Siege]

Hello everyone!

It has been exactly one week since I purchased my first snake. A young Ball Python. I am not yet sure of the sex, or weight at this time. It is 18" long and was born this year, it is a CH. He was stressed when he came home last Friday but has become very comfortable in a short time. I have been handling him for very short periods, and last night he ate his first meal in his new home. It was a live hopper mouse which was offered with tongs, he smashed it and ate it right up!

Here's where I need your help folks. I have been having some trouble keeping consistant temp and humidity. My infrared lamp is drying out the tank, and my fluctuating room temp is affecting the tank temps. Below I have listed my current setup and my proposed improved setup, I would appreciate any advice or opinions on what I am about to change to solve the inconsistancy issues. With that being said, let it be known that I understand that my enclosure is too large for a young BP, and I will not be changing the size so long as it keeps feeding regularly and showing no signs of stress.

Current Setup:

Exo Terra Terrarium (30x18x18) vent on front, screen top
Aspen bedding
Hot Side - UTH, Hide, temp probe
Cool Side - 75w Infrared bulb, Hide, Water Dish, temp probe, humidity probe

Proposed Improved Setup:

Exo Terra Terrarium (30x18x18) vent on front, screen top
Spyder Robotics Herpstat Pro (controlling all heating devices)
Apsen bedding
Hot Side - UTH, Hide, temp probe (kept at 93*F)
Cool Side - UTH, 75w CHE, Hide, Water, temp probe, humidity probe (83*F)
Portion of top screen covered with foil to retain heat and humidity

*** My idea here is during the day when the room gets very warm the Herpstat Pro will turn the heating devices right down to keep proper temp, and once i'm home and the AC is put on the heaters are cranked up to maintain temp, I could have the CHE on its own probe so it only comes on if the UTH's cant keep up.

Questions:

Does this sound like it will solve my fluctuating temp/humidity?
What portion of the screen top is safe to cover/close off?
When placing the probes for the thermostat, should they be: between the bottom glass and substrate, mid substrate, or just below substrate surface?

Thank you for your time people!

[Kaorte]

The herpstat will help you out when it comes. A thermostats job is to maintain consistent temps. Without one, you will always see the temp fluctuation. That being said, you shouldn't really need two UTHs and a CHE. At most you should need two heating devices.

What are the readings you are getting from your thermometers currently? Where are they placed in the tank? You will want to stick a probe right on the glass where the UTH is under the substrate. This is the hottest point the snake can get too so you want to monitor is. UTHs don't really heat the air, just the bottom of the tank so putting the probe above the substrate will make it seem like the UTH isn't doing its job at all, when it is probably running a little hotter then it should.

If your average room temp is lower then 75*F at any time, you can use an extra heating source. If you are having trouble with humidity, the lamp is only going to make it worse but you can use a very low wattage bulb or CHE. Another UTH won't do much for air temperatures. If your air temps are really low, you will need some kind of overhead heat.

You could also look into a radiant heat panel, but those are a little pricey.

Hope this helps!

[Savage420Siege]

Currently the temp probes are just below the surface of the substrate under the hides. I will tape them to the bottom glass when I get home. Currently depending on room temperature they read: Hot side - between 88-95, Cool side - between 72-85. I spray the inside with warm/hot water for humidity as often as I can because it can go from 60-70% down to 15% in just an hour or two.

What is a good thickness of substrate? (the thicker/deeper, the further from the heat the snake will be)

Is covering the screen top safe to achieve more humidity and to hold some ambient heat?

For ambient air temp in the enclosure - If needed I could put a probe for the thermostat central in the tank, above the substrate and have it control a CHE?

[stevepoppers]

Don't tape them. The concern is the same as for the hot glass. They'll eventually work their way down to it.

Substrate acts as insulation. Yes, more will keep it cool on top, but it will also build heat underneath, possibly making it dangerously hot. That's why you place the probe under it. The thinner the substrate, the more affected by the UTH the ambient temps will be (though not much).

Yes, it's a good idea to cover the screen top. There's a sticky on it somewhere, either in this forum or the DIY section.

Put the thermostat probe between the UTH and the glass. Ignore the reading on the thermostat. Rely on your thermometer and set your thermostat to whatever is needed to reach the right temperature where the thermostat probe is. If plugging the CHE into the thermostat works, use it like that. If not, keep it on/off constantly, or as you see fit. I had one above the water dish, with the rest of the screen top covered with foil tape, and it worked pretty well, though most say it will lower humidity. It actually raised mine.

[Savage420Siege]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying to put the probe for the thermostat underneath the tank, stuck on to the bottom of the glass with the sticky side of the UTH? Then to ignore the thermostats reading and rely on my digital thermometers reading inside the tank?

Why can't I just run the thermostat's pprobe into the tank and rely on it?
My digital thermometer's are like $15, the Herpstat Pro controller is almost $400.
Accuracy should not be an issue with the thermostat, I'm not sure we are on the same page here. Please explain.

[stevepoppers]

The thermostat probe could get peed or pooped on, moved by the snake, etc. inside the tank. If that happens and the apparent temperature of the probe drops, the UTH will be run without limit.

You rely on the thermometer probe (at times when you know it hasn't gone through the above) to see what temperature it is inside where the snake can get. Then you set the thermostat/UTH to whatever is necessary to reach the desired temperature INSIDE. It'll probably be a few degrees off. That seems to be what happens, anyway.

[alexOATH]

Covering about 3/4 of the screen top will help hold humidity a lot better =). Most people use the cheap route and just use foil but you can also buy a plexiglass top thats cut to fit the width of the screen top and 3/4 of the length of the screen.

[Kaorte]

You don't want to put any tape in the enclosure with the snake. They will find a way to get stuck to it. You can alternately use a couple dabs of hot glue. It is non toxic and dries in seconds.

Don't think that by using thicker substrate it will prevent the snake from sitting on the glass. They can and will lay on the glass at some point. This is why a thermostat is needed for use with under tank heaters.

Stevepoppers is right about the probe placements. The thermostat probe always goes outside so that the snake can't move it. The thermometer probe always goes inside the tank at the hottest point the snake can reach (right on the glass over the UTH). You want this temp to be no hotter then 95*. I keep mine around 92*.

If you want to use a CHE, place the thermostat probe for it in the tank toward the upper middle of the tank. You don't want it all the way on the ground because anywhere above that could be much hotter. The middle of the tank on the wall where the CHE is should work. You might need to try a few different placements until your temps are stable. I would do all this without the snake in the tank. You can put it in a small storage bin while you play with the temps.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Steffe is definitely right about the bedding part. Even as snakes that don't burrow, BPs always seem to make just a big enough indent in the bedding to be on the glass. Its always safer to have the probe right there. It can be difficult to get it stay, but once you have the temp correct and you do not have major temp fluctuations it would be ok if it slid over a couple inches from time to time as long you checked it regularly.