Thermometer probe

[Maddumpling]

Do you place the probe on the substrate where the hot spot is or do you place it underneath it? I researched it and there are a lot of different opinions and I really need to know. I have a switch that lets me control the temperature of the hot spot so if the temperature is too hot i can lower it down or if its too cool i can raise it.

[Maddumpling]

some are saying that they put it under neath the substrate and some say over the substrate. If you put it underneath the substrate doesnt that mean the top is going to be a bit colder. Meaning that the snakes are getting enough warmth.

[Skittles1101]

Thermostat probe should be directly on the heat source, thermometer probe I keep above the substrate to read ambient temps because I use a temp gun to read the hot spot temps.

[Maddumpling]

are the hot spots the temperature on the bedding or on the glass. I know that the temperature for basking spots have to be low 90s but what temperature are you trying to check. The temperature on the glass or the temperature on the bedding? Temperature can be 90 degrees on the glass but on the bedding it will be lower.

[Skittles1101]

I always check the glass because they generally burrow under the bedding and lay directly on the glass anyways. Assume the snake will find the hottest spot in the enclosure, make that spot between 88-92 otherwise you can end up with a burned snake. Good luck.

Edit: and ball pythons don't bask...so I'm assuming you mean ambient temps? Ambient temps shouldn't be in the 90's, they should be somewhere in the low to mid 80's...but that's debatable.

[Maddumpling]

Well i mean the hot spot. My ball python is on aspen bedding and she never gets on the glass. So thats what I am asking. Which part should be 90 degrees. Underneath the glass or on the substrate?

[Skittles1101]

Every single one of my ball pythons on aspen burrows....expect it to happen at some point. Either way, the hottest point in the enclosure should not go over 92, so the glass.

[Maddumpling]

okay thank you because there were some people who say that the top should be 90 and then others say the glass and it got me really confused. I'm new too this, i just got her and I'm trying to give her a healthy place to live.

[Skittles1101]

I understand the confusion, basically ball pythons are like Murphy's law, anything that can happen will. So you need to prevent it before it does. A hot spot above the substrate (depending on the substrate and how thick it is) can be 90, but then the glass would most likely be well over 100 degrees. Long periods on that can lead to bad burns on the snake. That's why it's safe that the hottest point in the enclosure be between 88-92 degrees, and in a tanks case it would be the glass under the substrate. I'd only use maybe 1/2 inch of aspen that way the heat gets through easier and the readings shouldn't be too far off from the glass to the top of the substrate.

[gardenfiend138]

I struggled with this for quite some time, but ended up just removing most of the substrate from the hot side hide (just left a little sprinkling), to make sure that the temperature was correct and spot on. I found that when you have substrate piled up .5-1" deep, even a small shift in substrate depth (even if the snake does not move it down to the glass) can drastically change the temperature.