Temperature Issues

[acroposthion]

*First post,* new ball python owner, new member to the forums. Hi

I have to believe that I can have a good looking enclosure that my new pet will love. I thought I could be different, but apparently a good looking enclosure is, in fact, a cold enclosure. My info:

I have a 30"x12"x12" glass cage with a screen lid and sliding glass doors. 12" Calorique brand heat tape on warm side, 60w red heat lamp on cool side (wait for it), 60w blue heat light on warm side, all connected to a helix thermostat. The probe is between the glass and heat tape, set to 103F, so the bottom glass inside the cage reads no more than about 95F. Less than half inch of cypress substrate. I insulated the outside of the cage with cardboard AND 3/4" foil sided insulation panels from Home Depot, bottom, back and sides. Cardboard across the lid, as well.

Using an infrared thermometer, I get the following temps:

Below substrate hot side: no more than 95
Above substrate hot side: 85-88
Above substrate cool side: 72-74
Ambient: 77

Room temperature is 68-70.

So, other than bringing up the room temp, I see one more option. I'm thinking of putting a layer or two of newspaper over the heat tape on the hot side to help protect my snake from too high a temp, and bumping up the thermostat to raise all the other temps. Has anyone else attempted this solution? Would it be reasonably safe? It would probably mean getting the glass under the newspaper up to 110 or so.

[kitedemon]

why have the helix set so high? use the tstat to control the glass temp to no higher than 94 inside the enclosure. I would not use a single t-stat to control multiple types of heat. it should be only use with a single type of heat source.

[acroposthion]

why have the helix set so high? use the tstat to control the glass temp to no higher than 94 inside the enclosure. I would not use a single t-stat to control multiple types of heat. it should be only use with a single type of heat source.

D'oh! Leaving a heat lamp on full power, off the helix, should help even things out quite a bit!

But I do need to set the helix that high to get the glass temp that high.

[kitedemon]

The glass should not be hotter than 94 typically with my set ups that means the heat would run 95-97 to get that. I actually don't set that high I use 90 for my hot spots.

Have you read some care sheets? if not you should. VPI and here are both good ones.

[acroposthion]

The glass should not be hotter than 94 typically with my set ups that means the heat would run 95-97 to get that. I actually don't set that high I use 90 for my hot spots.

Have you read some care sheets? if not you should. VPI and here are both good ones.

Yes, it's just my lows that concern me. I figured I'd get it as hot as I was comfortable with to help bring everything else up.

[acroposthion]

Ok, so after leaving the heat lamp on it's own power for an hour, still over the cool side, the ambient and cool side temps are now over 80. I've turned down the thermostat to 96, which should bring the glass down to around 92.

Scooting the lamp over to the middle now, hope I can get things just about perfect.

[kitedemon]

It often takes tinkering to get your set up correct and the way mine or any other is done will not be the same each must be taylored to the conditions it is in. You may find that a rheostat on the lights handy so you can lower the output. Or you can lift the light away to drop the temps if needed too.