New Member with a Surface Temp Question

[Kourtneyhk]

Hi folks,

I just got my first ball python here a week ago, and what I can say is he is a great little guy!

It's taken a lot of fiddling around with his tank and heat sources, but I've finally got the day temperature correct in his tank, with just a small issue with the cold side at night. However, throughout all my reading, I've read a lot about thermal burns and have a question for you all!

What is an appropriate SURFACE temperature on the substrate above my UTH? I just want to make sure that I am not making it possible for my little guy to get a burn. He tends to stay in his hot hide, which was half over the UTH. I have a IR temp gun, and one area of the substrate over the UTH hit about 100 degrees. This was NOT where his hide is, and now has his water dish over it as his humidity is too low anyways, and it seems to be helping the humidity issue.

So when temping the area directly over the UTH, what is the temperature I'm looking for? What is the maximum? Is 100 too hot?

Thanks for your help!
Kourtney

[Vypyrz]

Hello, and to BP.net.

When using an Under Tank Heater, I strongly recommend using a thermostat, or at least a rheostat/dimmer. You should be reading your warm side tempertures under the substrate, over the UTH. This is the hottest temp that your snake can come into contact with. If you are using paper towels or news paper, snakes can find ways to get under it when they want to, and if you are using a wood substrate such as aspen or cypress, snakes will push it aside as they move around in their hides. Unregulated UTH's can easily reach 110F or more. Also, if you are using one of the wood substrates, and the layer is too thick, it will almost act like an insulator, and the heat will build up under it. For these types of substrate, the layer should only be about 1/2 an inch thick over the UTH.

[KMG]

That is hard to say. It is not a fixed number.

You need a thermostat so you can control the temp. My tstat is set to 98 which on top of the thin 1/2 inch substrate gives me 90-91 surface temp.

To answer your question of temp. A ball python needs a hot spot of 90-94 so yes 100 is to hot.

[Kourtneyhk]

I have him on a couple layer of newspaper, and have been taking the temp from the glass, with no substrate. Any good, reliable thermostats you would recommend? I have the water bowl on top of the hot spot of the UTH, so his hide that he's always in is now over a portion that is temping at 85 degrees. Surrounding areas very from 80-90 degrees. So him having contact with a 90 degree surface is okay? I have three bearded dragons and a water dragon, so I'm pretty much used to OVER head heat, not belly heat!

It sounds like, until I get a thermostat, the set up I have currently will work for a day or two until I can get a thermostat. If I'm misunderstanding, please let me know!

Thanks again!
--Kourtney

[Gene Collins]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o02_s00_i01

This is the one I am using. I just ordered a 2nd one. I have only had my one BP for 5 weeks and I already have the itch for another one lol

[KMG]

The Hydrofarm works fine, I have one. I like my Herpstat1 more, but they are a good bit more. I use the Hydrofarm for my temporary snake tub for new arrivals. It is a bare bones very basic tstat. The Herpstat1 has high and low record, high and low temp alarm, and other nice setting options.

It sounds like you only have one hide. When you get a tstat you should have a hide on both the hot side and cool side. Having the water over the uth will be fine for now but when you get the tstat move it and place the warm hide over it. Having a uth directly under that water will create fast bacteria growth in the water bowl.

Yes having a 90 surface contact is fine.

[Kourtneyhk]

Thanks guys! Now how do these thermostats work exactly? I mean, do I need to wire my UTH into it, or does it simply plug into the thermostat, thermostat into the wall, and there you go? Sorry, total newb question, but I've never actually used a thermostat for my herps before

Also, I actually have three hides in his enclosure; one on the warm side (currently on the very fringe of the UTH where the temp is reaching 90 degrees), one in the cold side, and an elongated one that overlaps the cooler and warmer side. He is almost always in the mid-temp hide or the hot one, have never seen him on the cold side of the tank!

Thanks again!
Kourtney

[Gene Collins]

The Hydrofarm one I use has the UTH plugged into it directly and then it plugs into the wall like normal. It regulates the temperature by turning the UTH off/on as needed. I don't see anything wrong with three hides. You for sure want at least two. Basically it's all about allowing them to regulate their body temp as needed. If your BP freely uses a hide then in my opinion it's not going to waste. Most seem to like more clutter as well.

[Kourtneyhk]

Awesome, I just ordered a Hydrofarm and it should be here in a couple days!

And that's kind of what I was thinking. He doesn't spend much time "cruising" his tank unless he's hungry, and figured more choices are better than too few. He's currently preparing to shed, so I'm trying to keep both of them extra humid for him as well.

Thanks for the help
--Kourtney

[KMG]

You will see two main types of tstats, off/on and proportional.

The Hydrofarm is a off/on style. This means that it turns the uth on full power until it hits the set temp then shuts the uth off completely. This creates a wider fluctuation of the temp because it waits until the temp is a few degrees below the set temp before turning back on again.

The Herpstat1 has a few setting and programs you can customize your cages with. The main plus to this one is it is proportional. This means the tstat actually fluctuates the amount of power delivered to the uth causing it to not get as hot. It is basically working as a dimmer but has the ability to detect the temp and add or subtract power making the uth hotter or cooler as needed to stay at the set temp. This keeps the desired temp more effectively and has less fluctuation.