Question about my temps!

[Blizzard]

Hi! I'm a bit new to owning a Ball Python, and I had a question about my current temperatures.
I have a 20 gal glass tank with a screen top half covered with a towel. I have a cold side of 79-80, ambient temps at about 80, and a warm side of 87-88.
Now, I know 90 is ideal for the warm side, and I've been trying everything to bring it up. I have an UTH hooked up to a thermostat that is set at 95, but above the substrate the temps are only 88.
I also have a small heat bulb to warm the air since my house is a bit chilly, I know it's bad for humidity but I'm working with it and so far no issues.
So, my question is, is 88 too cold? Will he be okay if his temps are 88? And if not, is there anyway to fix this?
*I have also tried making it warmer in my room which has helped.

Please help if you can! I've been stressed about this :/

[Pezz]

88 is ok but you really do want to get a 91 hotspot for belly heat to help digestion.

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[Blizzard]

88 is ok but you really do want to get a 91 hotspot for belly heat to help digestion.

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Thanks for the reply!
The only way I can think of to do that is turning up my UTH, but it would be at around 97 under the substrate if I did, and I'm worried he could burrow underneath and get some belly burns. Is there another way to raise the belly heat?

[Pezz]

Thanks for the reply!
The only way I can think of to do that is turning up my UTH, but it would be at around 97 under the substrate if I did, and I'm worried he could burrow underneath and get some belly burns. Is there another way to raise the belly heat?

What are you using for your temps? Is your uth spaced from the glass?

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[Pezz]

Also the human body sits around 97 degrees anyways. I've never heard of a snake getting a thermal bun by being handled by a person so I'd assume that 97 on the glass would be ok.

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[SDA]

I have been doing a lot of thought about this lately because my boy loves to hang out on his cool side during the day and will only go to the warm side late at night.

I think 88 is fantastic and so long as you keep those ambient temperatures in a good range you won't need to worry so hard on the range for hot sides and cool sides. I keep my ambient temps at 82 according to the middle of the tank's air column. It seems to really make my snake enjoy the cool side more and that side stays pretty steady around 78.

You can go higher of course or even lower so I would not worry too much about your heating so long as you keep it below the mid 90s on hot sides which makes for a over heated/stressed snake and above mid 70s on cool sides which makes for a slightly sluggish snake As long as you keep it well within those ranges and offer a decent thermal range between hot and cold and most importantly offer a decent ambient temperature, you snake will thrive.


So yes, your 88 is just fine

[tttaylorrr]

Thanks for the reply!
The only way I can think of to do that is turning up my UTH, but it would be at around 97 under the substrate if I did, and I'm worried he could burrow underneath and get some belly burns. Is there another way to raise the belly heat?

you need to be reading the temperature of the absolute bottom of the enclosure and adjust your thermostat accordingly, not the top of the substrate. the snake WILL burrow down; this is not an if but a when. the absolute bottom should of the enclosure should be around 90° F; the temperature on top of the substrate should be disregarded when adjusting the thermostat.

EDIT re-reading your post: so your warm spot is 95°, not 88° F, which IMO is too high when you can adjust it with your thermostat. adjust the thermostat so the bottom of the enclosure reads 90° F and you're good to go.

[Blizzard]

What are you using for your temps? Is your uth spaced from the glass?

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I'm using a "10-20 gallon Zoo Med" under tank heater stuck directly onto the bottom of the glass. The tank is very slightly raised using the included little rubber feet to allow excess heat to escape and avoid damaging the power cord.

[Pezz]

I'm using a "10-20 gallon Zoo Med" under tank heater stuck directly onto the bottom of the glass. The tank is very slightly raised using the included little rubber feet to allow excess heat to escape and avoid damaging the power cord.

And how are you taking your temperatures? Do you have a temp gun?

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[Blizzard]

I have been doing a lot of thought about this lately because my boy loves to hang out on his cool side during the day and will only go to the warm side late at night.

I think 88 is fantastic and so long as you keep those ambient temperatures in a good range you won't need to worry so hard on the range for hot sides and cool sides. I keep my ambient temps at 82 according to the middle of the tank's air column. It seems to really make my snake enjoy the cool side more and that side stays pretty steady around 78.

You can go higher of course or even lower so I would not worry too much about your heating so long as you keep it below the mid 90s on hot sides which makes for a over heated/stressed snake and above mid 70s on cool sides which makes for a slightly sluggish snake As long as you keep it well within those ranges and offer a decent thermal range between hot and cold and most importantly offer a decent ambient temperature, you snake will thrive.


So yes, your 88 is just fine

Thank you so much for this reply!
This is really helpful and reassuring!