Hello all - I am the new owner of a snake terrarium, she is 36 X 18 X 24 and eating well, for a tank. I am trying to get everything well established before I go get a ball python, but having a few challenges that perhaps you all can help with. I've answered the relevant "help us help you" question below, followed by my questions.

1. How long have you had your ball python?

Zero days and counting. No snake yet.


7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?

Nothing lives in it, but it is an Exo-terra 36 X 18 X 24 w/dual front doors. I understand there is some debate on glass tanks versus other containers, but I have chosen the glass tank and done the following 1) Rear and two sides insulated (rear with 1 inch foam, sides have a curtain of fleece) 2) Screen top is partially covered by a 18 X 18 light fixture, more cover could be done. 3) The entire thing is encased in a wood armoire with perhaps 1 inch gap to each side and 5 to the top, rear is fully enclosed.

8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?
A mix of Zoo-Med forest floor cypress mulch, Zoo-Med eco-earth coconut fiber and some sphagnum moss. I'd say the cypress and coconut are in equal amounts. 1 inch +/- deep


9. What type of heating do you use?
11 X 17 Fluker's heating pad. Taped to the bottom of the tank (on the outside). The actual heating element is probably more like 10 X 16. I have it positioned to the left side of the habitat, more to the back than the front.


10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?
Not currently, but I do understand that thermostat control with a probe tapped to the inside, above the heat pad, is required.


11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?
I have two digital thermometers / Hydrometers. One can compare outside temps to inside, the other is reading inside only. I have the inside-only one sitting 2 inches above the substrate, right above the heating pad. The other has two probes, positioned half way up the back wall, over the heated area. I also use an IR handheld laser thermometer to spot check.


12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?
Ambient temps are 70 degrees with substrate surface temps reading 78 degrees above the heat pad and 64 degrees on the other side. Temps are 103 - 108 if I use the IR thermometer on the glass over the heat pad after clearing some substrate (I know 103 - 108 is too high, but thermostat is not in use yet)


13. What is the average humidity level?
Sitting at around 80% - which is too high, but one problem at a time, lol. Room is currently 45%



19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?
Bearded Dragon, in different room. Tropical fish (which are not reptiles, but are similar in that you must provide exacting environmental conditions, and monitor and test those conditions)


20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of?
I've decided to call my eventual ball python "Kitty" so that I can say " here kitty, kitty, kitty" ...which I think is very funny, so that may give you a sense of my state of mind.


OK, so not to repeat myself, but the premise here is to establish the habitat so that when I bring a snake home, everything is ready and dialed-in properly. I also know that a 36 x 18 is very big for a baby snake, but the plan is to make it seem small and cozy using decor, and remove pieces as the snake grows. The issue I have (well, the one I am trying to fix for now) is temperature. I expected ambient temps to be low given the size of the tank and low temp of the room. What I didn't expect was for the surface temps to be low as well. The heat pad doesn't seem able to get through 1 inch of substrate -which is too shallow by some estimates, but I kept the substrate shallow on purpose to see how much could be added before the heat dissipated....but that test has been scuttled since it seems 1 inch is already more than the heat pad can handle. I considered adding more anyway, perhaps the substrate would hold the heat better with more depth? If it wasn't for 18 million (estimated) youtube videos affirming the use of a heat pad as the only heat source, I'd be convinced the whole heat pad idea is a bad one. For reference, the heat pad has been on now for approximately 13 hours. I have a second smaller self-adhesive exo-terra heat pad that I considered adding to the side wall, to see if that helped. The basic question here, is why is the heat pad not creating the ideal 90 degree "hot spot" or in fact, anything close. The surface temp needs to come up by 12 degrees, that seems like a lot to expect after 13 hours of run time. Ambient temps will be the next challenge, and I know I can always use a light or ceramic heater, but the pad should be doing more than it is for the surface.

Thoughts? Appreciated.

Allan.