cant sum1 plz help ? is my bp to hot ?

[kasmiraross]

my cool end is 80.6 and my hot end is 91.4 is this ok cause my bp is always down the cold end ? just a bit worried

[Zayra]

How old is he?

I normally only see my new guy on his cold end, but he doesnt like to move when Im around him. Hes pretty shy.

What is your humidity at, and where are you temperature probe(s) located?

[blackcrystal22]

How are you measuring the temps?
You should use a digital probe thermometer under the substrate.

Do you have identical hides or is he choosing a favorite on the cool side?

[kasmiraross]

my humidty is 50 i have a digital thermostat the probe is by the side of his hot hide . and is hot hide is a cave and he doesent have a hide on his cold side just a big log he hides behind . hes not a shy snake at all hes very social.

[kasmiraross]

and i think hes bout 2 dont no tho as i rescued him .

[blackcrystal22]

my humidty is 50 i have a digital thermostat the probe is by the side of his hot hide . and is hot hide is a cave and he doesent have a hide on his cold side just a big log he hides behind . hes not a shy snake at all hes very social.

Alright a few things here.
A thermostat is used to control temperatures of a heating device like an under tank heater.
A thermometer measures temperatures.

If you have a thermostat probe inside the cage, you should immediately remove it and place it directly on the controlled heating source with tape. If the probe was moved or water/urine was spilled on the probe it could fry your snake.

Get rid of the log hide. Log hides are terrible hides for ball pythons and they do not provide security that they desire.
Get two of these:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes/
Or something similar and place one on the warm side and one on the cool.

If you don't have a thermometer reading the temps, get a digital one with a probe.

[kasmiraross]

if the probe gets to hot a alarm goes of to tell me but it never goes above 91.4 as for the log hide its not a hide its a big peice of wood wat he climbs on but also hides behind .as for the thermostate it must be a thermometre aswell cuz it controls the temp and lets me no the temp. i use cermic heat bulb with guard of course .?

[blackcrystal22]

if the probe gets to hot a alarm goes of to tell me but it never goes above 91.4 as for the log hide its not a hide its a big peice of wood wat he climbs on but also hides behind .as for the thermostate it must be a thermometre aswell cuz it controls the temp and lets me no the temp. i use cermic heat bulb with guard of course .?

Ok, think about this. If the probe moves away from the heat source the probe will read 80-70F depending on where it is, it won't get too hot, but the thermostat will work 10x as hard to heat up something that it thinks the probe is reading which will make it hot enough to burn your animal. Same thing if it gets spilled on. It will make the probe cold and make the thermostat crank up the heat because it thinks it's not warm enough. How can an alarm go off if the probe isn't on the thing that gets too hot or isn't reading the temps right because it's wet and cold?

Put the probe right on the ceramic heat emitter (which will read 100-105 probably, which is fine) but use a separate thermometer probe to read what it is in the enclosure so it doesn't get compromised.

You really should get some hides then. A piece of wood is not a good hide for a ball python.

[Zayra]

Crystal, dont you think thats some very opinionated information to be giving someone on this forum. What Ive seen from most people on this forum, is that they put their thermostat probe under the substrate, inside the tank because it then gives an accurate reading of the temperature of the substrate, which is the main focus is it not?

In our setups, we use a seperate thermometer with the thermostat, just because its always good to know what the exact temperature is, if you dont have a thermostat that says it. But if you do, follow this, do not tape it.

I dont see a thermostat getting wet and cold for any long periods of time, I mean... We use our heat sources for humidity to cause evaporation, would this same effect not apply to urine..? I mean, if you really want to be overly precautionary as crystal thinks, you could get a second thermometer. It actually blew my mind yesterday, when we went to get a tub for our snakes when we clean their cages, we found a thermometer w/ probe for 8 bucks at walmart.

I know people dislike the comparison between wild, and bred BPs but, in the wild BPs have lived in temperatures up to 110 F. NOT saying thats a good idea... Just monitor the temps. He might find more security on the cold side behind his log. Alot of people recommend having two identical hides so they arent choosing between security.

[SlitherinSisters]

Just for reference. I have my probe directly on the heat tape. My thermostat is set about 5 degrees higher than I want the floor temp to be. There is some heat loss between plastic/glass, so you still need to measure the floor temps to ensure that is the temp you actually want.

As for why your snake is choosing the cool side. My guess would be for security. If you are using a set up with more than one hide, you need to have identical hides, like others have said. They will sacrifice their health for feeling secure. Half log hides are terrible hides for bps, especially young ones. Pet stores don't know how to care for their animals, that's why they use those half logs. The hide needs to be small enough that the bp has to ball up and squish himself a bit inside the hide. I use plastic flower pots turned upside down with a 'doorway' cut out.