Questions about heating???

[Skittles1101]

Nope, it should be one that you can just plug a lamp into, it's only 10 bucks...not one that attches to the wall..they DO have it...check where the lamps are displayed. Thats where my store had them.

[jokerfwb]

I found the dimmer but now I'm looking for and thermostat for the tank any suggestions. Home depot says they don't have anything that will work for me. Am I stuck buying the ones from the pet store???

[Skittles1101]

Joker, they should have temperature guns, but they will not have a thermostat you are looking for....Tell them your looking for a gun that measures heat with a laser lol....literally..

[Vypyrz]

What I would suggest is this. Get a digital thermostat for the heat mat. It has a probe that you attach to the heat mat, set the temperature you want the heat mat to run at, and the thermostat will do the rest. There are a few brands and styles to choose from depending on what kind of features that you want. You can get a good basic thermostat for around $25-$30.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7

Another option to the temp gun is to get a digital thermometer with a probe. The probe goes under the bedding, on the glass, above the heat pad. Most pet shops have some type of these or I can provide links to online suppliers if you want them. Another thermometer that alot of us use is called the Acu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Hygrometer. Depending on whether or not the stores have them in stock, you can find them at Wal-Mart in the Home Hardware section or at Lowes or Home Depot in the Outdoors section. It has a probe for measuring the warm side temp, plus it will tell you the ambient temp and humidity. They cost about $12-$15 and look like this:




If you decide to go with a thermostat, while you are waiting for it to arrive, I would suggest unplugging the heat mat, use the lamp for heat and adjust the lamp with the rheostat/dimmer.

Get a second hide, if possible, identical to the one that came with the kit. I don't think that the log hides are ideal, but they can work. There are all kinds of hides available commercially, or for about $5 you can get a soldering iron and a couple of $2 plastic bowls and make your own. Just make sure the hides are snug fitting.

There are a few other modifications that you can make to your tank to help with the snakes sense of security, humidity, etc. Here are a couple of links to threads which may give you some ideas:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...p-w-pics-*DUW*

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Instructions

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...0-Hides-my-way

[Skittles1101]

For the record digital thermometers are not as accurate as the temp guns...that they sell at Home depot...and they only measure one spot..

[jokerfwb]

What are your thoughts on this thermostat Zoo Med ReptiTemp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat?
And a weird thing happened with the dimmer i bought. I have been playing with it and thought i had it almost at the sweet spot (a little less then half way up) and i bumped it up just a tiny bit and came back after a half and hour of so and the prob that i put on the glass above the heat mat said 107. Now after playing with it I'm back to almost at the right spot.

[kitedemon]

With greatly variating room temps a dimmer is not likely to work well you will still get wildly variable temps. All a dimmer does is cut the power to the unit so if you set it to 50% power and everything is correct with a room temp of 78º but then drops ten degrees over night the hot spot will also drop ten degrees. In that situation you need a thermostat there are many on the market but I'd say a ranco or johnson is the cheapest I'd call acceptable (avoid zoo med 500r) and personally if you can buy a proportional one like a Helix or Herpstat they are most $$ (around 110$) but are rock solid and will serve you if you have one snake or 21 snakes you will keep using it.

Welcome and yes heating can be a challenge, and everybody has different problems and situations you need to find a solution for your flavour. The P-T-stats are the most flex-able.

[kitedemon]

For the record digital thermometers are not as accurate as the temp guns...that they sell at Home depot...and they only measure one spot..

Actually, they are about the same a cheap digital ones, 2º up or down, check your specs. They also change depending on what they are pointed towards. A good, useful tool, but just different, not more accurate, that is a myth. Like all tools they have pros and cons and quirks IR guns more than most. The most accurate IR guns are still 1ºF up or down and impossibly expensive.

[PitOnTheProwl]

And a weird thing happened with the dimmer i bought. I have been playing with it and thought i had it almost at the sweet spot (a little less then half way up) and i bumped it up just a tiny bit and came back after a half and hour of so and the prob that i put on the glass above the heat mat said 107. Now after playing with it I'm back to almost at the right spot.

The dimmers do require frequent checking, I am using them on my QT snakes but I have a Helix on my collection and when you get to that point, a good t-stat is the way to go

[kitedemon]

The 500r is junk, save the 30$ and buy something better and use the rheostat for now.