just got a baby ball python, did i do something wrong......

[rperry03]

A snake likes to keep their body temp at 88 that's why they feel cold to us.

I have looked ALMOST everywhere for this info and never had any luck. Is this a textbook fact or your opinion? And is this temp just for balls or a rule of thumb for all snakes?

[Nektu]

That temp should work for ball pythons as well as boa constrictors.

[Homegrownscales]

It's just what my vet told me a long time ago when I was learning all this info. As well as whenever I've needed to do soaks that's the recommend temp for the water bc it's most comfortable to them. Ive read it In other stuff I just can't remember what.

[FrankieCarbone]

just to be sure this is what you are talking about correct?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Thermome...97689082563077

no wal marts here in NYC so i would have to order on ebay......

[loonunit]

That looks nice a good in-tank thermometer/humidity gauge. Certainly looks better than my humidity gauges...

This is the sort of thing I'm recommending for measuring hot spot temps:

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...mperature-gun/

(By $10, I guess really meant $30. Sorry, realized after I'd posted that I'd spent more like $30 on my IR thermometer.)

[loonunit]

And here's the tabletop lamp dimmer we recommend for the UTH:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

They sell them in the lighting section at home depot, not electrical. Here's a recent thread on hot spot temps:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...at-Pad-too-HOT!

[Skittles1101]

That looks nice a good in-tank thermometer/humidity gauge. Certainly looks better than my humidity gauges...

This is the sort of thing I'm recommending for measuring hot spot temps:

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/...mperature-gun/

(By $10, I guess really meant $30. Sorry, realized after I'd posted that I'd spent more like $30 on my IR thermometer.)

Yeah I have seen that one and have heard good things. Here's another though just in case:
http://tempgun.com/

I'd be completely useless if I didn't have it, I live by my PE-2 seriously.

[FrankieCarbone]

how about this one

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

wonder if works just as good, reason be, i can pick this up right away at a home depot here, instead of ordering online and having to wait a week to get it........

[Skittles1101]

Yes I knew Home Depot carried them, that looks alright. Just keep in mind the +/-4* accuracy, that means it could be up to 4 degrees higher or lower than what it's reading. That's not bad, but just make sure you keep it in mind for any temp gun you purchase. Some are more accurate than others, but that should definitely work.

[mommanessy247]

as far as the placement of the accu-rite..here's how i have mine...

it is velcro'd to the back glass in the middle...



this pic above also shows my whole set up...identical hides on both ends (warm side is the left half, cool side is the right half. left side hide box and water dish are both directly over the heat pad which is underneath the whole terrarium.)
the cord hanging off the left side of the dresser is actually the cord for the thermostat's probe. the thermostat unit itself is actually up resting on the top of the terrarium.
oh and if you notice 1 side of the terrarium is elevated, that's so there's some ventilation for the heat pad and it keeps the heat pad off the surface of my dresser.

a close up showing where the accu-rite is...



there's also 2 water dishes cuz i found i can maintain humidity better with 2 water sources, whereas 1 water source doesnt provide enough moisture. plus, i know there's plenty of water for my girl & i spend less time refilling water dishes with 2 in there.

oh and um i didnt read enough of the thread to know if this got addressed or not so sorry if it already did but i noticed you said something like you can prevent a burn by placing more substrate over the side with the heat pad under it...and my take on that is no you cant cuz all the snake has to do at that point is move the substrate aside, which they do, mine does, and voila! you've got a burned snake.

ok so yeah, i think i've got a really good set up so that should give you an idea of what you could do but everyone sorta does their own thing.
whatever works for each of us right?