Snake doesn't want to go in hot hide?

[ocean girl]

Okay. I have all the temps pretty good. Hot side 91, cold side 80, and overall temp is about 82.
Both hides are the same. I have a ceramic heat emitter right in the middle of the lid.
He just ate and I thought he needed heat to digest, but he is on the cold side and feels a little cool. Is there something wrong with him?
I have digital thermometers now so I know they are reading correct.
Anyone else have the same problem

[Skittles1101]

I don't trust digital thermometers for belly heat. Do you use a UTH or only have the heat emitters?

[ocean girl]

I have both!

[ballpythonluvr]

You should really invest in a temp gun to keep track of your temperatures. I used to use a ceramic heat emitter and a UTH also. I never realized just how hot those ceramic heat emitters get until I used a temp gun on one of them. It was way to hot! Your snake may just be to warm due to the UTH and ceramic heat emitter being to hot. What kind of thermosat are you using for the heat sources? I no longer keep my snake in a tank due to the incosistencies of the heat sources. I just find a tub to work much easier for myself and my snake.

[Inknsteel]

Everyone seems so quick to tell you that the solution to anything you post is to go buy more stuff because your stuff isn't good enough. I'm sorry, but a temp gun is not a necessity provided you have another means of reasonably monitoring the temperatures. I know in reading your threads that you have upgraded to digital from the analog dials at the suggestion of members here, but you are now being told that your upgrade wasn't good enough. I disagree. If your temps are reading what you say they're reading, it sounds like your husbandry is probably pretty good. To me, it honestly sounds like a case of new owner getting used to keeping snakes and noticing changes in behavior are causing you alarm. My advice personally would be to relax, monitor your temps as you have been, adjust accordingly, and to make sure the enclosure stays clean and the water stays fresh. Ball Pythons are efficient creatures that provided with the right environment do well at taking care of themselves. If and when your snake needs more heat, he/she will move to a more appropriate spot. So again, my advice is to relax and let your snake do its thing, not to go throw more money at something that may not be an issue at all...

[Skittles1101]

As I have said in many posts, digital thermometers are great for reading ambient temps, especially if you upgraded from analog. I use them to read ambient temps in my tank and tubs. BUT a temp gun would be a great tool. Do you HAVE to get it? Of course not, but I personally got mine because I was not comfortable trusting a $10.00 digital thermometer with my belly heat. I spent $35.00 on ONE temp gun, and I use it for ALL of my enclosures. To me, it was the best money spent, other than the snakes themselves of course

[Inknsteel]

And I am not arguing that a temp gun is a great tool to have, but a digital thermometer with a probe is fine for measuring hot spot temps as long as the probe is properly placed. I'm just simply stating that it seems that every one of this OP's threads I have read or posted in seem to be new snake keeper type of questions, and are usually met by the community with a response of "Get rid of those, they're crap. You need go buy this..." And the OP has taken the suggested advice in purchasing digital thermometers and a means to regulate the UTH. Now, the OP starts another thread that looks to me to be another case of new keeper uneasiness because her snake just ate and didn't go into the warm side hide as she expected it would. I then see responses immediately telling the OP that her equipment may not be good enough, and to go upgrade this or that. But what I failed to see was someone suggesting that the "issue" may not be a problem at all, and that what she is experiencing is very likely normal behavior. I see that all too often with new keepers looking for someone to set their minds at ease, but they're met with someone from the forum telling them that their enclosure isn't good enough for one reason or another...

[Skittles1101]

There very well may not be a problem at all, but I personally wasn't comfortable taking a "non-problem" to be just what it is until I was sure. For me, it was buying my temp gun and my thermostats, so those are my suggestions. A lot of people might come off as bossy like you said, but they are mostly all just suggestions that may be that peace of mind the OP needs, even if it means trashing whatever upgrade they just got and spending a little more money.

[LizardPants]

I second LGray23, good advice.

Think about what those thermometers are designed for, indoor and outdoor air (ambient) temperatures. An IR temp gun (although they have faults too) is designed to read surface temps. You can pick one up online, or at any hardware store. If you want constant read, logging of temps, or something that won't be skewed by reflections; get a thermocouple.