Having Temp Trouble

[sirj]

I got my first ball python a couple weeks ago, and I have been having trouble keeping my temperature consistent. I don't want to do anything to hurt my new girl, so if anyone has any advice that would be fantastic. I have her in a 10g glass tank, with a uth plugged into a thermostat on the hot side and a heat lamp on the cool side. The reason I have a heat lamp on the cool side is that my room can get chilly, especially at night, and the temperature on that side is way too cold without it. I use cypress bark as a substrate. Even the hot side, which is plugged into a thermostat, fluctuates! I have two probe thermometers, one for each side, that I believe to be reliable.

[PorcelainxDoll]

What are your temps?

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[PitOnTheProwl]

What are your temps?

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X2............... are you running too hot or cold???

[Marduk]

And just how cool does your room get?
It can be hard to maintain temps - even with UTH and a heat lamp - if your room is colder than 65.

[sirj]

My temps I aim for are around 80 on the cool side during the day and about 88-90 on the hot spot. I can keep it there most of the time, but it takes constant fiddling which isn't practical. At night the cool side wants to drop to 70, but I turn the heat lamp WAY up to keep it from doing so. But it can drop all the way to 75 on the cool side even with the heat lamp all the way up, and 85 on the warm side even with my uth plugged into a thermostat.

Our house is set to be 75 at night right now (I live in Arizona so it is still really hot outside and we need air conditioning on). It shouldn't drop below 65 ever, even in winter. The biggest issue is that my air vent is on the top of the wall, so cool air falls directly into the tank no matter where I have it in my room. Putting the tank in another room isn't an option because of my cat. I try to block off most of the top with a cloth (not close enough to the heat lamp to catch fire of course!), and it helps a little but not a lot.

- - - Updated - - -

And during the day it can get a little too hot on the cool side even with the heat lamp all the way off, but I don't know if there is anything I can do about that.

[kitedemon]

Where exactly is your T-stat probe and does it have a night drop function?

Have you insulated the sides and back?

[kitedemon]

You can use an interior probe placement safely this will stabilize the hot spot temps. There are a few criteria to meet first to do this safely and ultimately they cost. If you wish I can tell you. The big thing is you need MUST have in fact for this method a fail safe T-stat. I would suggest a herpstat 1 as a primary. I can describe it at length if you wish.

There will be those who will say it is unsafe but the method I can describe would take a exceptionally strong snake and the concurrent
failure of two thermostats it is unlikely to say the least.

[sirj]

My t-stat probe is placed between the uth and the glass on the outside. I do have an internal probe thermometer on the inside secured with hot glue over the glass that the uth heats so that I can keep track of that temp as well.

I do not have the sides and back insulated. I didn't even think about that! Should I wrap a towel/blanket around the sides?

I really can't afford a thermostat as expensive as the herpstat 1 right now, on top of having just bought my snake and everything she needs. I will try insulating her tank and see if that helps. I'm also going to buy a timer from walmart for the heat lamp so I don't have to keep turning it up and down myself.

[AdamF]

My t-stat probe is placed between the uth and the glass on the outside. I do have an internal probe thermometer on the inside secured with hot glue over the glass that the uth heats so that I can keep track of that temp as well.

I do not have the sides and back insulated. I didn't even think about that! Should I wrap a towel/blanket around the sides?

I really can't afford a thermostat as expensive as the herpstat 1 right now, on top of having just bought my snake and everything she needs. I will try insulating her tank and see if that helps. I'm also going to buy a timer from walmart for the heat lamp so I don't have to keep turning it up and down myself.

IMHO messing with insulating the outside of the tank is not practical. Its is not likely to influence the temp more than a degree or so, and the thought of towels and heating elements in close proximity scares me, and doesn't look great. Try a 50w red heat bulb. You can keep this on 24/7 if needed, as snakes do not see this spectrum of color. In a 10G tank, you can actually let this lamp stay in the middle of the tank or only slightly to the cooler side. If she has a hide on both sides, she has ample opportunity to thermo-regulate by laying in the light for more heat, or in the hide for a little less. In addition, the 50w light covering the whole tank, may allow you to lower your uth thermostat slightly.

One other trick I used before switching to tubs, I put my uth on a ceramic tile, so the heating element itself was only touching glass, or tile, which meant fire was impossible. Overheat could still occur, with failed stat, but if you are monitoring, you should catch it.

Fiddle with it, and be patient. You will find right formula.

[kitedemon]

My snake room is this morning is 66ºF I have insulated enclosures (energy efficient ones too) The ambients are all in the 80ºs insulation in my experience is good for 3-7º depending. I don't like blankets but instead rigid pink or blue insulation it is easy to cut and deal with and the thiner stuff is also not super expensive. Too bad about the night drop it can be used to counter the night temps. It sounds like a bulb or some sort will be needed I would suggest side turning the tank if you have the money for a bit of plexi for the door (about 25-50$ depending) It holds heat and humidity like a PVC enclosure. Ambient temps may be heated with a fluorescent bulb in the day and deep blue LED in the night.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...arium-Solution

If this is not possible I'd suggest a bulb. I would use a deep blue bulb as snakes in general and specifically royal pythons see visually from the mid 500nm to 800+nm red being 660-800 red is what they see the best. The centre of our spectrum is yellow so the idea is a yellow light (tungsten light bulb) is loosely how a snake sees deep red. When you add trigeminal nerve and het pits to the equation they clearly see deep reds and infrared and the animal is tuned for this end of the spectrum. The eye of pythons has a yellow coating (part of the spectacle scale) that blocks UV and blue light. I would use blue as they have very low visual acuity to blues.

Try a 50w red heat bulb. You can keep this on 24/7 if needed, as snakes do not see this spectrum of color.

This is completely incorrect. Geckos sure snakes not at all. Snakes are tuned for red blue is a visual neutral colour. Many have commented on snakes tracking the point of a red laser from a IR gun.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t=follow+laser