New Member! First snake questions...

[Hammer2576]

Alright, well I just bought my first ball python two days ago. I seem to be having problems getting his tank to be the right temperature. I have a UTH on his "hot side" which only seems to be getting the tank to about 80 degrees when I know its supposed to be between 85-90 for his basking needs. The whole cage seems to be around 77-80 degrees as well. I just put the probe on top of where the UTH is and the temperature is 97 degrees on that spot. My humidity levels seem to be doing fine at around 50 percent and I sprayed it down yesterday and it went up to 77 percent for awhile. What else can I do to help out overall heat. I'm including a picture of the setup. Thanks for any advice given. I just want to make sure I give him the change to be as healthy as possible![IMG][/IMG]

[DestinyLynette]

97 is a tad hot. Is your UTH connected to a thermostat / rheostat? If not, it needs to be. That will keep it at a constant (safe) temperature- mine is set to 92, and never goes more than 1.5 in either direction. If you have a weak UTH, another option to consider is a heat lamp to provide supplemental heat. Placing said heat lamp over the water bowl will also help with humidity.
Sadly, I too have a glass tank for one of my snakes- they're a pain to maintain temp and humidity. However, there is a STELLAR guide on here that teaches you how to foil/tape the screen to trap heat and humidity. If you give me a sec I'll go find it.
Also, congrats on your first BP!

[DestinyLynette]

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

Try this, see if it fixes your problem.
Tanks only need to be 50-60%, unless your snake is shedding, in which case mist the sides (not the substrate) and keep it about 70%.

[Meletee]

If the probe is on the glass over the uth and registering 97*, then your hot side is 97*, not 80*. 97* is too high, it should be around 86-92* (90 being optimal, I believe), and needs to be controlled by either a rheostat or a thermostat, a thermostat being a the preferred choice. The probe of the thermostat should be between the uth and the bottom of the tank.

Under which area of the tank is the uth?

[Hammer2576]

Thanks man! Yeah I need to get a thermostat but I'm not sure which one to get the only one I can seem to find at petsmart was a high/low one now a specific temperature. And yeah he's just relaxing in his warm side hide right now which I have my probe close to now and it's around 85 degrees. That good? Thanks for the tutorial. I'll look at it and might try a few things!

[Capray]

Honestly rheostats have all worked fine for me, they just aren't as dependable. Get one of those if it doesn't look too cheaply made, and upgrade it later.

[Hammer2576]

Ok. I do not have a rheostat or thermostat at the moment. I'll be getting on soon. Is there a specific kind I need? And I put the probe on the glass and it was 97 but putting the probe on the substrate above the glass it's around 80-85...he has been in his hide on the warm side(left side) all day so far today. I have the probe right beside his hide and it's 85 now and 67% humidity.

[Meletee]

For tank setups a Hydrofarm thermostat is recommended, but until you can find one of those a simple and easy solution is a lamp dimmer... http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Instructions. Just be sure to check on it often.

Also, the thermometer probe should be directly on the glass over the uth.

One more thing, I think it is best to have one hide on each end of the tank (better for the snake to thermoregulate) with the water dish in between.

Edit: And welcome to the forums! It is a great place to learn with plenty of friendly and knowledgeable people!

[Hammer2576]

Is petsmart a good place to get that kinda thing from? That's the closest pet place to me really.

[Hammer2576]

Thank you! I'm going to try to get something very soon. And I'll place it on the glass then under the substrate I'm guessing?? And I've heard to not keep the water dish too close to the uth in case of spillage.