first BP, need help with setup

[tonyjklh]

so I finally got my first ball python. but unfortunately after reading around the forums I think the guy at the store didn't give me the right information about my tank setup. here is what ive got right now: 20L glass tank, aspen bedding, 75w heating lamp, under tank heater, and the hide and water bowl. this is all what was recommended that I use(I already had the tank). temperature's are 75 cool side, 85 warm side. lamp turns off at night, under tank heater is always on. the humidity is around 50%. ive also read that the tank should be blacked out on the sides(mine isn't), how necessary is this. please let me know what you think as I would like to get it set up good as soon as possible if this isn't acceptable for a ball python.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Your temperatures are 5 degrees F off, the cool side should be 80 F and the hot side should be 90 F. You have the basics covered with your setup, but a few things need to be altered.

1. Your UTH needs to be regulated by a thermostat. Without a thermostat they can and will get way too hot (130+ degrees F) They can also be a fire risk when unregulated.

2. What are you using for thermometers? Are they the round dial type?

3. How thick is your substrate layer? For UTH's to work properly The substrate layer needs to be 1/2" thick or less.

4. Blacking out the tank is a good idea, but not necessary. The easiest way to do so is to tape paper to the outside of the cage on 3 sides. (NOTE: NEVER use tape inside of a snake cage)

Here is how I set up glass tanks:



Read through these 2 threads if you haven't already, they cover all of the major aspects of keeping BP's:

Care: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Cage Heating/thermostats/Thermometers: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[tonyjklh]

Your temperatures are 5 degrees F off, the cool side should be 80 F and the hot side should be 90 F. You have the basics covered with your setup, but a few things need to be altered.

1. Your UTH needs to be regulated by a thermostat. Without a thermostat they can and will get way too hot (130+ degrees F) They can also be a fire risk when unregulated.

2. What are you using for thermometers? Are they the round dial type?

3. How thick is your substrate layer? For UTH's to work properly The substrate layer needs to be 1/2" thick or less.

4. Blacking out the tank is a good idea, but not necessary. The easiest way to do so is to tape paper to the outside of the cage on 3 sides. (NOTE: NEVER use tape inside of a snake cage)

Here is how I set up glass tanks:



Read through these 2 threads if you haven't already, they cover all of the major aspects of keeping BP's:

Care: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Cage Heating/thermostats/Thermometers: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

what would be the best way to raise the temp a bit, just use a bigger lamp? and I am using the round dial thermometers. the substrate is 2" thick right now so I'll have to remove some. I havnt been able to find a thermostat locally and have to order one online, would you recommend I not use the uth until I receive the thermostat?

[MsMissy]

A higher wattage bulb will help but will zap your humidity some. Online is pretty much the only place you are going to find a thermostat with a probe. They sell one in pet stores, but I hear its pretty crappy. Pick yourself up a couple of digital thermometers. Walmart sells one a lot of us use for $12.00. It's an Acurite, can be found in house wears with fans etc. It has a probe and also reads humidity but not very accurately.

I just added an unexpected find to my little collection and had to wait for a thermostat, I did leave the UTH off until I got it. This time of year you should be able to find a place in the house that stays a it warmer.

Enjoy your new no legged friend!!! I went a different route with my tank than some do. It's pretty and she seems to enjoy it.

[tonyjklh]

A higher wattage bulb will help but will zap your humidity some. Online is pretty much the only place you are going to find a thermostat with a probe. They sell one in pet stores, but I hear its pretty crappy. Pick yourself up a couple of digital thermometers. Walmart sells one a lot of us use for $12.00. It's an Acurite, can be found in house wears with fans etc. It has a probe and also reads humidity but not very accurately.

I just added an unexpected find to my little collection and had to wait for a thermostat, I did leave the UTH off until I got it. This time of year you should be able to find a place in the house that stays a it warmer.

Enjoy your new no legged friend!!! I went a different route with my tank than some do. It's pretty and she seems to enjoy it.

where is the best place to put the probe for the digital thermometer? and when I get the thermostat where should that probe go? I've seen a lot of people put them between the UTH and the glass, but my UTH is already mounted and I don't think it would come back off. also what should the thermostat be set to? 90F? I just tried covering half of the screen lid to see if that will bring up the temps without getting a higher wattage bulb.

also when the colder months get hear will the UTH alone be enough to keep the temp at acceptable night time temps? right now the room temp is 70-75 so that's not a problem, but during the winter its usually around 60.

[The Serpent Merchant]

what would be the best way to raise the temp a bit, just use a bigger lamp? and I am using the round dial thermometers. the substrate is 2" thick right now so I'll have to remove some. I havnt been able to find a thermostat locally and have to order one online, would you recommend I not use the uth until I receive the thermostat?

Yes, I would unplug the UTH until you get a thermostat.

Don't bother looking locally for a thermostat, as they are hard to find and the good ones are almost never available.

Here are 3 good thermostats:

1. The hydrofarm. This is the cheapest thermostat available that I would recommend. It isn't very accurate, and should really only be used if you can't afford a better thermostat:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

2. The ranco thermostat, This is a mid-Range product, it is more accurate than the hydrofarm, but not nearly as accurate as the herpstat. This unit also lacks the safety features of the herpstat

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000

3. The herpstat. This is a cutting edge thermostat. It is extremely accurate and has multiple layers of safety features. These are what I use and would recommend over anything else. They make a fwe models, I would recommend the Herpstat intro +, the Herpstat 1, the Herpstat 2, or the Herpstat 4 if you plan on expanding your collection.

http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Your thermostat probe can be attached to the underside of your UTH with aluminum foil tape, this can be purchased at Walmart or any hardware store.

You will set your thermostat to what ever is necessary to make your probed thermometer read 90 in the cage. That might mean 92, it might mean 98 it vaires from setup to setup.

As for your temperature issue I would recommend slightly changing your setup. The only part of the cage that needs to be 90 is the basking spot. This will be created by your UTH. UTH's only heat surfaces and not the air in the cage. This is why a probed thermometer is necessary and the dial ones just won't work (they measure in the wrong places) The rest of the cage (the cool side and the air in the cage) only need to be 80 degrees. So I would center your heat lamp on the cage and let it maintain the cage at 80. I suggest you use this bulb so it can be left on 24/7:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

The 75 watt bulb should be just about perfect for this task.

Here is the thermometer you want, it costs $12 at Walmart and measures 2 temperatures and humidity:



All you have to do is place the unit itself on the cool side on the cage, and the probe centered on the hot side of the cage directly over the UTH.

[tonyjklh]

Yes, I would unplug the UTH until you get a thermostat.

Don't bother looking locally for a thermostat, as they are hard to find and the good ones are almost never available.

Here are 3 good thermostats:

1. The hydrofarm. This is the cheapest thermostat available that I would recommend. It isn't very accurate, and should really only be used if you can't afford a better thermostat:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

2. The ranco thermostat, This is a mid-Range product, it is more accurate than the hydrofarm, but not nearly as accurate as the herpstat. This unit also lacks the safety features of the herpstat

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000

3. The herpstat. This is a cutting edge thermostat. It is extremely accurate and has multiple layers of safety features. These are what I use and would recommend over anything else. They make a fwe models, I would recommend the Herpstat intro +, the Herpstat 1, the Herpstat 2, or the Herpstat 4 if you plan on expanding your collection.

http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Your thermostat probe can be attached to the underside of your UTH with aluminum foil tape, this can be purchased at Walmart or any hardware store.

You will set your thermostat to what ever is necessary to make your probed thermometer read 90 in the cage. That might mean 92, it might mean 98 it vaires from setup to setup.

As for your temperature issue I would recommend slightly changing your setup. The only part of the cage that needs to be 90 is the basking spot. This will be created by your UTH. UTH's only heat surfaces and not the air in the cage. This is why a probed thermometer is necessary and the dial ones just won't work (they measure in the wrong places) The rest of the cage (the cool side and the air in the cage) only need to be 80 degrees. So I would center your heat lamp on the cage and let it maintain the cage at 80. I suggest you use this bulb so it can be left on 24/7:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

The 75 watt bulb should be just about perfect for this task.

Here is the thermometer you want, it costs $12 at Walmart and measures 2 temperatures and humidity:



All you have to do is place the unit itself on the cool side on the cage, and the probe centered on the hot side of the cage directly over the UTH.

ok that is basically the same bulb I already have(just different brand). I'll order one of those thermostats right away. so you recommend keeping the cage at the same temp all the time? I thought it's supposed to be a bit cooler at night which Is why I hooked up the bulb through a timer

[The Serpent Merchant]

ok that is basically the same bulb I already have(just different brand). I'll order one of those thermostats right away. so you recommend keeping the cage at the same temp all the time? I thought it's supposed to be a bit cooler at night which Is why I hooked up the bulb through a timer

It's actually better to provide a thermal gradient (hot side/cool side) in the cage that is constant so the snake can decide what temperature it wants to be in.

The only time dropping the temperature at night is really necessary is breeding, and even that is debatable.

[tonyjklh]

It's actually better to provide a thermal gradient (hot side/cool side) in the cage that is constant so the snake can decide what temperature it wants to be in.

The only time dropping the temperature at night is really necessary is breeding, and even that is debatable.

good to know. I guess the people at the pet store doesn't know enough to give out advice. im glad I decided to read on these forums.

[The Serpent Merchant]

good to know. I guess the people at the pet store doesn't know enough to give out advice. im glad I decided to read on these forums.

Unfortunately that is often the case with pet store employees.