New BP owner- want to make sure I'm doing this right!

[winglesshornet]

There most certainly is a right and wrong way to do things. Things like a UTH in the tank or the use of tape in the tank is wrong and common among some new keepers.



A 75 watt bulb is way to much for a 10 gallon tank. Was it on a dimmer? How cold was the room?

My home is 68 and on the cool side of a 40 gallon glass tank I have a 60 watt bulb for added heat and even using a lamp stand that suspends the fixture about 15 inches from the tank floor it creates 78-82 degree surface temps under it. If I was to lay the fixture on the screen like many do it would create a hotspot that is to warm without the use of a dimmer. I do not use dimmers and instead adjust the heat by adjusting the height of the lamp stand to create more or less distance which equates to less or more heat.

My snakes never have dry wrinkly skin during a shed. They get loose skin but they never appear to be dry.

Do you use a IR temp gun to check surface temps? You can show to have correct ambient temps while having surface temps that are to warm.

As far as the UTH or heat tape going into tanks is a big no no, I grant you that and I failed to mention it, as well as not to use heat rocks. My house is old and it gets cold at night especially during the winter and the upstairs room temp been known to drop to upper fifty's even though the furnace is set at 78 with 90 blowing out of the register ducts. The 75 watt blue bulb i used kept the old tank at 83 at the surface during the night even though i didn't not have to adjust the dimmer and the light off during the day. The day light bulb i had suspended above the hot side (and the UTH on thermostat. For temp monitoring was two acu-rite gauges modified to have 3 probes (two temps & 1 hum.) and probes were mounted accordingly to give me readings at the surface and ambient (not mounted on the glass or side) at hot and cold side. The only probe under the substrate (at the time terrarium liner) was the thermostat for the UTH. I calibrate/verify my thermostats and the acu-rites every three months with a N.I.S.T. traceable standard. I rescued my snake from my neighbor who had her for four weeks and neglected her. When i first saw her, the 3 gallon tank my neighbor kept her in was at 130, with no water, and one hide that she was sitting on top of, i kid you not. She looked like a raisin, we had a little chat and I ended up taking her home. The vet gave her a 10% chance. I've had her for three months now got her from 75 grams to 180 grams (currently 8 months old... basing from the age i was told from guy I got her from). I make certain that she is comfortable, she's been shedding good since i had her (other than the very bad shed my third week after rescuing her).