Just trying to understand my BP...

[Paty]

I have a friend who seems to like handing his pets off to me. Well, I used to "save" mice from this snake but last August, I somehow managed to take the whole snake, named him Green Beans (to make him less scary) and built him a tank.
I now know that glass tanks aren't the best choice but I put so much work into this thing that I don't really want to change it.

Green Beans's new home:
The back, left, and right, are completely covered in expanding foam , covered in grout and sealed and there is a big piece of foam under the heating pad for insulation as well. I also have about 80% of the top mesh covered with tin foil wrapped cardboard pieces to reflect heat and humidity. Once a day (or so) I waft fresh air into the tank with a piece of cardboard so Green Beans has a full tank of fresh air every day.
He has real wood branches to move around, a large bowl of water on the colder side, and a smaller one on the warm side (to help with humidity, especially when his belly is pink). He has a log to hide in on the warm side. The colder side has the branches arranged so that he can use that as another hiding spot, which he does.
Left and right have high shelves, the left one has a heat lamp from 6am-6pm but he never goes up there. I have the light anyways so that he knows it's daytime because my room is relatively dark during the day (architecture design mistake in the built of my house). A longer shelf is in the middle of the tank but he doesn't really hang out on any of the shelves except at night when he tries to escape.
I think his home has everything he needs but somehow I'm not sure he is happy as he constantly tries to escape. His warm side temp says 74.8F and 77% humidity but the thermometer is about 4 inches away from the ground. The cold side says 72.5F and 76 Humidity. I feel like these numbers are low but neither of them are directly on the substrate.
I am trying to figure out how to raise the general temperature of the entire tank but a 150gal glass tank seems to be very difficult to keep warm enough.
My Concern:
My dad nags at me for even having the 60watt bulb running for 12 hours a day so I don't have much freedom in adding more and more heating devices. It just feels like no matter what I do, the numbers (especially temp) seem so torturing low. I just want green beans to be as happy as he could be and I don't want to torture him. He is going to be 12 years old this year and he is really starting to grow on me. I'm beginning to actually believe that he is cute (at least while he's not eating).
Speaking of eating:
My main concern is his and my differences of opinions when it comes to food. With my friend, he ate about 3-4 live mice every two weeks or so, or sometimes a live rat.
When I got him, I was was extremely uncomfortable with anything living being fed so I had my friend come and do the deed for me. However id like to get over that. I read something along the lines "If he physically is able to eat rats and move on from mice, rats are nutritionally more valuable." So I started to feed him frozen thawed medium sized rats. No problem for 2 or 3 feedings. Since then he has not showed any interest in frozen thawed at all. So we began feeding him live rats. Now, that I am on my own when it comes to feeding, I am just so uncomfortable with it. (I used to have pet rats that happen to have looked exactly like the feeder rats do now) how can either I or he get over our little difference in opinion when it comes to food? I have probably wasted 3 or 4 frozen thawed rats now which is really not what I want to do.

I know he isn't living in ideal conditions (neither am I) but I'd like to make it as comfortable as I can for both of us. I'd like him to stay loving in this tank and I would like to find a solution for the food issue as well. My firmed gave GB to me because he "doesnt have time" so he isn't going to be reliable enough for me to count on to come feed GB every two weeks.
Any advice? I must figure out how to add a picture of the tank.

[CALM Pythons]

I have a friend who seems to like handing his pets off to me. Well, I used to "save" mice from this snake but last August, I somehow managed to take the whole snake, named him Green Beans (to make him less scary) and built him a tank.
I now know that glass tanks aren't the best choice but I put so much work into this thing that I don't really want to change it.

Green Beans's new home:
The back, left, and right, are completely covered in expanding foam , covered in grout and sealed and there is a big piece of foam under the heating pad for insulation as well. I also have about 80% of the top mesh covered with tin foil wrapped cardboard pieces to reflect heat and humidity. Once a day (or so) I waft fresh air into the tank with a piece of cardboard so Green Beans has a full tank of fresh air every day.
He has real wood branches to move around, a large bowl of water on the colder side, and a smaller one on the warm side (to help with humidity, especially when his belly is pink). He has a log to hide in on the warm side. The colder side has the branches arranged so that he can use that as another hiding spot, which he does.
Left and right have high shelves, the left one has a heat lamp from 6am-6pm but he never goes up there. I have the light anyways so that he knows it's daytime because my room is relatively dark during the day (architecture design mistake in the built of my house). A longer shelf is in the middle of the tank but he doesn't really hang out on any of the shelves except at night when he tries to escape.
I think his home has everything he needs but somehow I'm not sure he is happy as he constantly tries to escape. His warm side temp says 74.8F and 77% humidity but the thermometer is about 4 inches away from the ground. The cold side says 72.5F and 76 Humidity. I feel like these numbers are low but neither of them are directly on the substrate.
I am trying to figure out how to raise the general temperature of the entire tank but a 150gal glass tank seems to be very difficult to keep warm enough.
My Concern:
My dad nags at me for even having the 60watt bulb running for 12 hours a day so I don't have much freedom in adding more and more heating devices. It just feels like no matter what I do, the numbers (especially temp) seem so torturing low. I just want green beans to be as happy as he could be and I don't want to torture him. He is going to be 12 years old this year and he is really starting to grow on me. I'm beginning to actually believe that he is cute (at least while he's not eating).
Speaking of eating:
My main concern is his and my differences of opinions when it comes to food. With my friend, he ate about 3-4 live mice every two weeks or so, or sometimes a live rat.
When I got him, I was was extremely uncomfortable with anything living being fed so I had my friend come and do the deed for me. However id like to get over that. I read something along the lines "If he physically is able to eat rats and move on from mice, rats are nutritionally more valuable." So I started to feed him frozen thawed medium sized rats. No problem for 2 or 3 feedings. Since then he has not showed any interest in frozen thawed at all. So we began feeding him live rats. Now, that I am on my own when it comes to feeding, I am just so uncomfortable with it. (I used to have pet rats that happen to have looked exactly like the feeder rats do now) how can either I or he get over our little difference in opinion when it comes to food? I have probably wasted 3 or 4 frozen thawed rats now which is really not what I want to do.

I know he isn't living in ideal conditions (neither am I) but I'd like to make it as comfortable as I can for both of us. I'd like him to stay loving in this tank and I would like to find a solution for the food issue as well. My firmed gave GB to me because he "doesnt have time" so he isn't going to be reliable enough for me to count on to come feed GB every two weeks.
Any advice? I must figure out how to add a picture of the tank.

I'll try to touch on a couple pertinent things and excuse me if im not at the top of my game im trying to fall asleep by reading hhahahaha..
You mentioned the heating pad but never said what the temp is of the substrait/glass above the Mat. That is VERY important as "the warm side" as you called it, at 74 is cooler than what the cold side should be. Cool sides for Balls should be 76-81. So if you have the heating mat "Basking Spot hide" at 88-91 then thats good enough. If not and the heat mat is below the basking temps (to cold) you risk Respiratory sickness & death because your air (ambiant) temps are to cold. Also if the heat mat is totally unregulated & plugged directly into the wall they are usually 114-140, you will cook that snake. All the replies/comments your going to get on here are going to ask what you are using to regulate your heat. Tstat (thermostat). They arent cheap $135-$200 and if money is a issue atleast go to lowes and buy a Dimmer switch extension cord. Its $14.99 and looks like a 4' extension cord and has a light dimmer switch on the end to adjust the power. Get a laser thermometer or probe thermometer and check the Glass above the heat mat over the period of a day to get the Basking hide between 88-91. It takes several hours. Moving the dimmer just a little can go from 88 to 100 fast... I always start out at 1/2 because i know Full power is around 135 on mine and 1/2 runs around 80.
Thats the cheap easy way just because you need to get something regulating heat asap. There is a thread on here (how to set up a glass enclosure) that explains this perfect. Read it a few times because im not good at explaining in writing. But this is a start. As far as the decorations ect... It sounds great but your going to find wood products are not good for sanitary reasons. They are a soonge for bacteria ect... And stink when they get urine/poo on them.
This will get ya started and you have enough on this Forum to read for months. Congrats on your new Ball Python

[Paty]

http://i1378.photobucket.com/albums/...pszvziueil.png

[Paty]

Money on my end isn't the issue, he just doesn't want the bill to be high as we've gotten notices on our electricity usage.
The substrate on the warm side is at 92F and the cool side is at 78F. I have 2 thermometers, one on each side but they are on the glass about 4inches above the substrate. Should they be reading these temperatures as well though or only the substrate? I just read in another threat that some keep their warm side well over 90 as long as it's not over 100. But they also say that snakes will move if they get too warm and have temperature options to choose from.

[Zincubus]

Money on my end isn't the issue, he just doesn't want the bill to be high as we've gotten notices on our electricity usage.
The substrate on the warm side is at 92F and the cool side is at 78F. I have 2 thermometers, one on each side but they are on the glass about 4inches above the substrate. Should they be reading these temperatures as well though or only the substrate? I just read in another threat that some keep their warm side well over 90 as long as it's not over 100. But they also say that snakes will move if they get too warm and have temperature options to choose from.

Sorry I haven't read through the whole thread just this last post BUT those stick on thermometer are basically useless for this purpose . To get accurate readings of the warm section and cooler side you need those digital thermometers with a wired probe and/or a digital temp gun . The probed ones can be bought off eBay for as little as 3 dollars and a digital temp gun can be bought off eBay / Amazon for about 13 dollars ..

You may already have some of them as you mentioned the temp of the substrate but if the stick on ones are all you are using then the true temp of the substrate could easily be over 100F

[CALM Pythons]

Money on my end isn't the issue, he just doesn't want the bill to be high as we've gotten notices on our electricity usage.
The substrate on the warm side is at 92F and the cool side is at 78F. I have 2 thermometers, one on each side but they are on the glass about 4inches above the substrate. Should they be reading these temperatures as well though or only the substrate? I just read in another threat that some keep their warm side well over 90 as long as it's not over 100. But they also say that snakes will move if they get too warm and have temperature options to choose from.

Those number are perfect for the HOT spot and COOL side temps.
I myself have never heard of any professional breeder or Hobbyist keeping their Hot side "well over 90".
As long as ive had Burms & Balls (29 years) thats a no no... Doesnt mean people don't do it, but ive never heard of that.
As far as the temp 4" above on the glass...if you check my temp 4" above on the enclosure wall with my lazer its 12/15 degrees different than the glass/substrate paper that my heat mat is on. This is why we all use probe thermometers with heat mats and Dimmer switches/Tstats... Also it takes me 15-16 hours to get the mat at a stable temp so I either have to do it while im in the room with my snakes all day long or do it without the snake in that enclosure im working on it to dial it in. There are so many factors like how many inches of substrate you have. This is why you need a lazer temp gun as well. Even PETSMART sells one. Thats one of the reasons I use Butcher Paper bsides easy cleaning. I buy 1000' rolls for about $30 that lasts years. They sell it for any width of the enclosure you have so you just cut a length. With paper substrait what ever my therm probe reads is good enough as paper doesnt drop the hot spot when using a sheet or 2.
Your going to learn all kinds of trick and find things you like that I dont and vice versa... Thats fine as long as the main safty things are all in check. Sound like this snake has has a well cared for life. Check the STICKYS of each Sub Group "GENRAL- HUSBANDRY- CAGES-DIY" ect ect... Theres awesome info even on what products people use so that you dont waste your money on things others have already tried that didnt work well.
When you have time learn how to copy a Picture link so we can all see your new buddy

[Hlow87]

I like your setup,nicely done!

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