Help for a newbie - Python On Cold Side!

[SandmansDreams]

Kind thanks all!

I made a quick trip to pick up some supplies.
I grabbed 2 of the digital Acurite Thermometers and in case I switch her to the tub method I also grabbed a 6.2qt plastic tub with latching lid (into which I will drill air holes) and 2 plastic 6" bowls that I plan to cut for hides (they did not have any of the flower pot holders like the article called for).

I'll run by Lowes later this afternoon and grab that Lutron dimmer. Thank you!

For now...
Step 1 - Replace crappy stick-on thermos with new digital acurites.
Step 2 - Drill holes in 6qt tub and cut plastic bowls for hides in case BP needs to be transfered.
Step 3 - Go to Lowes for Lutron dimmer
Step 4 - Plug in dimmer to UTH, wait 8 hours, measure temps and humidity

I'll upload updated pics after I get all of this done to make sure I'm on the right track.

Again, thank all of you very much!

[tttaylorrr]

good to hear! keep us updated

[CALM Pythons]

Cool. Glad things ate coming togther. Have fun setting things up

[SandmansDreams]

I got the new thermometers in the tank and old ones removed.

I got the dimmer connected to the UTH and turned to a little less than 3/4.

I got the two plastic bowls cut for identical hides (I plan to replace these with actual hides instead of makeshift eventually, but wanted to get her set up the two identical hides sooner rather than later).

So, some updates;
- Humidity levels are right around 40 degrees even with the lamps on. This is much better than I previously thought! Even though it still doesn't seem enough (I should shoot for 50-60?).
- It does not look I'm getting the proper temperature gradient throughout the tank. After leaving the UTH w/ dimmer on for 4 hrs, I'm reading 84 on the hot side, 81 on the cold side. I'm not too concerned just yet as I was previously instructed to leave it go for about 8 hrs in order to let the dimmer do its job and allow the UTH to reach its proper adjusted level. I'll have to measure it tomorrow after 8 hours. I'll unplug it tonight so as to not take any chances. My first thought is that I wonder if I need to cut the night lamp off during the day? I've been running it day and night (while cutting the hot side lamp at night) because I was trying to maintain the proper temps. Early indications may be that I was overreacting due to reliance on poor thermometers.
- BP continued basking for several hours under the hot-side lamp before coming off the vine and really moving all around the tank (approximately 10:00pm). I believe she is looking for a place to sleep? She used the cold-side hide once as after I took the old mismatched hides out I covered her with the new plastic bowl hide I made this afternoon. It fit her just fine and she stayed in for a little while before poking her head out to check out what I was doing. Then she slithered out and hasn't gone back in either hide since.

I get the feeling BP's require a good amount of patience, which is fine, I just hope I'm doing the right things here.
Giving it my all!

I'll try to update with some pictures tomorrow.

Thank you again for all your help!

[tttaylorrr]

- Humidity levels are right around 40 degrees even with the lamps on. This is much better than I previously thought! Even though it still doesn't seem enough (I should shoot for 50-60?).

yes, i try not to drop below 55%. 65-70% i believe is ideal. you could try sphagnum moss: dampen a handful and place it in the enclosure or in the hot hide. it works great during sheds!

- It does not look I'm getting the proper temperature gradient throughout the tank. After leaving the UTH w/ dimmer on for 4 hrs, I'm reading 84 on the hot side, 81 on the cold side. I'm not too concerned just yet as I was previously instructed to leave it go for about 8 hrs in order to let the dimmer do its job and allow the UTH to reach its proper adjusted level. I'll have to measure it tomorrow after 8 hours. I'll unplug it tonight so as to not take any chances. My first thought is that I wonder if I need to cut the night lamp off during the day? I've been running it day and night (while cutting the hot side lamp at night) because I was trying to maintain the proper temps. Early indications may be that I was overreacting due to reliance on poor thermometers.

i don't use heat lamps so allow others to help you here.

- BP continued basking for several hours under the hot-side lamp before coming off the vine and really moving all around the tank (approximately 10:00pm). I believe she is looking for a place to sleep? She used the cold-side hide once as after I took the old mismatched hides out I covered her with the new plastic bowl hide I made this afternoon. It fit her just fine and she stayed in for a little while before poking her head out to check out what I was doing. Then she slithered out and hasn't gone back in either hide since.

changing the hides will stress them out a bit and make them feel uneasy; give her some time to adjust. sitting on top of the hides is a definite sign of stress: "a hiding ball is a happy ball." i'd say monitor her enclosure, temps and all, and try to pin-point a stress issue. feel free to post pictures and ask questions.

I get the feeling BP's require a good amount of patience, which is fine, I just hope I'm doing the right things here.
Giving it my all!

I'll try to update with some pictures tomorrow.

Thank you again for all your help!

there's a user here (can't remember who) whose signature says something like: "ball pythons are consistent in their inconsistency." they require time to "dial in" so to speak, and get just right. like i said before, you are well on your way to helping her. you asking questions on the forum is already a sign of commitment. you're doing fine! can't wait for pics!

[CALM Pythons]

I got the new thermometers in the tank and old ones removed.

I got the dimmer connected to the UTH and turned to a little less than 3/4.

I got the two plastic bowls cut for identical hides (I plan to replace these with actual hides instead of makeshift eventually, but wanted to get her set up the two identical hides sooner rather than later).

So, some updates;
- Humidity levels are right around 40 degrees even with the lamps on. This is much better than I previously thought! Even though it still doesn't seem enough (I should shoot for 50-60?).
- It does not look I'm getting the proper temperature gradient throughout the tank. After leaving the UTH w/ dimmer on for 4 hrs, I'm reading 84 on the hot side, 81 on the cold side. I'm not too concerned just yet as I was previously instructed to leave it go for about 8 hrs in order to let the dimmer do its job and allow the UTH to reach its proper adjusted level. I'll have to measure it tomorrow after 8 hours. I'll unplug it tonight so as to not take any chances.

I'll try to update with some pictures tomorrow.

Thank you again for all your help!

Before you had it running wide open so it is fine for tonight now up to 3/4.. It wont go above 90 at less than 3/4... It is going to drop a little at night anyway because the air cools off because its only running on a percentage of power, so if you get it to 90 at 1-2pm on the Inside Glass during the day it will drop to 88 at night because the lower power wont alow it to add more power/heat to rise the temp as the air cools. Thats Fine though. So make sure not to adjust it in the evening, only do that during the day when air temps are highest/warmest.. You will have to do this again come Spring/Summer when indoor/outdoor temp rise.

[Slither Seeker]

I'm new to BP's but I have been building enclosures of my own for various critters for a couple years now. I have given up on using heat lamps whenever possible, they typically require having an open top which makes it very challenging to finally dial in humidity and temperature gradient and on a thermostat the bulbs have a tendency to burn out in short order. you might consider getting two Jump start thermostats (many folks report good luck with them and they are quite affordable), or one herpstat 2 (much more spendy but more fancy and can handle two heating sources independently). In any case, using thermostats to control an UTH at each end, one that keeps the hide more in the upper 80's, the other in the upper 70's. I learned from reading all the helpful posts on this forum that there are various temp guns that are pretty cheap, once I got one it made life so much easier, allowing me to check the actual body temperature of the snake and each hide, while relying on other thermometers to keep a general eye on temps. I track three temps, the temp in each hide and the general ambient temperature at the level where they will most likely hang out if they come out at night (making sure it's no lower than 75). Sealing up the lid most of the way helps hold humidity in too, but con't really be done with a light unless you regularly add moisture to the enclosure and you have to make sure you keep whatever you cover the tank with away from the light so it won't catch fire. taping seran wrap to the outside top is a cheap and easy way to hold moisture in. I use insulation around the side to hold in the heat or if you have the tools or some help from someone who does, turning the tank on it's side and making a plexiglass front with sliding door is very helpful... these snakes seem to appreciate a more closed in and secure home than a off the shelf glass tank, leaving one side open to see into seems like a nice compromise.

good on you for noticing your snake wasn't happy and being willing to adjust things for the better!

[SandmansDreams]

Ok so more updates.

I left the UTH running through the night, after 12 hours I woke up this morning and checked the temps.
VERY STRANGE!! -- Hot side and Cold side were both at 73 degrees. Hot side humidity was 37 degrees, cold side humidity at 50 degrees.

This just boggles my mind. I dont know how this could be happening.
How could the hot side and cold side be the same temperature?
I left the UTH running for 12 hours straight! Shouldn't it have warmed the hot side? (I do not have a heating mat under the cold side) I had the dimmer set to a little less than 3/4. I dialed it up a bit this morning and turned her lamps back on to get the temps up (I typically turn off the hot side lamp at night).

As I write this, the hot side is sitting at 84 degrees with 34 humidity -- cold side at 79 degrees with 40 humidity. So we're ALMOST there, but not quite.

She has been exploring her new hides a bit this morning by ducking her head inside and looking around.
She's actually resting in the substrate over the UTH right now as opposed to ONLY climbing and basking all the time.
So both of these are good signs, I just want to get these dag-gone temperatures at the right levels!

After going through this, I can say without a doubt that I would not recommend an open-topped tank for fellow beginners.
It seems extremely touchy to dial-in effectively.

I believe my next order of business today is going to be insulating the 4 sides I previously covered with tinfoil (the back, both sides, and 3/4 of the top). I plan to do this with cardboard and cloth while leaving the tinfoil in place, so that the insulation is layers as follows - tinfoil against the outside glass, cardboard against the tinfoil, cloth against the cardboard.

I'll post some pics later this morning.

[predatorkeeper87]

keep double checking your temps. I haven't seen my BP's in days, mine never explore. She still maybe stressed if shes out and about. Also BP's don't bask per say, unless they need more heat and are trying to get closer to the heat lamps you have. good job so far, keep it up!

[tttaylorrr]

yes, keep double-checking. a UTH only heats the underside of the enclosure for belly heat; they do little for ambient (air) temperatures. is that where your confusion comes from? ambient temps shouldn't drop below 75°, but insulation should help keep some heat in. did you stop using the bulbs? and how are you measuring the hot spot now?