New owners - Husbandry questions

[JustinGatCat]

I've read numerous posts, but just want some clarification on a few things My husband and I recently bought an albino ball python, unfortunately, the person who sold him to us did not give us all details and it seems a bit more work than we were told, which we absolutely do NOT mind, we just want a happy snake

1) As far as the UTH's, would 1 be okay, or is 2 recommended? Also, how do we keep the heat up on the cooler side of the tank? We have a 20 gallon tank and are having issues heating the cooler side (the temp is hovering around 74-75 which we know is unhealthy). We have the mesh top, but keep the cooler half covered to try keeping the heat in. Our apartment is approx 70 degrees - 66 at night. We have a 100W bulb because the 75W bulb was keeping more at the 70 degree range on the cooler side. The basking side is hovering around 90. Our humidity is fine. I don't want him to get sick from it being too cold

2) For probes for the UTH's - do you stick the probe under the UTH prior to sticking it to the tank? We were sold a UTH, with no mention of needing to continuously measure that heat output (although we should have assumed this, I know), so it is already stuck to the bottom on the basking side.

3) Feed inside or outside the enclosure? I've read it's not recommended to pick up the snake after he's eaten because he can regurgitate & also if he isn't warm enough, he won't eat. We have not fed him yet, so just want an idea of what is usually best because we also don't want to have an issue with him striking every time we put our hand in his cage thinking it's food.

1 UTH should suffice. However, you should cover the entire screen lid with foil to trap both heat and humidity properly. As tanks are pretty bad at holding heat in, use a Ceramic heat emitter on the cool side so it can warm it up to about 79-85. CHE are better than bulbs because they add heat without drying out the enclosure. Another easier(but a bit expensive) is to just keep the room temps above 79 degrees. You can achieve this by just raising your house temps or just using a space heater.

Before I go further in answering the second question, I just want to clarify the difference between Thermometer vs Thermostat because some people seem to get the two mixed up. A ThermoMETER measures the temperature while the ThermoSTAT regulates it. Remember
ThermoMETER=Measures
ThermoSTAT=Stabilizes
Thermostat probes go directly on the heat source, or in between the heat source and the top/bottom of the tank. Thermometer probes go in the tank, underneath the substrate or on the side of the tank. Honestly for ambients and hot side temp checks a Temp Gun works awesomely, as they’re super accurate.

Feed in the enclosure. There’s really no difference in behavior between feeding inside of outside of the enclosure, and it’s just easier(and less stressful) for the both of you if you feed in the enclosure. But use tongs to feed, as this lessens the chance your boi will associate your hand with food. Also don’t handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feed day. This allows the snake to relax, prepare, digest, and rest during the feeding period. Most snakes are very good at recognizing feed schedules. My Bumblebee girl knows it’s feeding time every Tuesday and paces eagerly waiting for her snack.

Hope this helps!!! Boops!




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