New ball python owner, seriously need advice

[YounGod]

After spending a lot of time researching about ball pythons and buying all The necessary tools for the enclosure, I bought my Spider Ball Python just last Saturday at my local Snakes at Sunset. I have a 20 gallon tank, Barczyk’s coconut fiber substrace, heating mat with a thermostat put at 90F, and 3 items to measure temp and humidity. First is a digital thermo/hydrometer with both probes around the “colder” hide area, a dual analog more to the hot side, and a single digital thermometer on the ground next to his hot hide( since i cant stick it on the glass). The heat mat runs 88-91F so i think im good there, but my dual digital and analog thermo/hydrometers dont match well. The analog reads 60sF and 60% humidity even though the thermometer on the same side but on ground is reading 80F, while the digital on the colder side reads 75F and 84% humidity( After putting more ventilation it went 65ish%). Ive been paying more attention to the digital because of its higher popularity regarding accuracy, the temps sometimes go lower at night reaching as low as 71F for some time on the cool hide. I want to know if im doing something wrong. I have a part of the screen lide covered with a black towel and the enclosure is located in my living room here in Miami where the temps go between 78-69 accordingly inside my house with AC. I do plan on relocatig the tank to my own bedroom since where i have it right now is making it difficult for spot cleanings inside the hides( I havent cleaned there yet ). However, ive been hesitant of moving the tank right now since i plan on feeding him thursday and i dont know if the tank’s relocation will stress him out, even though that would mean no cleaning on hides until 2 days after feeding. He was exploring a lot when i first put him there and becomes active at nights. I have read a lot regarding things i could be doing wrong but I think it would be better just explaining my exact situation in different topics to the more experienced ones. Thanks for your time.

[tttaylorrr]

hello, friend!

since your post isn't broken into paragraphs it made it a bit hard to read. consider that next time you have a long post so more people read it. i mean this to be productive and not mean-spirited in any way!

so reading through your post i have some scattered comments:

• ditch any analog/dial/non-digital thermometer/hygrometer. they're almost literally useless for a species that requires such specific husbandry.

• an under tank heater (UTH) does nothing to raise ambient (air) temps. if your enclosure is reaching as low as 70° F you will need an ambient heat source on a thermostat to raise temps to the appropriate degree (77-82° F). a lot of people on the forum have great success with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) as have i.

i hope this helps get you on the right path to proper husbandry! if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[YounGod]

hello, friend!

since your post isn't broken into paragraphs it made it a bit hard to read. consider that next time you have a long post so more people read it. i mean this to be productive and not mean-spirited in any way!

so reading through your post i have some scattered comments:

• ditch any analog/dial/non-digital thermometer/hygrometer. they're almost literally useless for a species that requires such specific husbandry.

• an under tank heater (UTH) does nothing to raise ambient (air) temps. if your enclosure is reaching as low as 70° F you will need an ambient heat source on a thermostat to raise temps to the appropriate degree (77-82° F). a lot of people on the forum have great success with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) as have i.

i hope this helps get you on the right path to proper husbandry! if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Yea the Temperatures on the cold side can get as low as 71F while around the hotter side where the 90F belly heat is located at has been in 76F.
What do you use to control your CHE’s temp? i need a cheap and effective item if possible. Let it be rheostats or thermostats. Thanks for answering

[tttaylorrr]

Yea the Temperatures on the cold side can get as low as 71F while around the hotter side where the 90F belly heat is located at has been in 76F.
What do you use to control your CHE’s temp? i need a cheap and effective item if possible. Let it be rheostats or thermostats. Thanks for answering

it depends on the environment:

if the room you keep the snake in has a fairly stable temp throughout the day (i.e. not more than a 3° fluctuation) then a rheostat will suffice. i used a CHE + rheostat for kind of a long time before as the room temp was stable, but this was before i stopped using glass. a rheostat takes daily monitoring regardless. if the room temp fluctuates more than that, then a thermostat is necessary.

not to sound condescending, but why do you want to go a cheap route here? a quality thermostat is the single most important piece of equipment you will buy for your beep, and they almost pay for themselves with the protection they provide. what thermostat do you have now? and is there a reason a more expensive option is not practical for you?

i just want to fully understand your situation and offer as much help as i can. it took me almost 3 years before i bought a quality thermostat, so i understand that dropping that kinda $krilla isn't easy for everyone, but TBH i can't believe my snakes and i lasted so long without them.

[YounGod]

it depends on the environment:

if the room you keep the snake in has a fairly stable temp throughout the day (i.e. not more than a 3° fluctuation) then a rheostat will suffice. i used a CHE + rheostat for kind of a long time before as the room temp was stable, but this was before i stopped using glass. a rheostat takes daily monitoring regardless. if the room temp fluctuates more than that, then a thermostat is necessary.

not to sound condescending, but why do you want to go a cheap route here? a quality thermostat is the single most important piece of equipment you will buy for your beep, and they almost pay for themselves with the protection they provide. what thermostat do you have now? and is there a reason a more expensive option is not practical for you?

i just want to fully understand your situation and offer as much help as i can. it took me almost 3 years before i bought a quality thermostat, so i understand that dropping that kinda $krilla isn't easy for everyone, but TBH i can't believe my snakes and i lasted so long without them.

My house AC goes around 78 to even 69 at night( ive been trying to not put it so low lately). The glass tank is located in my living room right now but i will put it on my bedroom soon..either a day before eating or 2 affer eating( considering he’ll take the food, i havent fed him yet.)Which do you recommend?
The thermostat i have is the Jumpstart one, I dont think its in your good list of Stats since is meant for plants, i just saw a youtuber recommend it. I really have no knowledge regarding temperature control devices besides mentions here and there, so i was trying to keep it simple. Ive been trying to cut the spendings short because i have spent some money already plus other personal things that need my financial attention. But if given the advice and a specific setup ill definetly switch to whatever is more beneficial for my python. The reason Im even here is because the last i want is to kill it with irresponsible care.

[tttaylorrr]

My house AC goes around 78 to even 69 at night( ive been trying to not put it so low lately). The glass tank is located in my living room right now but i will put it on my bedroom soon..either a day before eating or 2 affer eating( considering he’ll take the food, i havent fed him yet.)Which do you recommend?
The thermostat i have is the Jumpstart one, I dont think its in your good list of Stats since is meant for plants, i just saw a youtuber recommend it. I really have no knowledge regarding temperature control devices besides mentions here and there, so i was trying to keep it simple. Ive been trying to cut the spendings short because i have spent some money already plus other personal things that need my financial attention. But if given the advice and a specific setup ill definetly switch to whatever is more beneficial for my python. The reason Im even here is because the last i want is to kill it with irresponsible care.

im so happy to read you're more concerned with safety than price. TBH a reliable thermostat protects you and your home as well as the snake; a runaway heating element for pets is a common cause of house fires.

you will need a second thermostat with your house conditions. i stared out using Jumpstart thermostats, and i still have them for backups; one quarantine enclosure of mine still uses one. now i use expensive yet reliable Herpstats (Herpstat 2 and a few Herpstat intro+) and i have one VE300 (Vivarium Electronics). the thing that sucks about the cheaper thermostats is that they run and either 100% or 0% with no inbetween. for a cheap electronic control, over time this will easily cause the unit to fail, and since our snakes live 20+ years, this is not ideal.

i used a Jumpstart for almost 3 years without fail, but i would NOT take the risk of assuming it won't fail on you. i consider Jumpstarts an economical bridge between now and the time it takes to throw that money down on a reliable thermostat (Herpstats).

i hope this helped! you do need an ambient heat source. lmk if this was confusing or if you're having issues getting another electronic control.

[tttaylorrr]

i just want to retract my statement about runaway heating elements for reptiles and house fires: poorly regulated heating elements causing house fires is NOT super common. HOWEVER, it is absolutely known to happen and that risk is not worth the "reward."

[YounGod]

im so happy to read you're more concerned with safety than price. TBH a reliable thermostat protects you and your home as well as the snake; a runaway heating element for pets is a common cause of house fires.

you will need a second thermostat with your house conditions. i stared out using Jumpstart thermostats, and i still have them for backups; one quarantine enclosure of mine still uses one. now i use expensive yet reliable Herpstats (Herpstat 2 and a few Herpstat intro+) and i have one VE300 (Vivarium Electronics). the thing that sucks about the cheaper thermostats is that they run and either 100% or 0% with no inbetween. for a cheap electronic control, over time this will easily cause the unit to fail, and since our snakes live 20+ years, this is not ideal.

i used a Jumpstart for almost 3 years without fail, but i would NOT take the risk of assuming it won't fail on you. i consider Jumpstarts an economical bridge between now and the time it takes to throw that money down on a reliable thermostat (Herpstats).

i hope this helped! you do need an ambient heat source. lmk if this was confusing or if you're having issues getting another electronic control.

So i would need to replace Jumpstart with a herpstat is that right? That would mean i need another one for the CHE I would get as well since they wont be using the same amount of heat. Could you provide me some links of the one you use or others on your own time? Appreciate the help

[tttaylorrr]

So i would need to replace Jumpstart with a herpstat is that right? That would mean i need another one for the CHE I would get as well since they wont be using the same amount of heat. Could you provide me some links of the one you use or others on your own time? Appreciate the help

replacing your Jumpstart for the UTH is the right direction, but it does not need to happen this second. you're okay for the time being, but the sooner you can replace your Jumpstart with a reliable thermostat, the better. a Jumpstart failure is not an if, but when.

however, your immediate next step is raising your ambient temps, and that means getting a CHE, ceramic socket dome and thermostat for it. the size/wattage of CHE you'll need depends on the size of your enclosure: when i ran a 20gal glass, i used a regulated 100 W CHE (on a rheostat, which i do NOT recommend for your environment). 100 W is a bit more power than needed for that size enclosure, but i'd rather run a higher watt element on low power than a low watt element on high power.

LINKS:

Herpstat thermostats (Cadillac of thermostats; well worth the money and will last for a snake's lifetime)

100 W CHE (available at most pet stores) depending on your enclosure size this might need to change.

Ceramic socket dome for CHE. i did not include a link here bc idk what size enclosure you have. just be sure whatever dome you buy: 1. has a ceramic socket, and 2. is rated AT LEAST 100 W to be used with your 100 W CHE. but again, idk what size your enclosure is so maybe 100 W might not be the right size.

hope this helped!!! again, if a second thermostat is a true issue please lmk. i might be able to help you with a temporary solution.

[YounGod]

replacing your Jumpstart for the UTH is the right direction, but it does not need to happen this second. you're okay for the time being, but the sooner you can replace your Jumpstart with a reliable thermostat, the better. a Jumpstart failure is not an if, but when.

however, your immediate next step is raising your ambient temps, and that means getting a CHE, ceramic socket dome and thermostat for it. the size/wattage of CHE you'll need depends on the size of your enclosure: when i ran a 20gal glass, i used a regulated 100 W CHE (on a rheostat, which i do NOT recommend for your environment). 100 W is a bit more power than needed for that size enclosure, but i'd rather run a higher watt element on low power than a low watt element on high power.

LINKS:

Herpstat thermostats (Cadillac of thermostats; well worth the money and will last for a snake's lifetime)

100 W CHE (available at most pet stores) depending on your enclosure size this might need to change.

Ceramic socket dome for CHE. i did not include a link here bc idk what size enclosure you have. just be sure whatever dome you buy: 1. has a ceramic socket, and 2. is rated AT LEAST 100 W to be used with your 100 W CHE. but again, idk what size your enclosure is so maybe 100 W might not be the right size.

hope this helped!!! again, if a second thermostat is a true issue please lmk. i might be able to help you with a temporary solution.

I just measured the tank its 30”12”12(lenght,height,width). 78F on ground by the hide, 90F on mat, 76F 66% on cold side. And thats at the expense of the household, taking advantage my parents are sleeping. What CHE would go with those numbers?
Im looking at that Herpstat EZ1 but might just get the EZ2 for those 2 outputs if ill need the CHE on another STAT anyways. My girl and I give each other a hand since we on this together with the spendings, I just dont want to take it too far its a lot of stuff we’ve bought already. Im also considering a temp gun to ditch thermometers.