temp adjustments

[new2BP]

i notice when my Bp enters her hot hide, that the temperature drops from 92 or 94 what ever it is at the time to 88 F. i know this is because she is starting to outgrow her hides and must be laying on the probes. the temp then gradually rises as her body temp rises i guess. just wondering if am the only one notices this? it just tricks me into thinking there is something wrong because my temps have taken a sudden drop, then i have to take a look and see if the little girl is in her hot hide playing a joke on me LOL.

[frankykeno]

LOL first thing I look for when the temps suddenly go wonky on the warm side is where the heck is that probe!


~~Jo~~

[tigerlily]

I agree with Jo on this one. If my temps suddenly seem out of whack I usually check the probe first. (oh and I like that term - wonky - is that new scientific terminology? )

[Phillip]

Please help me understand temps to be measured (again, first day here 2nd month owning my first BP).

Is it best for me to measure ambient temp, hot side temp, hot side hide temp, cool side, cool side hide temp, ambient temp, and humidity? I am a bit lost on how to keep a check on all of these temps.

Thanks,

Phillip

[tigerlily]

Those Accurite's will measure two temps and humidity. If you want to be very exact, then you can get two Accurites. Usually you just put the actual display on the floor of the cool side. Then you run the probe under the hot side hide. That's where they are going to spend most of their time and you don't want them getting burned. If you get two then you can hang one box up a couple inches off the floor on the hot side to measure ambient temp and run the probe under the hot side hide, and then do the same for the cool side. It's a little overkill, but sometimes it's just nice know all those temps. As Joanna says, you get a free case of raging obessive compulsive disorder with every ball python purchase. Just wait until you want a scale, so you can measure their weight gain. Then you'll be measuring them before and after BMs. It's really a sad thing when you check the temps every half hour or so. We've all been there, so keep asking those questions!

[frankykeno]

It will drive you nuts at first Phil but I love the Accu-Rite and eventually once you have your enclosure stabilized and your confident in your husbandry a bit more, you do settle down.

I'm sorry I can't remember how big your enclosure is or what type but this is what we have just for an example (pls remember it's not the answer, it's just how we are set up, there's tons of options and lots more experienced people than me and my hubby). Our two b.p's are in big, low Sterlites tub from WalMart, they have holes melted in them for air circulation and humidity/temp control, we use an UTH for belly heat, our Accu-Rite is set up this way....

actual unit on the cool side (velcroed to the side of the tub) near the cool side hide (the unit itself also picks up temps not just the probe), the probe (on it's very thin very long cord) feeds out of the tub around and back in and the actual probe is tucked just inside the warm side hide...so we get the following information at a glance...

cool side temp, warm side inside the hide temp, general humidity

Pretty good for something that's less than $15.00 and way more reliable and accurate than those stick on analog deals the pet stores push.

Glad to see you at this forum Phillip. It's a really great one.

~~Joanna~~

[new2BP]

i am ussing 3 accu rites right now. the one that has the humdity gauge is inside the tank and also keeps track of the ambient temp. my other 2 are outside the cage, they monitor the hot and cool hide, plus i keep an extra probe in the area that my BP seems to use the most which is outside of her 2 hides.

[justcage]

Put the probe directly on the heating element if it is a UTH and then take temp measurements with a thermometer and adjust the stat accordlingly