temps?

[shorty]

Hey people. I was wondering if anyone could give me tips on how to keep the tank warm. I have a 55 gal tank with two heat pads in it. I keep a towel over most of the screen and i don't have a light cause it dries up the tank. Any advice would be cool. Thanks.

[Shelby]

A 55g is quite large for any ball python. Even a big female would be fine in a 30g long tank. Larger tanks are harder to heat.. and for that matter tanks are harder to heat (and humidify) than plastic tubs are.

I hope you have thermostats on your heating pads? Heaters without t-stats are dangerous to your snake. They may not be cheap but they are necessary.

What are you using to measure temps, and what are they currently?

[Adam_Wysocki]

What are your temps at that you need to get them up?

A 55 gallon tank is going to be very hard to heat. If you can't switch to a smaller tank, you could try covering the sides and most of the top with rigid insulation to keep the heat in.

I'm not sure what you're using for heat pads, but they shouldn't be "in" the tank ... that could be a major fire hazard with the water dish in there.

-adam

[shorty]

My temp. is only 75. My humidity is 80%. The thing is that i don't have digital gauges so they're not pin point accurate. Why is 55 gal too much for a snake when they've been living in open land longer than an enclosed tank? I would really like to know why that matters.
But yeah those are my readings with a dial gauge.
The heat pads are definetly not inside that tank. They're underneath the tank on opposite ends. I think i replied to everything.

[Shelby]

Comparing the wilds of Africa with the environment in a tank doesn't work. Large open spaces in the confines of a tank stress ball pythons.. and like we said before, it's harder to heat and humidify a larger tank. In the wild they spend most of their time crammed in little holes in the ground.. hence the importance of hides.

75 degrees is dangerously low for a ball python.. I'd be worried about it getting a respiratory infection at that temperature. Go to walmart or target and get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer/hygrometer. They are indespensible.

What are you using for substrate? If it's a real thick layer of something, you may want to take out some so there's only a relatively thin layer. Thick substrate is going to keep the snake further from the heat.

What kind of heating pads are they? I don't like the zoomed ones personally.. they don't seem to have much 'oomph'. I like flexwatt (which can be purchased by the foot, wired or unwired) and a johnson or ranco thermostat (helix or herpstat if you can afford it)

[elevatethis]

My temp. is only 75. My humidity is 80%. The thing is that i don't have digital gauges so they're not pin point accurate. Why is 55 gal too much for a snake when they've been living in open land longer than an enclosed tank? I would really like to know why that matters.
But yeah those are my readings with a dial gauge.
The heat pads are definetly not inside that tank. They're underneath the tank on opposite ends. I think i replied to everything.

You are better off using the heat lamps and drying out the tank as opposed to maintaining your humidity and letting your snake freeze to death. 75 for any long period of time is going to spell trouble.

I would seriously consider switching to a smaller tank. For a male, a 20 long is more than enough space, for most individuals, will be enough for life. Females can get a little girthier and may require a little bit more space than that.

Good luck, keep him warm!

[elevatethis]

Cranking a space heater in the room might help things out a lot too...just wanted to add that...

[Shelby]

Yeah I have a space heater in my snake room on all the time. It has a digital thermostat built in to it which is very nice.

[shorty]

OK based on all your good advice, i think i'm going to go with upping the temp. in the room his tank's in to begin with. It's gotten cold again where i live and i hadn't turned the heat up yet. That should help things a little. I'll get another heat source, digital gauges, thin the substrate, and maybe put a light on the tank. If so i'll just spray it more, or get a humidifier for the tank. This is the only tank i can work with so that's why i'm trying to get all the advice i can. I might change it to a smaller one later if i can.
Oh and i have two hides in there for whoever stressed the importance of hides. Ok thanks. I'll let everyone know how it goes.