Some cage questions.

[ride_gnu]

I have keepen mine aorund my neck for up to two hours before he gets bored and so do I, your body temp is often enough to keep them out for as long as you want, I find when they get cold, they will start to look for heat. For instance, when I do homework and he starts geting cold he goes for my laptop keyboard.

[Brock Fluharty]

Ok, thanks.

And a night bulb isn't necessary if I have a CHE right? I'm currently just using ambient room light for the tank's lighting, but I may switch to a flourescent fixture or another clamp lamp if ambience doesn't seem to suffice.

[ride_gnu]

I am not expert on lighting but I have heard that ambient room light almost always suffices. I run red heat lamps 24/7 and thats all.

[Brock Fluharty]

The clamp lamp that I bought has a glow in the dark reflector, but I doubt it'll be very bright, and glow in the dark stuff usually loses it's intensity after about 30 minutes of darkness. We'll see though.

I'm so excited to get it this week. I'm planning on either Tuesday or Wednesday, provided everything in the tank is set up, and temperatures are correct by then.

[Brock Fluharty]

Anyone know what wattage CHE I would need to raise the ambient tank temperature of a 30 gallon to about 85*F? I'm using a 60 watt, and i'm not sure it'll be enough. I'll have to check once I get the lid and everything, but it doesn't really kick out heat like I thought it would.

[starmom]

Oh sorry about that. Argenta mentioned placing the Temp. Probe right on top of the glass, under all the substrate, I would not reccomend this becuase with even a 1/2" I find that the temperature can differ by around 5 degrees farenhiet.

Dimmer I do suggest.

Wrong wrong wrong.

ALWAYS place the temp probe directly on the glass since you never know when your snake will burrow down and then get burned by the hot glass.

Your snake doesn't need gobs of substrate and so the heat difference will likely be negligible.

[Brock Fluharty]

Ok, so I keep the probe ON the bottom glass, because it'll likely be about the same as the substrate, and I don't want it to burrow down and possibly be burned, so i'll know when to dim it down?

I think I got it all.

It's all pretty overwhelming, but it'll seem really really simple once I get it all set up and working properly. I just need to tinker with it until i've got it right.

[starmom]

Ok, so I keep the probe ON the bottom glass, because it'll likely be about the same as the substrate, and I don't want it to burrow down and possibly be burned, so i'll know when to dim it down?

I think I got it all.

It's all pretty overwhelming, but it'll seem really really simple once I get it all set up and working properly. I just need to tinker with it until i've got it right.

Totally. It really is pretty simple to get the basics down and then, you're right, it's just the fine tuning!

Regarding other things: Ball pythons don't need any supplemental lighting; natural room lighting is enough for them to differentiate between daytime and night time. They do best with approx 12 hours of each. If you want a light near or in the cage, that's fine and it often times helps with seeing during cleaning!

In terms of ambient temps, lots of people using tanks wrap their tank in hard foam or rigid insulation- tanks lose heat very quickly!! Lots of people also cover the tops of the tank (at least part way) with foil or plexi; this help hold the humidity and also helps with heat loss.

Also, when you get your new snake, leave it alone in its new cage for a week or two, only getting into the environment when you do water changes, etc. Most people wait to feed for a week or two also since this helps to reduce the stress that your snake will feel.

As for holding the snake, ball pythons are typically timid creatures and when they start to become antsy it is an early sign of stress- he needs to go back to his home. When you are holding the snake or having it around your neck, remember that your body temp is very warm for him. He will need a cooler zone after a while.

Also, if you're using the dimmer, watch it very carefully and take the temps a lot. Unless the room that the snake is in does not vary by more than a degree or two, most people report that the dimmers are tricky. Do you have a temp gun? This is a most helpful tool!!

Lastly, when you are doing all of these husbandry 'chores', remember why you are learning all of these things and what you are doing all of this for-- in other words, have fun!!!

[Brock Fluharty]

The tank is sitting on a coffee table in my room, so i'll probably just put a short lamp beside the tank eventually.

Once I find a screen lid of appropriate size, i'm going to foil treat it. I was thinking of also wrapping the tank sides in foil, but i'm not sure if this would overheat it, or if it's safe.

Ok, so no handling while he gets adjusted to the new tank and new surroundings.

No, I don't have a temperature gun, but i'll probably get one sometime. I'm trying to buy the bare essentials right now so that I don't end up spending too much cash.

So tonight when I go to work i'm going to pick up 1 more hide, and i'll probably end up fabricating a screen lid out of wood trim and chicken wire...lol.

How would I efficiently foil treat the lid? It seems pretty self explanatory, but if anyone had any tips/tricks i'd really appreciate them!

Thanks for the help!
Brock

[ride_gnu]

Wrong wrong wrong.

ALWAYS place the temp probe directly on the glass since you never know when your snake will burrow down and then get burned by the hot glass.

Your snake doesn't need gobs of substrate and so the heat difference will likely be negligible.

Geuss I was wrong, good point though.

I was thinking with regards to the dimmer, how plausible would it be to hook up two dimmers, one on cool and hot side, each dimmer powering the heat lamp and the UTH together? This would be the best way I could think to maintain constant temperatures, and the cheapest.