Got our first python Sunday... few ?s

[indyerin]

I cant figure out how to get pics to post sadly..
But he is in an all black acrylic enclosure with a clear door on the front purchased from the reptile fair we got him at. He ate today...yay!

I have heat tape under a third of the enclosure with the thermostadt probe on the floor inside the enclosire and set to a few degrees above 90. I have an inch plus reptibark coconut fiber on top. Inside thedigital thermometer about 3 inches up registers 78 even tho the floor temp under the coir in set to 92. Humidity is sitting at 90. The reptibark is a tad bit damp so im thinking this will decrease a bit... im wiping down the inside door and walls a bit just so its not tooooo high. Should i be concerned about the ambient temp or humidity right now?

[dr del]

Look forward to seeing the pictures - this should help;

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures


del

[bcr229]

The thermostat probe does not go in the enclosure. It should be under the enclosure, sandwiched between the enclosure floor and the heat pad. Otherwise your snake can move it off the heat, pee on it, dump his water bowl on it, etc. and cause the heat pad to overheat.

You don't need an inch of substrate. Half of that is fine.

I wouldn't worry about the high humidity, and taking out half the substrate should help. If it remains high you can always add some small ventilation holes to the enclosure.

[Craiga 01453]

The thermostat probe does not go in the enclosure. It should be under the enclosure, sandwiched between the enclosure floor and the heat pad. Otherwise your snake can move it off the heat, pee on it, dump his water bowl on it, etc. and cause the heat pad to overheat.

You don't need an inch of substrate. Half of that is fine.

I wouldn't worry about the high humidity, and taking out half the substrate should help. If it remains high you can always add some small ventilation holes to the enclosure.

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!!

I 100% agree with the above reply.

[indyerin]

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/2/snake.jpg



I did have the therm probe under the enclosure but the enclosure wasn't heating up welll (custom ABS plastic). It was reccomended that I glue the probe down to the floor instead and use a heavy ceramic water dish on the opposite (Cool) side as the heat tape may be shutting off before the enclosure heats up. I'm still having trouble getting the enclosure up to temp though.... seems to be some issues with ABS plastic and thermoregulation.... I'm wondering if putting some stick on rubber feet under the enclosure and using metal tabe to tape the plastic to the bottom then putting the probe back would help. It's sitting on a wooden base which may be acting as a heat sink...

[Craiga 01453]

What are the avg temps in the room the enclosure is in?

Is your heat mat your only heat source?

It's important to understand that your UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot to aid in digestion and not for ambient temps.

So unless the room stays a constant 82-86 degrees you'll need an additional heat source

[indyerin]

What are the avg temps in the room the enclosure is in? Room is 74 and that is the "upper air temp" in the enclosure.

Is your heat mat your only heat source? YES, we were told that is all we needed.

It's important to understand that your UTH is there solely to provide a hot spot to aid in digestion and not for ambient temps.

So unless the room stays a constant 82-86 degrees you'll need an additional heat source

Not a problem, just need to decide what. everything but the clear acrylic door is black ABS plastic. I wonder if draping a quilt over it would hold in more of the heat. ventilation holes are up high in the back. Might try that first...otherwise I need to think about what to use...

[Craiga 01453]

Not a problem, just need to decide what. everything but the clear acrylic door is black ABS plastic. I wonder if draping a quilt over it would hold in more of the heat. ventilation holes are up high in the back. Might try that first...otherwise I need to think about what to use...

You'll need an additional heat source. There's no way around it.

[indyerin]

What should I use that won't melt the plastic?

I got my enclosure at the show from Snake FX / The Reptile Factory, here's pic.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/sho...mageuser=77852

[Craiga 01453]

What should I use that won't melt the plastic?

Ypur options are basically a Radiant Heat Panel (RHP), heat lamp with a bulbs or Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE). The other option is to heat the entire room, which isn't practical with only one snake.

RHPs are far and away the beat choice, but obviously the most expensive. Bulbs are the cheapest, but need replacing the most often. CHEs are around $30 I think and last a lot longer than bulbs without shining any light.

Bulbs and CHEs also dry the enclosure out, so tweaks will need to be made to achieve proper humidity.

The RHP would be mounted inside the cage on the ceiling. The bulbs would be placed where I would assume the enclosure has a screen for a heat lamp.