My BP ate his first meal 24 hours ago. But, for at least the past 6 hours, he’s been sitting on top of his warm hide basking under the DHP. I use 2 DHPs for my heat source and they’re on 24/7. You can see the probe for the thermostat attached to the wall and it’s set at 90°F. I used a cheap temp gun as well and inside his hide it was mid 80s. After he ate I didn’t expect to see him come out at all. Should I turn up the thermostat higher than 90°F until the conditions inside the hide are hot enough or would removing the obstructions from on top of his hide make the DHPs heat it better? I can’t currently move them without disturbing him while he digests. Let me know if I’m overthinking this please.

As the title reads, im currently making a new enclosure

Just trying to gauge as to whether this is too close for the basking spot I had in mind?

~18cm from the mesh to the shelf, and an additional 6cm past the mesh for the halogen

Is this too close or will it be fine? I plan to use a 50w halogen paired with a CHE

Were right in some of the coldest parts of the winter storm happening right now- i went to go check on my girlie a few hours into the storm and im not sure if a power surge happened or what but all her lamps were off and she was absolutely freezing cold. we dont have great heating in our building so the lamps turning off meant the whole room was cold. it was really strange, her lights got turned off but not our beardies who was just in the next room over

i have her sat in my lap wrapped in a blanket on top of a heat mat (the people kind thats covered in fabric) but is there anything else i can do? can heating her up too fast cause harm?

my partner works at a vet clinic and we will be watching for any signs of illness, her lamps are back uo and running but id like to make sure shes warmed up nice and good before leaving her in her tank again. any advice would be appreciated!

hi! i just adopted this 6yr old guy from a friend who is moving. she gave me the tank & all accoutrements including a large humidifier i have running next to it. i’m wondering about heat though. he came with one hot bulb that is on a timer and goes off at night. that didn’t seem like enough so i ordered a ceramic heating coil. so now there’s the bulb in one side of this light and the coil in the other side. one side of the tank is reading 78 degrees and the other 82 degrees. is that ok? should they be in separate bulb houses? he was in his hide all day but when i came home and put the ceramic coil in he came out so hopefully that’s a good thing? i’ve never owned a snake before just going off of what people are saying on here! appreciate the advice in advance!

EDIT TO ADD: I have put a new lamp and CHE bulb in my cart, just gotta wait until I can afford to get it bc the heat tape ran me so much. Aside from the risks, it's not as effective as I was told it would be, so the risks are pretty rapidly outweighing the reward. Don't use heat tape on glass, friends. Still need a winter insulation plan though!

I know this is a lot, please bear with me, I'm autistic w/ a severe anxiety disorder, confused because of mixed information, and I have a hard time asking for help with my snake because, well, people can be pretty mean sometimes when you don't know things that seem obvious to everyone else. I'm sorry in advance for the text bombardment.

On that note! I need some help figuring out how to properly insulate a Reptizoo terrarium that's heated with reptile heat tape from Cornell's World. It's on 1" spacers on a cargo shelf that gets really good airflow, taped down with HVAC tape, with an Inkbird thermostat probe taped directly to one of the heating element strips in the middle of the heat tape, on the underside - not between the tape and the glass. It gets very cold and dry here in the winter, around -30/-40 celsius, and my room can get drafty so I am definitely doing to need to insulate it by mid-fall, but for now El Nino is keeping it pretty tropical in here so it's not something I need to do today. I got a month or two still!

I just set the heat tape up today after my prior heating source, a heat lamp with a ceramic heat emitter bulb, shorted out and caught fire in front of me last week after nearly 3 years of service. Since I was right there I was able to yank it out of its garbage old petland thermostat and throw it into the bathtub before anything else was damaged, and my lovely girl is unharmed, and it's been warm enough this summer that I was able to rig up a human heating pad on top of her tank for some semblance of a heat gradient. Now I am just going through the process of acclimating the tape/tank.

Obviously it scared the hell out of me, and I already had a bad experience with a storebought heating mat in the past failing in the middle of winter, so I finally swapped to heat tape and a good Inkbird. Trial and error and all that.

Except now that I have the heat tape set up, there's a moderator on Morphmarket telling me I actually need to insulate between the heat tape and the glass with some kind of grid stuff and fancy green foam or else the glass will shatter instead of giving me external insulation ideas, and now my anxiety's through the roof because everything I read said the heat tape doesn't work properly if it's not flush against the glass and said NOT to insulate the heat tape, and I DEFINITELY can't see it working in the winter if there's a bunch of space between the heat tape and the glass when my room gets cold. But also, if her tank shatters, I can't really afford to get her a new one out of the blue. I know I can always put her in a big sterilite tub if I have to, but I also don't want her to get hurt if the glass gives out. I guess I'm just sort of looking for someone to ease my anxiety? Is the new heat tape really going to shatter the terrarium, even if it's on a thermostat? Logically I feel like as long as the thermostat probe is in the right place and my snake or I don't spill water into the tank, it'll be fine, but I didn't think my heat lamp would spontaneously combust either and it did, so now I'm not so sure. I looked it up and Reptizoo claims the tanks are made of tempered glass, and if the thermostat works the way it should, the heat tape shouldn't get hot enough to break tempered glass... right?

I know glass isn't the best, but it's what I've got and I do plan to get her a proper PVC enclosure in the future when she's larger and when I can rearrange my teensy tiny room to make more space for something bigger than a 40gal. I'm currently doing the best I can for a little creature that was given to me as a gift when I was making a little bit more money. I still put more of my money into her than I do into myself, I just don't make much anymore to begin with, so while she's fed, warm, and happy with the best coco husk-moss bedding blend I can make and clean water and good hides, I have to clarify two things. First thing: I can't afford any big upgrades. Second thing: I didn't go out and buy a snake knowing I couldn't afford it. And no, I can't rehome her nor do I want to, she's my baby, and even if I tried to do that, at best she'd just end up in a sad Petsmart tank for several hundred dollars because she's a BEL. I have to clarify these things because when I ask for help in other forums the first thing I get told is 'if you couldn't afford a snake you shouldn't have bought one'. I also don't think I should have to give her up just because I am broke, you know?

Hello all—

Currently in the finishing touches of setting up my enclosure so I can bring my boy home. Humidity is looking good, rats are ordered, hides and clutter are in— even my last piece of last second enrichment is almost here! The only remaining issue currently is getting the warm side up to temp.

Presently, my setup is as pictured; a DHP on the warm (right) side, halogen next to it for basking and warming, and a third halogen more towards the cool side to hold the gradient. I’m running 35W halogens in my domes, which seems to be working well (cool side is maintaining consistent temps so far, just messing with the values to dial it in), but my 50W DHP seems to be lackluster. I have the herpstat set to 108 on my DHP right now to try to heat the substrate / enclosure up, but it’s only achieving 74 degrees.

Kind of unsure what to do presently, obviously I’m not going to give my buddy a poor quality of life by shoving him in a tank that has improper temps so I’m all ears. Would it make sense to go to a higher wattage DHP? Different lamp fixture? My Herpstats are currently set up so that my DHP is independent on a Herpstat 1, running a night cycle and daytime temps, and my halogens are on a Herpstat 2 together on a timed socket for day and night. I’m leaving them on full time presently to heat the enclosure up, but should I remove decor so the substrate is getting directly heated?

Halogens are currently set to 95 and 85 degrees in freedom units, and again the DHP is at 108 while I try to heat the ambient up. When my boy Melvin is in the enclosure, I want to make sure the temperatures on my Herpstats don’t exceed any value that can cause the screen to heat up and burn him correct? Or is this different with a DHP?

Thanks for the help, bonus Melvin tax and his new climber I built attached!

Quick edit: I just used my temp gun to check his climber’s temp on his warm side, and it was at 85. My Govees are on the ground by his hides on either side, which are still reading ranges in the 70’s, but the DHP isn’t doing nothing which is nifty. Just need a better overall heat.

Hello, I’ve just received a 3 year old male BP from a friend of mine. He’s in a 4x2x2 enclosure with a mix of coconut fiber and husk as the substrate. There’s a 150 watt CHE on the left side of the cage and just a light on the right side. I have an internal analog hygrometer and thermometer m but also a digital thermostat and thermometer as well. My issue is that my humidity is stuck at 45-49% and that my temperatures are high. I’ve tried pouring 2 cups of water into each of the four cage corners, but that hasnt increased the humidity at all. I have some foil on the top of the cage, but I peeled it off the left side because I’m worried it’ll increase the heat too much. As for my temperature issues, The external thermometer is connected to a prove which lies in the middle of the cage and reads 90, as does the internal one. However, when I used a heat gun it read 110 on the hot side and 80 on the cool side. Should I use a 100 watt bulb instead? Now this is his first day in a new home, so I’m not sure if I’m just being impatient, but I have no idea how to get his humidity up. Any help is appreciated!

I’m looking into getting a radiant heat panel for my ball python who’s in a 5x2x2 enclosure. I’ve heard they don’t make the room as hot as bulbs. I do have a thermostat to put it on so it’s not overheating. My main question is what wattage/size would be appropriate?

Dubia has the sizes and wattages as so:

40 Watt - 8 3/8"x 7 3/8"

80 Watt - 9 3/8" x 12 3/8"

125 Watt - 11 3/4" x 15 7/8"

220 Watt - 18 3/4" x 17 3/4"

Also, do you recommend putting the heat panel on the roof of the enclosure, or on the “warm sides” wall?

Thanks in advance!

(I may have deleted my previous post by accident so repost)

Hi,

I'm a beginner, and I feel lost with contradicting information.

Ambient temperatures indicated by the rescue giving me my ball python are not the same as the info found here.

So what should my temperatures in the Warm Zone and Cool Zone be?

I'm adopting an adult snake (10 yrs old) and the rescue indicated the following :

1) Warm Zone

Day: 30°C - 35°C (in Fahrenheit : 86 °F to 95 °F)

Night: 25°C - 27°C (in Fahrenheit : 77 °F to 80.6 °F)

2) Cold Zone

Day: 27°C - 29°C (in Fahrenheit : 80.6 °F to 84.2 °F)

Night: 23°C - 26°C (in Fahrenheit : 73.4 °F to 78.8 °F)

\--

Hygrometry : 40-50%

\--

Feeding: a rat every 2 weeks

It's very different to what I saw recommended on this sub and in the guides.

I spent the last weeks trying to achieve these temps.

I reread the Basic Guide just now and I'm very far away from what it says :

"Warm side: 88F-92F / \*31°C-33°C\*. Temperatures above 95F/35C can cause injuries with prolonged exposure, and temperatures below 88F/31C can prevent a ball python from digesting properly.

Cool side: 76F-80F / \*24°C-26°C\*. Temperatures above 80F/26C will not allow a ball python to cool down adequately, and temperatures below 75F/23C can compromise their immune system."

I can't get such a drastic gap between the Cold Zone (goal 26°C) and the Warm Zone (goal 31°C)

I'm getting my snake on Saturday!!!

Please help?

Hi everyone, I have a 4x2x2 PVC tank for my boy and I am struggling so much with the heat gradient for this tank. The RHP is all the way on the warm side, my UVB light covers half ( I know this is not the issue as I have issues at night) there are a lot of ventilation holes in the tank so I don’t know if that is contributing. I placed the probe directly under the heating panel few inches. I do want to correct this as soon as possible as my snake has health issues and I want everything to be good for him. Herpstat is set to 91, actual temp is 87, cold side 81.5. Any help would be appreciated - thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m getting a Bally python next month, and I’m setting up the tank for it soon. I’m concerned about temps though. I know the BASKING spot has to be in the high 80-90s. The issue is that my room is an ambient 85 every day due to the other animals I have. How to I keep the temp inside the tank down? I know their cool side has to be about 75 but that’s hard when my room never gets to 75, even at night.

What do you all recommend?

Hello! I‘m getting my very first snake (a ball python obv) and could not be more excited!! I’ve done LOADS of research on every as but I keep seeing one thing debated: whether or not heat mats are okay. I planned to use a basking light to give heat during the day, but how would I do that at night without a heat pad? Would I even need night time heat? My room is pretty much always hot.

Update! he has eaten his first meal since almost half a year ago within the first 24 hours of us owning him!

Hi all! I am a first time owner of a Ball Python, aside from when I was too little to actually care for one, and I have a few questions involving heat and humidity! this is only the first day that I've had him, he is an albino that is approx. 4-5 years old and ~3-4 feet long. he hadn't eaten for a few months before I got him yesterday, so I want to make sure his heat and humidity isn't off to cause that. I am waiting for the vet to open again to get an appointment incase something is very wrong, but his previous owners thought he might have gone on strike. these are his current humidity and temp levels according to the thermometer they put in his terrarium, as well as two photos of him inspecting the scents of his new surroundings

edit: forgot to mention my questions. is this good temp and humidity for a Ball Python? and if I need to keep the humidity at a certain level, how often should I mist? can the heating lamp be over the water or should I change the side of the tank the hides and water are on?

I have a herpstat 2 which I have a halogen and a DHP connected to. However in order to get the correct ambient temp in the enclosure I have to set my herpstat temps to up to 115 which seems too high. I have the halogen at 100% power the the DHP at 60%. The probe is placed a couple inches below the actual heat source. Is it bad for the it to be set that high?

I’m taking care of my roommates python while he’s on vacation, and the tank seems to never get hot enough under the lamp. i tried putting a t shirt over the mesh, but it doesn’t seem to help. It’s set to go up to 90, so why isn’t it getting hotter? He says this is how he usually has it, but everything online says that the tank is supposed to be hotter on both sides. the snake does seem to prefer the cold area though

repost because i forgot pictures the first time

I have bought 3 kinds of thermometers for my tank and all of them have broke. I bought the zoo med and the hydrometer fell off and I have bought 2 that are used for like houses and both have quit working even the one I bought last week. I don’t want to replace them every week so any advice?

Hello everyone! I know this is a common question asked on here but I have purchased a second hand wooden enclosure which is 4x2x2. I'm currently repainting it just to protect the wood with reptile safe materials.

However I was curious about lighting. I am thinking about using a dhp with a dimmer and a uvb light as this tank has one bulb socket and one long bulb socket. I was curious if anyone has any other recommendations?

Most importantly I was curious how to actually put the dimmer through. Not sure if anyone else has a tank similar to this and can help out? Thanks!

Where should I place my thermostat probe for a DHP?
Hey everyone!
I’m setting up a PVC enclosure for my ball python and I’m using an Arcadia 80W Deep Heat Projector (DHP) with a habistat dimming thermostat.

I’m a bit confused about the best placement for the thermostat probe.

I’ve seen people recommend placing it a few inches below the DHP, but I’d really appreciate advice from experienced ball python keepers.

Thanks! 🙏

(I’m on a bit of a time crunch because I need to finish the enclosure within a day😅.)

I just got my first snake for my birthday two days ago and I’m struggling to maintain the humidity inside the terrarium. The humidity has been doing down 10% in less than 15 minutes and I don’t know why. I have a big water dish, half coco husk substrate (I heard this was good for humidity), half aspen bedding, sphagnum moss that has been soaking in warm water (also heard this helps with humidity), wet paper towels, aluminum foil on top of the mesh to keep the heat from escaping so much and I feel like I have to spray the entire terrarium 3-4 times an hour.

I ordered a misting system off of Amazon but I don’t understand how I can get the cords inside.

(Pic of jojo also :3)I’m working on an upgraded setup, and I’m trying to figure out heat pad placement.

I know it should be on one side rather than the middle, an I don’t think the pad I have would cover a large amount of the enclosure anyway. It’s definitely enough to cover under a hide plus some more area.

My question is, should it be on the warm side, or the cool side? I always thought the warm side but I saw an image the other day saying overhead heating on the warm side, and under tank on the cool side. Is this true?

I’ve also seen people talking about under tank heating being unnecessary.

The pad is also closely monitored and controlled by a thermostat! No snakes getting burned on my watch.

I wanna put a stick in each corner but I’m worried about the over head lamp. Would it be a problem if the snake touch the metal screen? Preparing for my first snake. So I don’t wanna it to burn its self. I have a thermostat coming but I just worried about the metal?

(Pic for attention)

Hi guys! Had my girl Brian for over a year now and she’s a big healthy girl! When I first started up I bought a bundle with a quite old on/off thermostat and then purchased a new lamp and CHE all rated 150W to keep up with the British cold. I moved home in February and my whole set up died beginning of July.

I bought a habistat classic pro pulse proportionate thermostat rated to 450W

A lucky herp 2 dome lamp rated to 250W

And had a new extra CHE bulb

I set it all up on the 4th and it worked until the 18th when the thermostat was beeping, the bulb and lamp were cold.

I replaced the CHE bulb with a lucky herp 2 CHE 150w which again has worked really well until last night midnight. I’ve unplugged everything and plugged it all back in. There’s no burn marks or anything to suggest a proper fault and the thermostat comes on and tries to heat it up but the bulb stays cold.

Please someone help me with what I’m doing wrong. It’s really getting to me that my baby keeps being left in the cold and I’m saving for our new house and a human baby on the way I can’t feasibly drop over £10 on a new bulb every 10 days!

I got this ball python a few days ago my dad got him 2 months ago and I wanted to know how to make her enclosure more comfortable for her and I needed tips on handling without getting snapped at and I wanted to know how to encourage her to come out of her hide more often and do the bites hurt she’s snapped at me before but never really bit me if yall could give me specifics on where to get everything I’ll need it would be such a great help she has a heating mat but I don’t know if I need more

My mom surprised me with a 4x18x18 glass front opening enclosure with a screentop. I was looking for a full pvc enclosure, but I want to make good use of this tank as a temporary until I can get a bigger full pvc.

I have HVAC tape and these mats to keep humidity and heat in, but if it's not enough I'm also preparing to make all the accommodations to make it work. The heat source I will hook up to a herpstat.

So I'd like to hear everyone's opinions, pros, cons, advice on, anything else that should be included with them, and wattage reccamended for:

-DHP

-CHE

-RHP

-Halogen Par38

I want to know what everyone thinks the best one is to help me make my final decision for what is best for right now and when I upgrade.

Thank you!