Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok,

I have a male ball python (over 1600 grams) and he never uses the hot spot! EVER!!!

He has a 41 qt tub, perfect temp ranges 83 cool 93 hot spot, a hide box on each side ( warm hide and cool hide are identical) and he's currently eating like a maniac.

Should I just remove the hotspot hide box? Hes getting fairly large so I'm not sure if he even needs a warm side hide. In fact the only times I've ever seen him use it in 2 yrs is when he craps in the other one!

What do you guys think? Should I leave the warm side hide box in there even if he isnt using it?

Thanks!

I've got a male Yellow Belly that does the exact same thing, except for the feeding part! Hes proving to be a picky snake.
I have a hidebox on the warmside that he never uses. My other snakes love to lay on their warm side, but for some reason he doesn't. He will occasionaly squeez himself on top of his hide box.
But I would personally leave both hides in there just incase he wants to use it.
Its just me though. Id love to hear other peoples opinions.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

do you have a temp gun. i use three brands of racks. i have one that varies GREATLY. it can be hot spot of 88-90 in most, and 105 in a few drawers. they get so hot, i don't even use them. even if i were to use 3 inches of paper to buffer the temp, it's just sahara dry and really not good. makes me nuts.

even in the best racks, heat rises. and the enclosure on the bottom and top are not bracketed on all sides like the others, so natural variation happens.

check to see that your temps are consistent.

I have 2 digital probe thermometers; one on either side of the tub. Its not a rack, just a stand alone tub with a heat pad and top light for ambient temps. Im positive my temps are within the range I described in my post. 83 cool 93 hot. I have used multiple thermos to make sure the ones I currently use are working fine (I deduced almost everything with this situation). I think he just doesnt care for belly heat!

Exactly where one the hot side is your probe located? Do you have it set on the surface of the substrate over the heat pad? Taped to the glass under the substrate?
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

Positioned under the hide box under one sheet of paper towel and has 3 layers of paper towel beneath it. Its getting the hottest area the snake can access which is set at 93. The snake never burrows under the paper towel.
Before you ask I have also placed the thermos in random places to read temps from different locations within the tub. All optimal and constant.

Its taking the surface temp not the air temp. And I also have another thermo that is occasionaly moved around to read the air temp on both sides.