My ball pythons cage temp with a UTH and a heat lamp is about 97 under his hide. I was wondering what the temp was supposed to be and how to lower it if it is too hot. Thanks.
97 probably isn't a major hazard, but it is definitely a bit too warm. The warm side of the enclosure should be around 90*, with a gradient ranging to 80* or so. Try turning off the heat lamp. This may get you just around where it should be. If that doesn't work out, go to Lowes and buy a rheostat. Nothing too fancy, just a simple thing. Around here they're around $10. Hook it up to the UTH and adjust as needed. Something along the lines of this.
Rotate 75 without Uvb lamp and 80-90 with the UVB lamp. Provide a warmer place for the times the UVB is turned off. (Usually this is where your heating pad under the glass is placed.) During UVB lamp time, it can go as high as 80-90ish and make sure the humidity dampens the glass. 97 at all times is probably to high. I spiked my cage up to 100 degrees for 4 days at one time but that was about 6 years ago and when I had gotten my first python. You can spike the heat and humidity if your snake has gotten an upper respiritory infection. These are very rare and usually signs of the cage not being warm enough. You should probably knock the heat down a bit though like the other poster said.
You want to have about 92 on the warm side and 82 on the cool. I only heat my enclosres with quality thermostats like a Ranco or Johnson on the low end and a Herpstat or Helix on the high end (of thermoststs). I do not like to use bulbs on ball pythons as it dries out the air and bright light stresses them out. They naturally stay in burrows in the ground and prefer dark confined humid spaces. I always tell people a good thermostat is alot cheaper thatn a vet visit and much less stress than fighting a respitory infection.
