By: Ellen Sever
Hey everyone! Well, it’s been a while since I wrote one of these bad boys but I’m back at it and excited to bring you more tidbits from the reptile world! This week’s blog is geared more towards the informational side of things as most of our future blogs will be. But do not fret, maybe one day we’ll have another creature spotlight. Let’s dive in!
So picture this, you’re about to get a ball python. You think you’ve got everything you need. You even bought a ball python kit which includes all of the goodies needed to be a great python owner. Right? Well, maybe not. You see, one important feature that many of these kits forget is a thermostat. You may be thinking, what do you mean, it says there’s a thermometer right here! (It can be a bit confusing) Don’t worry, I’m here to enlighten you. Though they sound similar, and both are involved in temperature, the thermostat serves a much more important purpose. While a thermometer tells you what the temperature inside of your tank is, a thermostat will actually help regulate that temperature. There are a couple of different ways this is done. An on/off thermostat will use its probe to check the temperature at regular intervals. If the temps are too high, it will switch the heat source off. Once the temperature is down to a safe level, it turns the heat back on. A pulse thermostat constantly checks the temperature at the probe and regulates the number of electric pulses sent to the heat source depending on the temperature. If the tank is too hot, it will send fewer electric impulses to the heat source and increase the impulses when it is too cold. And finally, dimming thermostats are unique in that they can control light-emitting heat sources like heat bulbs. They do so by administering a “sliding” amount of electricity to the heat source which can allow the heat bulb to dim when it is too hot. Pretty neato, huh?
So why is it so important to have a thermostat? Well, just because heating pads and lights are made for your reptiles, does not always mean that they will remain in a temperature gradient that is healthy or even safe for them. In fact, there is a condition called thermal burns which are the direct result of a reptile basking in an area that was too hot for them. Typically your reptile knows to move if it is too hot, however, in some cases, they may not do so. One reason could be that your reptile is fighting an infection of some kind, in which case they need to keep their temperature high. This could lead to them ignoring the extreme heat. However, that’s not always the case and sometimes they will ignore the heat without anything going on at all! Thermal burns are extremely harmful to your pet and can even cause death in serious cases, so yeah, yikes. However, don’t fear, that’s what the thermostat is for! As long as you’ve got one of those little guys you can ensure that the temps in your tank stay where they’re supposed to. As far as price goes, the dimming thermostats are going to be the most expensive option while the on/off thermostats are the cheapest. The one we personally use was only $20.00 but you can find some for as cheap as $12!
So yeah, that’s the gist! It’s a pretty important piece that tends to be missing from the kits, but as long as you do the research, you’re sure to find sources telling you all about them. Also, I’ve linked a highly rated thermostat below. Not ours, and not a sponsor, but a great place to start if you are looking for an example! Ok bye ‘til next week :)