BP not using hot hide

[trailblazer295]

It's been a few weeks that I've noticed everytime I check on my BP he isn't in the hot hide. Hot side temp is 91f inside the the hide and 78-80f on the cold side. Hot side has pro products RHP and UTH, independent on Ranco stats. Humidity generally 50-60% (higher now because all cocohusk was just changed) He still eats on a weekly basis, sheds fine. The last month he was at the local store being babysat. He did this the few weeks before being moved. Brought him back home Tuesday morning. The first night I saw him laying on top of his hot hide for awhile before moving back to the cold side. I first saw this when I first bought him, it seemed like he didn't know he could inside because once he first went in he stopped resting his head on the top of it. This is the same hide from when he was 260g he is now around 550g. It's a medium exoterra cave. Is it possible the hide is too small for him now? The cold side hide is larger. It's spot cleaned weekly and all substrate changed every month. The equipment setup, location and temps have been the same since I first set up the cage.

This is how I found him last night when I got home. He hung out like that for about an hour before going to the cold hide. You can see the RHP in the top left. The light is an LED strip I only use when I want to look at him. It's off the rest of the time.

[reptiledude987]

As long as he can fit in it if he wants to and is eating fine I wouldnt worry. I have a couple BP's that are very rarely in their hides

[lady_bug87]

So? he eats, poops, and sheds. You're doing great.

[trailblazer295]

Lol yes. The guy at the store said he ate like a champ the month he was there. He hasn't missed a meal since dec 14. I've skipped 2 due to him being in shed.

He uses his cold hide but not the hot.

[NewHerp293]

Im pretty new to the whole deal still but is it possible that with an RHP and a UTH that it's a little too warm for him even with thermostats? Obviously hes eating and shedding fine so nothing is horribly wrong but with two heat sources maybe its just the inside of the hot hide is too warm for his liking?

[trailblazer295]

My prob for the UTH is inside the hot hide just below the substrate surface and reads 91f. Rancos have a digital screen.

[reptiledude987]

Im pretty new to the whole deal still but is it possible that with an RHP and a UTH that it's a little too warm for him even with thermostats? Obviously hes eating and shedding fine so nothing is horribly wrong but with two heat sources maybe its just the inside of the hot hide is too warm for his liking?
You could have 10 heaters. As long as theyre all on a tstat the temp will stay where the tstat is set to. from the description the temps are good.

[Albert Clark]

My prob for the UTH is inside the hot hide just below the substrate surface and reads 91f. Rancos have a digital screen.

Then your probe is in the wrong place for the optimal performance of the thermostat. The probe should be placed between the glass and the uth outside the enclosure. So, in fact the temps you are getting are incorrect and I bet its a lot hotter if you measure the temperature of the glass above the uth! Check and make sure your bp isn't suffering with belly burns. Be careful bc the uth can spike to over 130F - 160F Also the probe could be wet or obstructed from the substrate. Urine , water and defecation can alter your readings from probe to thermostat thus making the uth run unregulated. :blink:

[trailblazer295]

It's a PVC cage not glass. Also he doesn't dig his belly to the plastic either. The stat is only 4 months old.

Should I put the probe on the plastic? Pvc has poor thermoconductivity.

[Albert Clark]

I thought it was glass. I would tweak it by trying the probe on the uth itself . Foil tape the probe wire directly to the back of the uth. Don't put the tape over the probe sensor though. MONITOR the temps and see if they become what you want. Did you measure the temp directly over the uth w/o any substrate?

[trailblazer295]

I thought it was glass. I would tweak it by trying the probe on the uth itself . Foil tape the probe wire directly to the back of the uth. Don't put the tape over the probe sensor though. MONITOR the temps and see if they become what you want. Did you measure the temp directly over the uth w/o any substrate?

Right now the UTH has cycled off. I moved the probe to be in contact with the plastic bottom and covered in substrate and put the hide back. After 15minutes it still reads 91f.

[Albert Clark]

Right now the UTH has cycled off. I moved the probe to be in contact with the plastic bottom and covered in substrate and put the hide back. After 15minutes it still reads 91f.

OK, cool. Just monitor the temp at the bottom periodically so you are sure there is no spike. :blink: IMO, high , uncomfortable temps would be the main reason he is avoiding the hot side.

[trailblazer295]

Checked the temp again just now still 91f. He was also checked out when I brought him into the store for being babysat his belly was fine. Might just be now that the ambient room temp is going up and I had to run an electric fireplace in the winter due to my landlord that the cold side is warm enough most of the time he doesn't feel the need to move back and forth as much.

[trailblazer295]

Interesting observation, as mentioned in another thread of mine I discovered mold in his cage today during feeding. Which on a side not he did eagerly so the move didn't change his appetite. The first hide I sanitized was his hot hide as he was in the cold hide at the time. I put the hot hide in a rubbermaid with a towel for him to be put in while I took his cage apart for cleaning. After exploring the rubbermaid and poking his head out the top a few times he simply lazily laid on top of the hide. Is this a sign he doesn't like it anymore, doesn't fit or simply didn't feel the need to despite being under a light at the time? I don't mind buying him a new larger one if he needs it.

[trailblazer295]

Update. He finally started using the hot hide again. Though now he wears it like a hat. Seems he is a bit big for it now so I've ordered him a slightly larger one, should be here in a week or two. He has every week despite a mold scare and moving him right after feeding. He is still a sneaky little jerk, spins the hot hide 45 degrees so the opening faces away from the door and still sheds inside his hide. Didn't even know he was in blue this time. But he is a sneaky little jerk that eats, sheds and poops so it's not so bad just laugh at him. Every time he spins it just enough, you'd think it would keep spinning every time he went in and out until it came back around but no always just enough you can't look in from the door.

[guyabano]

It seems like you've got this all sorted, but I just thought I'd toss my in my 2 cents. Animals are smarter than we give them credit for sometimes. Just make sure the environment's got the right temps and they'll do their part.