Humidity and temp problems ASAP!!

[Ballchris]

I am getting my pastel yellowbelly ball python in a couple of days Wednesday to be exact. I have her tank all set up and i think it looks great. but looking great dosent keep my new baby happy, I have gave some pics to show you guys my babies tank and new home, the cool side is setting on 78-80,and the top gauge is in the middle to measure ambient temps which is setting on 80 and only 45% humidity i sprayed it a few hrs ago to get it up and i know it's my lamps drying it out but with out both of them on it cools down too much like down into the 70's and i know thats too cold. the hot side which is the 100w blue day light bulb for the hot side and i keep the infrared on the cool side its a 60w. i have 2 water bowls in the tank new Zealand sphagnum moss. i also have a heating pad under the tank for the hot side. what are some ways to keep the humidity in. iv heard of plexi glass to help hold warmth and humidity in but how do i go about doing that it is a screened top do i only cover half 3 quarters the whole thing then she cant breath this is driving me insane plz help any other questions ask ill answer to the best of my ability.

Ps that white able is a digital temp till i get my temp gun in the morning and it usually reads 93.4 but im skeptical about the reading as its meant for ambient temps.

[Pareeeee]

She will be able to breathe if you cover even three-quarters of the top. My BP is in a tub with little holes drilled in the sides and he does just fine. They spend most of their lives under ground and in old termite mounds, so they are used to a stuffy environment. Lamps are very drying, so you'll have to keep an eye on things. I prefer heat mats and heat tape since they are easier to regulate and don't suck up humidity.

60% is what you need to aim for. When she goes into shed, up it to 80%. Your temps seem fine. Be sure you have similar hides on both the warm and cool sides, BPs are shy snakes and will even avoid warming up/cooling off when they need to if it means they will be exposed.

Nice looking setup, by the way. I like seeing natural looking vivs.

[Aaron_S]

"Ambient" temps should be read where the snake hangs out. Who cares about the top being 80 degrees?

Hot side is fine at the 93.4 you think it might be. I would lower those dials and see what the temps are closer to the surface.

Also, modify the lid or build one to help keep humidity in. Some people choose to make humid hides. Something like a tupperware/margarine container with a hole cut in the lid/side with moss/damp paper towel in it. The snake will go in there when it feels it needs the humidity boost.

[Ballchris]

I got my temp gun today so let see how things are now will check back in soon.

[Zelg]

I have a 1 1/2 y/o BP and I also have a glass cage (new pvc cage arriving friday woohoo!). I struggled greatly with temps and humidity at first so I'll just tell you how I have mine set up as I'm not having ANY issues with it anymore, so long as I monitor the temps (I still have to manually adjust the lamp cause I made a dimmer...not perfect but it does the job).

First, I suggest making a few rectangle cutouts of cardboard and wrap those in tin foil. You want these to fit over the screen (my screen is indented a little so my cutouts sit right in there). The reason you want multiples is so that you can create your own vents. You can open up the hot side, you can open up the cool side, you can keep it covered and there will still be enough air flow. Its very important to keep the top covered AT LEAST 3/4. I cover most of it save for an inch on the sides just to let some air in/out.
Also you need to make the cutouts fit around your lamps, so a little extra care is required for that. I have mine cutout so the lamp fits right in it with no space around the edges (however I can move the cardboard back n forth to allow for space).

Next is substrate. I found, through many trials and errors that the best way i've found to keep humidity up without sacrificing temp control and airflow is to have a layered substrate. What I do is put down an inch or two of eco earth (the stuff that looks like dirt soil....an inch is fine i'd think. Then I add a top layer of cypress mulch.

Cypress mulch comes fairy moist but after a month of sitting in a bag thats been opened it dries out (not to mention the stuff that sits under the heat lamps). However having that layer of eco earth below it, allows for you to really control your humidity. The eco earth will hold the moisture without making the cypress mulch too damp. The mulch stays dry (as dry as it comes in the bag anyhow) but all you have to do is pour some water on the ground and it passes through the mulch and the eco earth soaks it up then releases it back into the cage, raising humidity.

Before this substrate layer thing I really struggled keeping humidity up. Misting all the time and having the mist dry out seemingly within minutes. Larger water bowls barely helped like 1 degree F. It was a pain in the *** and I honestly dont remember the last time I sprayed the cage for humidity reasons. I used to have a hard time keeping it above 45% but now it sits at 55 and doesnt drop below that and if it does all I do is pour a little water down away from the hides or sometimes I just pour over the hides and it dribbles down around it, and humidity pretty much maintains itself.

You just need to be careful not to add too much water as it can get sloppy really quick, so just add a little then check the humidity.


As for temps, I tried a couple different things but what I found thats working best so far for me is that I got a higher wattage bulb. I use the red ones and just keep that on all the time so I dont have two lamps, BOTH lowering humidity and also they dont really need a day light so just use a nighttime bulb. I was struggling with temps for a while and i either dried out my cage too much and it didnt get hot enough on could days or it was too hot.

Off a hunch I just went and got another bulb, this time a higher wattage bulb and now I dont have to turn the bulb up so high but it puts off more heat while burning off less humidity. At least thats how it seems to me. Sounds a little counter intuitive but it did the trick for me.

Aside from all that, digital gauges and temp gun. Absolutely necessary. A lot of people ignore that and thing their stick on gauges they get with their kits are good but they're horribly bad. Also thermostats or at the least a dimmer so you can keep your UTH from getting too hot.

A little comment on temps...I dont know exactly what people say are the best temps but I find that if I keep the cool side at 77 (at least 75, never below) and the hot at about 84, then he seems to be the happiest...coming out at night, eating good, shedding, all that good stuff. Any time its over 84 he either stays on his cool side or is constantly looking for a way out on the cool side.

Sorry for the wall o text

[Zelg]

^also, room temp...keeping it in a cold room is a losing battle you'll never win. Either heat your whole house or heat up the one room a little more. My living room is normally like 65 but my back room that I moved my BP to is closer to 70+, so thats another thing to consider.

[Ballchris]

ok I went to my local glass cutting shop and had a piece of plexi cut for it I have had it on now for a little over 30 mins and my humidity is setting at 60% now i very happy and as for the temps i have a thermostat coming for the heating pad thats my only issue now is the hot side in a couple of places is reading 102 according to the temp gun and thats WAY TO MUCH but everything seems to be ok now with the humidity this temp gun is god sent. and i keep my living room where she will be at 70 to 72 degrees F at all times of the year.

[Ballchris]

Ok i moved the gauges and the humidity now sets at 85% is that ok. i moved them closer to the surface like aaron said too

[Pareeeee]

I would try to keep the humidity at 60%. Don't want it too high or you could risk him getting a respiratory infection. Only need to put humidity up in the 80's when he's shedding.

You'll probably have to play around with your misting schedule and setup for a while to get it 'just right'.

[Ballchris]

ok thanks pareee. iv got the plexi off letting humidity out figure ill let it do that till morning.

[Ballchris]

ok i bought a digital temp and humidity gauge and its reading 60% and the analog is reading 75% should i which one should i trust???

[Pareeeee]

Trust the digital one. Analogs can be inaccurate more often than not.

[Ballchris]

thank you pareeeee