Humidity and Substrate

[SteveFrench]

I'm having a bit of trouble with the humidity in my ball python's tank. I am having a hard time keeping it above 40%

i'm keeping him in a glass terrarium with a UTH covering in in between 1/4-1/3 of the tank, and a 100w heat lamp. covering about half the screen top with towels, Using coconut fibre substrate.

I am trying to mist, but as this is my first snake i'm a little unsure about how moist i can make the substrate. So my question is that, how moist can i make the substrate, and are there any other ways to help keep the humidity up.

thanks

[Skittles1101]

I'd say 100w heat bulb is making the temps far too high....but the heat lamp in general is the cause of the lack of humidity.

These can be found at Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart as well. Analog thermometers and hygrometers are dangerously inaccurate.
http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...0065516&sr=8-1

If you are going to keep the lamp (which is porbably unnecessary since you have a UTH) I suggest this, also found at Home Depot and Lowes.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

Do you have a thermostat for your UTH? If not I suggest this.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...4&sr=8-1-spell

[SteveFrench]

ok, well i have 2 digital thermometers, 1 stuck to the back in the middle to give me a general idea of the temp and humidity, then one with a probe going into the hot side hide. so i will try without the heat lamp for a little while, and see if things improve.

At the moment i don't have a thermostat, will be getting one soon though, but for the moment the temperatures aren't going any higher than 95 in the hot side.

[Skittles1101]

95 is still too hot (and that's according to your cheap thermometer? Assuming the probe isn't attached directly to the center of the hotspot..)....search burns on this forum and look at pictures people have taken of their snakes after they are burned from a UTH that they didn't think was getting that hot....

Trust me, it's much hotter than 95, and much hotter than that below the substrate directly on the glass where your snake will start to burrow...if you want to avoid vet bills and an injured snake....you need a thermostat ASAP.

Edit: I only use a small ZooMed UTH and without the thermostat it was getting to be over 130 degrees on the glass with my temp gun...which is more accurate than the thermometer...

[SteveFrench]

thanks, i buried the probe and it is at the glass, the temp is about 100 there. but about 85 above the substrate. and i will most likely be ordering a thermostat tonight.

so until i get a thermostat would it be a good idea to move the hide so it isn't on the heat pad?