Questions about tub humidity/temperatures and feeding

[HerpsForDerps]

Questions concerning the tub:

I made my little BP a tub this weekend. It is a 28 quart Sterilite tub. I am using a 20g zoo med UTH from Petco that I have mounted to the bottom of the right side of the tank. My thermostat probe is directly in between the UTH and the bottom of the tub and is currently set to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The UTH and thermostat probe are both secured with aluminum tape, however the tape for the thermostat probe is on the wire and is not directly touching the probe so it should not interfere with any of the temperature readings. I have an Acu-Rite thermometer on the inside of the tank. It is securely mounted to the left side of the tank with velcro, and I ran the probe out a hole behind the thermometer and back through a hole on the right side of the tank. The thermometer probe is directly over the UTH on the bottom interior of the tub. I have it secured to the bottom with a glob of hot glue around the area that it gives for a screw to be used, so it is not actually touching the probe at all. I am using aspen for substrate with two identical hides, one on each side of the tank, and a small rock water bowl in the back that cannot be tipped over and is slightly rough should she ever need help when shedding. I made the holes with a soldering iron and have two rows of holes around the entire tub on the sides, placed two inches apart horizontally and one inch apart vertically. However I noticed that the humidity is still high for the tub so I made three rows of holes on the lid once again two inches apart horizontally and one inch apart vertically. The temperature/humidity readings are 88 degrees Fahrenheit on the basking side, 71 degrees Fahrenheit on the cool side, and 85% humidity. I have been unsuccessful in reducing the humidity by adding more ventilation holes yet so I take the lid off to let some humidity out periodically throughought the day. I have heard that if she stays in too high humidity that it can cause respiratory infections. Is this true? There is no condensation on the inside of the tub at all. Is 71 too low for a temperature on the cool side? What would you recommend for getting the tub to the correct temperature/humidity range? I am living in Northern California right now just outside of Sacramento and my house temperature is between 70-71 currently.

And the question regarding feeding:
Last week Wednesday she took an adult mouse f/t without any issues in a separate container. I left her in the container alone for about 30 minutes and came back to a fat and happy snake. I weighed her two days after her feed (so on Friday) and she was at 136g. I weighed her last night before attempting to feed her and she was at 140g, however last night she did not want to eat at all. I tried heating the mouse multiple ways, moving it in front of her, etc. yet she seemed completely disinterested. I just found her right next to the mouse every time I went in to check. So I eventually just put her in her tub so she wouldn't become too stressed. My question is how long should I wait before feeding her again? The mice are the correct size I believe. Each one is around 19-20 grams which is about 15% of her current body weight.

Thank you very much for your help! I am still very new to owning a BP and am just trying to get everything right to the best of my ability .

[The Serpent Merchant]

In the parts of Africa that BP's come from the average humidity level year round is about 80%. There is no health risks of humidity levels that high as long as the tub isn't damp (damp tubs can cause belly rot and spur mold growth)

71 is low, 75 is the minimum, and 78-82 is ideal. There are a few things you can do.

1. You could rig your heat lamp so it heats up the tub (keep it far enough away that it doesn't melt the tub.

2. Get an oil filled heater and use it to raise the temperature of the room right around the tub

3. Keep your room/house a few degrees warmer.

You are feeding the right size, and frequency. Young BP's should be offered food every 4-7 days. If your BP isn't eating double check your temperatures, and do not handle at all.

[KatStoverReptiles]

Sounds like your tub setup is good, but yes, 71 is too low for the cool side. You're aiming for somewhere around 80. Is there a warmer area of your house that you could put the tub?

85 is a bit high for humidity. I would try to get it down into the low 70s. How big are your holes? You may have to add more.

I would wait another 5-7 days to offer food again. Go ahead and feed her in her tub. Sometimes the stress of moving them into a new tub (I know she did it last time, it may have been a fluke) causes them to not eat. For best results, offer them in their home environment.

[KatStoverReptiles]

Once again...Aaron has beaten me to it. How fast do you type Aaron? LOL

[HerpsForDerps]

Ok sounds good thank you. If I wait two days before trying to feed her again would that be too soon?

[HerpsForDerps]

Once again...Aaron has beaten me to it. How fast do you type Aaron? LOL

I was just wondering how he is able to reply to everything so quickly as well!

[Trackstrong83]

I use a tub as well almost the exact same setup you have, and started off with aspen chips as well. Thing is, the tub holds humidity almost TOO well. I switched to paper towels and my humidity balanced out at about 63% now. It's really just up to you, you can use paper towels instead of aspen, or use aspen and drill more holes. Simply because aspen itself holds humidity very well too. So aspen+tub= super high humidity. Lol

[HerpsForDerps]

I will try adding more holes when I get home this evening. I have roughly four more rows always pre-dotted and I have been systematically creating the holes and letting the humidity settle, hoping that it will lower a bit.

Is it bad to feed her in the cage if I am using the aspen substrate? I have read that they can ingest the aspen and choke on it. Also is it true that snakes can associate you putting your hand in the tub with meal time if you feed them in their tub?

[HerpsForDerps]

I use a tub as well almost the exact same setup you have, and started off with aspen chips as well. Thing is, the tub holds humidity almost TOO well. I switched to paper towels and my humidity balanced out at about 63% now. It's really just up to you, you can use paper towels instead of aspen, or use aspen and drill more holes. Simply because aspen itself holds humidity very well too. So aspen+tub= super high humidity. Lol

I was thinking this as well :p. I'll probably be switching to paper towels after I use the rest of the aspen up. She seemed to like the aspen though. I believe it is what she was kept in prior to me receiving her so I was trying to imitate the environment she came from in an attempt to reduce the stress from the move.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Once again...Aaron has beaten me to it. How fast do you type Aaron? LOL

That depends lol this morning I have been on my iPhone... I can actually type much faster on my phone than on my computer. Don't ask me how because I don't even know lol.