New to BP, PLEASE HELP.

[ajsantiago]

Hi All,

I have my first ball python and I did a lot of reading in regards to how to set everything up. I would like to think I have everything set up the right way as it should be, but the temperature and humidity seems to be off.

I drilled nine holes on each side, and the humidity was reading at 99%. I increased the size of every other hole on each side today to see if that would help diminish the amount of humidity, but the Acurite continues to say it is at 99%. Is this level of humidity safe?

I am using Zoo Med, forest floor reptile bedding (cypress mulch), and I know this maintains humidity well, but I read that bp's need humidity between 60-75% to help with shedding. I am concerned that I have too much humidity overall, in regards to the overall health for my bp.

The second concern is in regards to the Zoo Med UTH that I am using. I read that I could stick aluminum foil to it that way it can be reused without the worry of peeling it off. Well I have it connected to the Hydrofarm thermostat which is set to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the base of the tub is only 81.2 degrees Fahrenheit; the top of the substrate is 79.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Should I increase the temperature of the UTH?

I ordered the Zoo Med 10-20 Gallon size UTH, but the shipper sent me the 30-40 gallon size, so I have half of the UTH taped to the first quarter of the tub, that way there is a thermal gradient and the entire tub isn't covered by the UTH. I think the UTH is just too big and since I have half of it sticking out and the other half taped under the tub, it is not allowing for the proper basking temperature. Is this the problem?

I included pictures of the set up, so everyone can see what I have going on: they are shared from my Google Drive, may have to paste link into address bar to view.

I have the Sterilite tub sitting on plastic cartons, one of which is topped off with aluminum heat tape, because I have the UTH resting on that specific carton. In the picture you will see half of the UTH which is covered in aluminum foil; the other half is under the tub, with the thermostat probe in between the tub and the UTH.

This is a 25 Qt. tub which measures in at 24 3/8 L x 15 1/8 W x 6 1/8 H.

Further info that may help if needed:

The ambient temperature in my room is 75 degrees Fahrenheit with relative humidity at 54-60 degrees.

I ordered a Herpstat 2 which I will be receiving next month, and I am looking to order Flexwatt as well, in belief that it can better heat the tub than the UTH I am using. Would this be a better way of heating the tub?

Even at 81 degrees on the lowest part of the tub, my bp doesn't feel warm when I pick her up. I am concerned she is not getting the heat she needs.

Hope to receive as much help as possible regarding this matter. Thank you!


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[bcr229]

Not bad at all, fixing this setup will be straightforward.

I would remove most of the mulch and use newspaper as substrate, and only cover 1/4 of the tub on the cool side with the mulch. Put a hide on top of the cypress; it will become her humid hide but won't turn the tub into a sopping wet mess.

The paper won't block and dissipate the heat like the mulch is. I would dial the thermostat back to 95*F and see where the temperature of the tub floor ends up. Also remember that when your ball python lies on the hot side, it pushes the tub down more firmly onto the heat pad, so it can end up a good bit warmer than when the tub floor has no weight on it.

[jbzapanda]

How long have you had the setup going? If you just put everything in, it could still be settling. My humidity was reading to high 80s when I put reptibark in to my 20 gallon tank the first time. After a couple days, it settled to 55-60%. It might also help to have some ventilation from the lid or just have a fan on.

I tried the aluminum foil trick as well and personally I didn't find much success with it. For some reason the heat was distributing even more unequally when I had it on. Not sure about other people's experience but I just went back and stuck it with the sticky side lol. If for some reason it won't stick well, then you could always use heat tape to secure it. The one you have on does seem pretty big. When I check floor temps with my IR gun inside the cage, I have a hotspot of 90 where the center of the UTH would be and it gets less warm in the surrounding areas. The top and bottom would be around 87-89F and the middle portion would hover at 90F. Maybe that's why your floor temps aren't hitting 90F.

I also just moved the substrate where the UTH is. I just put a paper towel underneath right on top of my glass so I know that he's getting that 90F hot spot for sure. Around it though is still some cypress mulch. It's just under the warm hide where he settles on top of a paper towel.

Best of luck

[ajsantiago]

The set up has been like this for two weeks. I added 14 more holes to the tub and I enlarged the other smaller holes to 1/2 inch. I will give it a few days to see how the humidity levels out. I didn't want to puncture holes on the top because I was afraid that might let out any heat or too much humidity, but I will do it in a few days depending on the results from what I did today.

When you touch the base of the plastic, is it lukewarm? My Tempgun is registering 90-93*F but it doesn't feel too warm to my touch. It is considerably warm when compared to the 73*F side of the tub.

I placed the entire UTH under the warm side of the tub today and taped it using more heat tape, but I am considering removing the aluminum and applying it just with the stick pad exposed. Have you tried using Flexwatt? I am highly interested in trying that.

I also followed through with removing the excess substrate and placing the paper over the warm spot. It just doesn't feel warm enough as I mentioned above. Maybe it's the aluminum over the UTH...

[lanswyfte]

When you touch the base of the plastic, is it lukewarm? My Tempgun is registering 90-93*F but it doesn't feel too warm to my touch. It is considerably warm when compared to the 73*F side of the tub.

It shouldn't feel too warm to the touch--- average human temperature runs about 98.6 degrees fahrenheit or 37.0 degrees Celsius, not to mention the fact that our hands can tolerate warmth better than our more sensitive wrists, which is why you should check temps with your wrist.

[jbzapanda]

What lanswyfte said. It shouldn't feel warm to your touch since our hands are naturally in the 90s already. If it was warm, that would mean it was in the 100s..120s which is definitely a hazard.

Personally don't have experience with flexwatt but I'm sure there are tons of videos on YouTube that explain how to set it up correctly. Or just search the forum!

As for humidity, plastic tubs already hold humidity very well. Maybe get rid of the cypress mulch and replace it with paper towel and see how it does

[ajsantiago]

Thank you! I had to remove the aluminum, and stuck it to the tub. I used my wrist to check the temp along with the Tempgun. It's great now!

And, I will be using paper from here on out.

Greatly appreciated!