I have a new ball python and have him in a 20 gallon exoterra tank. I have covered about 3/4 of the screen top with cardboard and have a 100W infrared bulb with a small heat mat under the area of the light area that is controlled by a thermostat. My house is pretty cold so I have had both and have reached a temperature gradient of 75F on one side and 90-95F on the heatedside. My cold side thermometer doesn’t reflect the humidity gauge but my warm side shows the humidity. I have sprayed many times to get the humidity reading up, but am wondering if I should have the humidity gauge under the heat lamp or somewhere else. I have noticed the coconut fiber is dryer under the heated area. After spraying, the humidity reading goes to 70% and then drops to 35-40% after a few hours. He is starting to shed so I know that keeping humidity higher is especially important now and that 50-60% is standard during non-shedding periods.
If not, what are general tips for keeping the humidity up? I have about 2” of coconut fiber covering the bottom that I spray from time to time and the top screen covered 75%. Also when spraying, how much is spraying should be done? Should the coconut fiber be saturated? Should I get my humidity reading somewhere else not under the heat lamp to make it more accurate?