Having some issues

[Gaius Marius]

Ok. Now im having some issues with temp and humidity. Temp for one is that is gets pretty warm here and the ambient temp gets in the mid to upper 90's during mid day. That is effecting the cool side of the tank. The humidity drops when the temp goes up. this morning the humidity was 60% but by mid day its 40% and dropping into the evening. Ive tried misting, a humid hide, covering the lid with plastic wrap a brick soaked in water. nothing seems to help. Any suggestions from those who live in arid enviroments

[JLC]

Plastic tub. I'm going to have to sit down and put MORE holes in mine again, because the humidity is still holding a bit too high. And this is in Tucson...dry dry dry.


As for the temperatures....you say the whole room that the tank is in is reaching the mid 90's? Ouch! Do you have a cooler room in the house you could move it to? Other than that, the only thing I can think of is to get a fan going in there...and make sure whatever windows in there are as closed off to sunlight as you can make them.

[muddoc]

Judy said it best. The only way to lower the ambient temp, is to lower the ambient temp of the room. Once that temp is lowered, you may see a slight increase in that humidity as well. Also, like Judy said, if your ball is in a glass enclosure, try moving it into a plastic tub, much easier to regulate environmetal conditions.

[JenHarrison]

Make sure the tank is in a room that doesn't get above 80-82 degrees. Switch to shredded coconut bark substrate (it comes in a compressed brick) and mist every 2-3 days to keep it damp. Cover 2/3 of the lid with 3 layers of tinfoil and 2 layers of black duct tape. It will keep in heat and humidity.

[Gaius Marius]

Ok then. What size plastic container should I get. Any recommendations. its roughly 16-18" and how should i rig up the UTH. That wont melt or damage a plastic container?

[JenHarrison]

A UTH won't melt the plastic as long as you have it set on a thermostat. I use plastic tubs in a rack but also have a few stand-alone tubs with UTH's and never have problem. For a smaller BP, I recommend a Sterilite 1846 tub. Put a few hides in there and he/she will do just fine.

[Gaius Marius]

at 10 this morning PST the temp is currently 82 and humidity 53%

[Adam_Wysocki]

at 10 this morning PST the temp is currently 82 and humidity 53%

You do realize that your snake needs a thermal gradient? ... ball pythons require a range of temperatures to thrive ... 82-84 on one side of the cage, 92 - 94 on the other .... 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Being animals that rely on external temperatures to regulate their internal physiological functions (metabolism, respiration, digestion, immune system, etc) .... correct temperatures are CRITICAL to your snakes well being ... without the temps listed above, the snakes internal systems can become compromised resulting in potential illness or even death.

Get yourself a digital thermometer and whatever heating supplies that you need to set your snake up with the proper temps.

As far as humidity goes, a properly constructed humid hide should be all you need ... if it doesn't work, you did it wrong.

Good luck.

-adam

[Gaius Marius]

I do realize that. Thats why im gonna give the plastic tub a shot. since the afternoon increases both the warm(er) and cool(er) sides to low to mid 90's its time to try something different. I have a sticker thermo and a digital thermo. As for a humid hide im not quite sure how to build one. I used a plastic container lined with dampened news paper. I have yet to check the humidity in there..I also couldnt find the accu-rite digi thermo/hygro thingy :|

[JenHarrison]

Where are you keeping the cage? Do you not have A/C in your house? I'm having a hard time understanding how the temps could rise so much on both ends of the enclosure if it's inside your house.