BP Noob

[Zac456]

I Just bought a BP a couple of weeks ago and wanted to ask some questions, and this looks like a really good place to do that. I've been doing my research to try to make sure I am caring for it properly, and found some mixed messages.
Ok, first thing, when I bought it from the pet store, I bought this kit that came with it, it had a 10-gallon aquarium with heating pad attached to bottom, water dish, overhead lamp, and was filled with little pebbles as substrate with a few rocks here and there. Is this a good substrate? From what I've seen, soil or shavings work but I haven't seen anything like what I have. Second, I've read in some places that an overhead lamp is not neccessary and might actually suck humidity out of the tank and leave it too dry. And third, is it absolutely neccessary to check temperatures/humidity, and if so, whats the best thing to do to regulate them?

[tigerlily]

I Just bought a BP a couple of weeks ago and wanted to ask some questions, and this looks like a really good place to do that. I've been doing my research to try to make sure I am caring for it properly, and found some mixed messages.
Ok, first thing, when I bought it from the pet store, I bought this kit that came with it, it had a 10-gallon aquarium with heating pad attached to bottom, water dish, overhead lamp, and was filled with little pebbles as substrate with a few rocks here and there. Is this a good substrate? From what I've seen, soil or shavings work but I haven't seen anything like what I have.

I would ditch the pebbles. Too difficult to clean and a very possible impaction risk. Newspaper, aspen or repti bark would be adequate replacements. I love newspaper, because I have it on hand and it's very easy to see when it needs to be replaced and to change it.

Second, I've read in some places that an overhead lamp is not neccessary and might actually suck humidity out of the tank and leave it too dry. And third, is it absolutely neccessary to check temperatures/humidity, and if so, whats the best thing to do to regulate them?

Depending on your room temps, you may or may not need the heat lamp. The more important thing is to know what your temps are on the floor level. You might want to run to your local Walmart/Target/Lowes and get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer. The Accurite from Walmart measures 2 temps and humidity for $12. The dials and strips are very inaccurate, so don't rely on them. To adjust the temperature on the heating pad, you can use a simple lamp dimmer. A thermostat is a excellent option. Try search for thermostats for options.

As for the 10 gallon tank, it won't last long and you may find it's difficult to create the proper gradient. I would highly advise you searching through some older threads, as there is a lot of infomation if you are willing to look for it.