glass tank temp / humidity questions

[skaplan86]

so I'm running a 50g glass tank with a UTH (desert large) and a 75W heat lamp... I have a towel covering the screen lid to hold heat and humidity in... I am a bit short on thermometers and hygrometers but I do have a combo one about 6" above the substrate on the warm side... I have it reading a pretty consistent 90 degrees (+-2)... George hasn't been using his warm hide though, so I'm guessing that inside the hide is too warm (unfortunately I have no way of measuring temp in there till I get a IR therm or other meters)... I have a lamp dimmer that I am going to use to dial down the UTH to see if I can get him to go in there... If I do it until the Thermometer I do have says about 86 should I be good inside my hide?

Now for humidity:

Humidity has been a pain and I have been having to mist a lot (especially because of the heat lamp... I read on here about making a humid hide so I picked up some moss and am going to put it in the hide (with the lower temp)... While doing this do I need to worry about ambient humidity also? Should my water dish be enough or am I still going to have to mist? I am treating George right now for some scale rot but i seem to have caught it early so I just want to be careful and get this right...

[Argentra]

Ok, first off that 50g is way too big unless your snake is a full grown monster adult. A 30 breeder or 40 long would be much better tank-wise. But with a few adjustments and an eventual thermoSTAT to replace the dimmer, the 50 will work.

If the snake is not an adult, make sure you have plenty of hides, greenery, and other "clutter" in the tank to help him feel secure.

Now then, towels do NOT help with tank humidity. They absorb moisture, they don't 'repel' it back into the tank. The only ways to improve humidity in a tank are to foil treat the screen top or make a plexiglass overlay...and the foil is easier and cheaper.

As for temps, you really need digital thermometers with probes to get accurate readings. But to help keep heat in, the foil on the screen will help, as will covering the back and both sides of the glass with insulating material such as cork or foam board.
You really can't get a good handle on temps until you have an accurate way to measure them. Once you get that temp gun and digital thermometers, you can get a good sense of your temps and adjust from there. Ideal temps are warm side - 88-93, cool side - 80-83, and an ambient of 78-82ish.

[skaplan86]

I understand everything that you have explained and am working on it... right now I'm trying to find a way to work with what I've got... I'm using the towel because it does help keep heat in... I know what I need because I have read a million threads about it, but this is the setup that I have right now and I need to find a way to make it workable... I'm not trying to settle or cheap out, i'm just trying to make it work until I can get the thermostats and whatnot...

and what about the humidity... just worry about the humid hide or ambient as well?

[Argentra]

Oh I understand perfectly about doing the best with what you have. I'm a college student living on loans, so I'm really good at improvising.

Humid hides should only really be in use during a shed. Every day humidity is the ambient air humidity and should be at least 50%. That's why towels don't really work because, other than the chance of bacteria buildup, once they're dry they actually suck the moisture back out of the tank.

[skaplan86]

alright thanks... now i just have to figure out how to get him to go into his hide... I took it out and cleaned it... he is like pushing his face up against the glass... dont they do that when they are trying to start their shed and have nothing rough to rub against? He has a log and his hide...

[python baller]

i found some foam board at a local crafts store on sale for $1 a sheet. i followed this site's "glass tank setup" instructions and it helped a bunch in keeping ambient temps and humidity in.

[Argentra]

Ok, hold the phone. I believe you just answered that question yourself if I understand correctly that he only has ONE good hide.

Snakes will readily choose security over warmth. If both hides are not identical, then the snake will see one as more secure and stay there 99% of the time.
Plus, if you're keeping him in a too-big tank with only one hide and a log (which aren't good hides because they don't surround the snake) then he may also be stressed out, and a case of scale rot isn't helping.

Do what you can to get the tank up to standards, as it were, with two identical hides, cover for the back and sides of the tank, and foil treatment for the screen. I'm sure you already know this, but keep him on paper towels only while treating him.

[skaplan86]

well i finally got my levels pretty steady using the dimmer on the UTH... the thermo/hygrometer thats a few inches above the substrate is reading 87 so logically inside the hide will be slightly warmer...

Last night he actually managed to lift up his water bowl and sleep under it (guess he really wanted to hide on that side of the tank)... I cleaned up the mess this morning, dried everything out including the snake... he is back in there and actually sleeping in his warm hide now... While i'm out today I'm going to stop by the 99c store and pick up 2 mixing bowls and make him an entrance... that will work until i finish making him the hides that I am workin on (they are not identical but very similar)... I've built them to be pretty substantial even though the actual hide area is small, that way i can fill up the tank a bit more...

I ordered a temp gun this morning off Harbor Freight in so I can at least get temps inside the hides. Another week or so and I should be able to afford a thermostat... Paycheck comes on the 15th!!!!

oh and yes... he is on paper towels