Tell me if this makes sense.

[Little B-Py]

I have Oakley and Hissy in the exact same enclosure setup. 19 qt Rubbermaid w/ clamp top, t-rex (I think) UTH wrapped in aluminum foil (after looking at the 10 gallon tank setup thread), aspen bedding, 2 hides, 1 water bowl, dimmer, accurite thermometer w/ probe on bottom of tub on top of UTH.

So here is my issue, both of the temps are different and neither are holding humidity well. I measured the surface temp on the hot side of Hissy's cage w/ my temp gun last night and it was 91, measured Oakley's, 83. The humidity is also staying in the low 50's and I am trying to get Oakley's up because he is soon to shed but it won't stay up. It gets to a max of about 60% and will drop. I had holes in it but I had to cover them back up because of the low humidity. I am also having an issue with having to turn up the dimmers too high to get the temps right on top of the substrate but neither of them are burrowing down so I don't guess that is too much of a problem. I have taken out LOADS of aspen to get the depth right, it's about 1" deep right now I think. I hooked up Oakley's UTH to Hissy's dimmer to see if that helps but I didn't have a chance to check it this morning but I'm not sure if it is helping.

Any ideas?

[Jenn]

I'm not quite sure about how things are set up. Any chance you can post a picture? Where are the holes drilled? Is there another way for air to circulate since you covered up the holes? What is the room temprature? Are the enclosures near a window or outside wall? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a clear picture of your situation.

[Little B-Py]

I am currently in school and I don't have any updated pics of their cages but I can answer your other questions. The holes are drilled by the handles on each side, I don't think there is any way for the air to circulate, I closed them up to keep the humidity in, but there are a few holes still open. I think the room temp is between 65-70 (it's been kinda warm here lately, otherwise the house typically sits around 60. They are as far away from a window or outside wall as they can be.

[Jenn]

I'm sure others will chime in, but right off hand two things seem odd to me. The uth wrapped in aluminum foil, and the thick layer of aspen. Many people just use a thin layer or even a just a few sheets of newspaper. It seems like you are insulating your tub FROM the heat source rather than insulating the tub from the outside air. Humidity can be raised by increasing the size of the water bowl and/or moving it closer to the heat source.

[Little B-Py]

If you look at the "10 gallon tank setup" sticky you will know what i am talking about when it comes to that. I tried paper towels and the humidity was still crappy along with it not getting hot enough. I have the water bowl over top of the hot side to try and help. When I get home i'll try putting the UTH directly to the bottom and see if that helps.

[Jenn]

Are you talking about the top being covered with aluminium foil to keep in heat/humidity?

[Little B-Py]

bottom.

Here is where i got the idea.

[Ranegyr]

I have trouble with my humidity, but that's cause my gf keeps the apartment unstable. So i can't help you there.

I wrapped my UTH in foil too and I don't feel that's an issue. Aluminum foil, especially one layer, is extremely heat conductive.

i had a thought, where are your tubs, specifically. Are they one on top of the other? is one at a higher elevation in the room? are they side by side? my thought process is that stacked, the top tub loses a layer of bottom insulation as the heat radiates both directions. also, heat rises. in florida, it is imperative that you have fans because cool air falls. i might be comfortable sitting in my chair, but the ac constantly runs cause the thermostat is 5 feet off the ground. it never gets cool enough so i waste electricity. maybe use your temp gun to check the random things around each tub to see if there is a different temp in the room. plastic can cool easily so if one is getting a draft and the other is not, that could be your culprit.

My boys dont burrow either. i have less than an inch of aspen so i have to make sure that i keep my surface temp a little lower cause they lay so close to it. i put the hide directly over it and it hold the heat in pretty well.

hope this helps.

[Little B-Py]

They are sitting side by side and our room is actually the hottest in the house besides the downstairs. The house is old and the windows are slightly drafty because of them being old but not enough (I don't think) to mess with the tub temps.

[Jenn]

OK I get it now. Forgive me I'm a little slow on the uptake. What is clamped to the top of the tub?