Ive read FAQs and other post but still having humidity issues.

Im a new owner of a ball python.. I dont have the worlds best set up for a BP but Im getting by with what I have. I recieved the snake for christmas and my mom got all the things. I dont have an under tank heater yet. I dont have the money for it right now. but within the next 2 weeks ill have one. She bought a heated rock when she got the snake. I have bedding down its thick and cherry colored im not quite sure what its called. I have one of those half logs and a large water dish. this is all in a 10 gallon terrarium. (again my mother bought all of this) Ive been doing my best with what i have to work with like i said. But the humidity seems to be too low still. I covered about 2/3 of my screen top with 2 layers of seran wrap and then one layer of foil (I read that before to try and keep humidity up) for me it didnt seem to work much. My humidity gauge stays at 50% all the time no matter if i mist the tank wether i had the seran wrap covering or not. 50% it never fails. I cant seem to get it up above that. Idk if its the heated rock causing problems or what. I also read today that low humidity can cause lack of appetite which im scared about cuz Max my BP hasnt eaten in 2 and a half weeks. this monday it will be 3 weeks. everytime i try to feed him he goes away from the mouse not towards it. Idk if im blowing it out of proportion or not but im a worried new BP owner. Any help with my humnidty issues or feeding issues would greatly be appreciated.. And im very sorry this is so long. like i said im kinda worried.:weirdface

Nope you're not blowing it out of proportion.

Your setup is full of the most common issues that cause problems with BPs. Unfortunatly the solution to all the problems requires spending money.

1) humidity gauge. I assume it's a stick-on one. They are 100% completely unreliable and never are accurate. Ditto for those stick-on temperature gauges. You need a digital one. For $15-20 you can get a digital dual thermometer/humidity gauge from wal-mart in their thermometer section.

2) hides. Those log hides don't provide your BP very much security at all. You will want two of them, one on each side of the cage so that when you get an unter tank heater one hide is on a cool side and the other is on the warm side

3) heater. get one. get a thermostat or rheostat(lamp dimmer) to control it, as they can get tremendously hot if left uncontrolled. Thermostats are pricey but PLEASE PLEASE at least get a lamp dimmer. To go along with this you also need an infrared thermometer to measure temperatures over the warm side. There are affordable ones in the $15-20 range. Heat rocks aren't worth spit and run exceedingly hot and may burn your snake.

4) solving humidity. Many pet stores sell a pet-friendly moss (sphagnum moss) that comes in brick form. I like to keep a bunch of this in any reptile cage that requires humidity. Mist it once every day or so, and it holds humidity very well. You already know about covering the top portion of your cage.

If you don't solve all those problems, your snake may very well go dehydrated and underfed as it refuses to eat due to physical and mental stress. Being cold will put it at serious risk for infections.

Just an idea i have a glass tank setup and to get the humidity up assuming you have a screen top put a wet towel on top covering 3/4 of the screen, dont know if you have a lamp but that sucks up major humidity and definantly get two identical hides they have them cheap on reptilebasics. com or you can just get plastic flower pots from walmart or something like that and definantly go with the accurite from walmart

pics of setup would be good if you can

If your humidity is actually 50% then that is perfectly fine. You will just want it up to 70% during a shed.

Your snake is probably not eating because you are not providing secure enough hides and/or the temps are not right.

You are going to have to spend a bit of money buy hopefully not too much. If you can, I would ask if your mom would be willing to help cover some of the costs.

You will need a reptile thermostat when you get a UTH so I would get one as soon as possible. The reptitemp 500r is widely available online and costs about $20. They are very hard to come across in stores.

You will need a digital thermometer and hygrometer asap. The accurite weather station can be found at the home depot, lowes, and walmart for around $12. It measures two temperatures and humidity so this is the only unit you will need to take measurements.

Please take the heat rock out. Those have only been known to cause problems like burns or even death. They are not safe ever.

Half log hides aren't suitable for BPs because they are just too open. Ball pythons like the "rock cave" kind of hides better but you can be thrifty and use up turned opaque plastic bowls instead. Check out the dollar store for some very good deals. Make sure you get two identical hides, one for the cool side and one for the warm side.

Good luck! I hope you can get things sorted out for your new little guy!