Heat mat vs Lamp

My BP shed was horrible. It didnt come off in once piece like everywhere I have read said it should. I have a 55 gallon glass tank. I use a lamp to heat everything. Should I get a mat, if so where do I get one that says the temp. The humdity is stays around 50 but I've also read that the gauge I have can be very inaccurate. He has a dent in his eye and I heard that was from dehydration. Any advise would help. thanks

I think you have answered your own question. Mats are better IMHO. As well a dented eye and a bad shed=dehydration. Do your best to keep the humidity up. Mist a few extra times a day. When your ball goes into blue i usually try to step my humidity up even more. Add more mists a day and additional water bowls. If you have to continue using a lamp try to put a large bowl of water underneath of it. Personally i have found that this helps cut down on the humidity loss of a heat lamp.

Good luck,
Bill

I had my first in a 50 gal too. It wasn't long before I ditched the heat lamp. You want one that takes up about 30% of the cage. So, near the biggest you can find. I found out putting a damp towel over 2/3 of the cage helps a lot. Be careful though, it's a breeding ground for bacteria. So, change it often. Good luck. I try and get my humidity up to around 70% for sheds.

My goodness, I woud ditch the 50 gal. Tubs are best, but at most a glass tank should be a 20 gal. Maybe 2/3 the snakes length long and 1/3 wide. In the husbandry section is a sticky about glass tank setups. That should do you good. In short, I say

Get a plastic tub
Get flexwatt
Get a thermostat
Get a thermometer

Set them somewhere like so:

substrate
thermometer probe
bottom of tub
thermostat probe
flexwatt

Use the reading of the thermometer to set the thermostat. That's the same whether you're on glass or plastic, Flexwatt or heating pad. Your problems are coming from the giant space you're trying to maintain and the fact that it's probably open on top, allowing lots of heat and moisture to float on out. You can also cover the top with something to keep the humidity in. Pieces of cardboard wrapped in tinfoil will work and are adjustable.

Try giving him a warm bath if there's any shed left. He'll also drink during the bath if he so pleases. We use a fogger on full blast daily at the first signs of shedding. We have something similar to this and it kicks butt. You just have to make sure it always has water when it's on or it might burn out. We use heat lamps and place a large water bowl under them. Try getting a digital thermometer and hygrometer. I think we have a Fluker's one in our beardie tank and it works well.