New tank, humidity issues! HELP!

So I just set up my terrarium for my BP which ill be getting soon. Ive had a heat lamp and UTH on the same side (as told by someone whos iwned a BP for 9 years). Wgen i furst set up tge tank, tenoerature was 80° on hot side and 70° cool side and humidity at 20%. Its been 2 hours since ive had had the tank set up and since than, the temos have risen to 88° and 77° and tge hunidity has dropped to 8%. I have no idea what to do....

What kind of cage is it? Pics? Low humidity can be an easy fix but the remedies change by cage style. We need more info.

Is it a glass terrarium with a metal mesh top? Or are you using a rack system?

I would be curious as to the accuracy of that hygrometer. 8% sounds awfully low. sounds faulty.

8% does sound awfully low, do you live in the Atacama desert? I would cover about 90% of the top with plexiglass and mist your substrate with water. You didn't mention what you were using for substrate either, is using aspen switch to cypress mulch. If these don't work get a new hygrometer.

The heat lamp will kill your humidity and more then likely raise your temperatures. Possibly a lower wattage ceramic heater will help. What size dome is the lamp in? You can always try a smaller dome also. If you have a mesh top cover as much of it as you can even with aluminum foil to hold moisture in but mind you it will also hold heat.

If u can't get plexiglass here is what I did to keep humidity up. Cover 90% of the tank with a towl but leave vents on both sides of the top of the tank for ventilation. Also try to get two acu rite digital temp/humidity gauges. U can get them at home depot or Wal-Mart. Forest floor, eco earth and repti bark hold humidity really well so if possible and already not useing it get some. The lamp can suck out humidity pretty quick. Here's a pic of mine from when my bp was in a glass tank. Kinda gives u an idea.

http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...psb310dd59.jpg

Hope it helps. Oh and also spray down towl and substrate as needed to keep humidity up.

I have moss on the hot side and and aspen mulch on the cold side. The red lamp is 75 watts. I now have a towel on top. its a glass tank with mesh top. Ive beeb spritzing the tank about every half hour and humidity is stagnating around 45% hot temp is 85° and cool temp is 67°

If I get a smaller lamp, ill lose heat. and im already struggling with heat on the cool side. Im gonna pick up a new hygrometer today and im considering a timed mister? Also, to raise the heat on the cool side, shoud i kust get a small lamp to put in the center? Im so confused! Also the tank is 36"x18x17

Sounds like a big temp/humidity issue. There's a post on here somewhere about how to efficiently cover the top but I'll describe it at my best. Get a bunch of duct tape and foil. Cover the top completely with foil (shiny side toward the bottom) and then tape it down completely. All you should see from the top is duct tape. Start with the edges and then work the middle. When it's completely covered and secure, use a box cutter to cut out a window under the light so it can put heat in. The best way to maintain the humidity would be to cut a second hole as purely ventilation (covering a little under 1/4 of the top) and place clear vinyl covering the window under the light to trap in the heat and humidity. The heat will go through the vinyl, and won't burn it. Then I'd use a ceramic heat emitter instead of the red bulb (seems to take away less humidity) and put it on a timer to keep it a tad cooler. Move it more toward your cool side if your cool side is that cold. Nobody wants to spray 20 times a day which is what you're gonna have to do. Put the water on top of the UTH and use a bigger bowl to add humidity.