Please critique my new BP setup! (also need help getting temp+Hum in order)

Hey everyone, new to the world of keeping a BP, and am very excited!

i purchased a BP yesterday from a reputable breeder, and i got a very lovely snake for my first, anyways i just wanted to make sure my enclosure is spot on, as im very adhd about all the animals i own, and want everything to be perfect, so i am very open to any criticism, as long as its constructive! haha.

here is a picture of my enclosure

http://i64.tinypic.com/33xj9r5.jpg

-20G long tank
-screen lid, with clips, i have Styrofoam blocking 1/2-3/4 of the top off, to prevent humidity from escaping, while still allowing air flow
-heat pad (12"x8")
-2 hides one fake rock, one on the hot side, a half moon wooden one on the other side, i poured substrate over the back open end of the wood hide to block the other side off to make her feel more secure
-Cypress Mulch substrate about a 1" layer
-Large water dish to help with humidity
- brutal thermometer/hygrometer

not installed:

Thermostat- just received it in the mail today, i got the Hydrofarm one. im just unsure where to install the probe, should i hot glue it in the hot hide to the tank bottom right above the heat pad? or should i peel the heat pad off the bottom of the tank and place the probe inside the pad and re-stick it to the bottom of the tank? or can i just tape the probe to the bottom of the pad beneath the tank? any suggestions?

- proper thermometer and hygrometer. i had to buy the accurite therm/hygrom online since i couldnt find it in the walmart here in Canada... it will be here in 2 weeks unfortunately.. right now im using a lcd stick on glass one, i dont think its accurate but i dont know for sure, im actually very concerned about this, i couldnt find a decent thermometer with a probe anywhere locally.


right now my thermometer is reading 20 degrees C... so 68 degrees F and my humidity is reading at 77% i live in a naturally humid area of Canada, i dont think the temp and humidity is being read accurately whatsoever, but im not sure. i know 68 is NOT an acceptable temp... need to fix this asap.

can anyone help me make adjustments to my terrarium to give this girl the healthiest home possible? should i get a heat lamp to help bump the heat up, while helping to tone the humidity down (if 77% is accurate...) if yes to running a heat lamp with the heat pad at the same time, what type of bulb should i get and how should i run it, etc?


any advice is very much appreciated.

Anyone have any suggestions? Particularly about the heat. Should I get a lamp to run with a heat pad? And if so what bulb should I get?

I really hope someone can give some advice.

how big is your BP? usually BP's like tight spaces and if u gotta baby, that rock hide on the left might be big for it. try it out. your mileage might vary. also personally, i like to add fake plants to tanks/vivariums. so u might wanna think about that. just some clutter for a big tank like that. also block out the sides and back of the tank with dark paper.

your substrate is a little thick. i've always had no more than 1/2 inch of bedding. your BP will burrow and move the substrate as needed, but u wanna make it easy for it to feel bellyheat.

put the thermostat probe on the outside between the UTH and glass under your tank/vivarium. secure it with aluminum tape or electrical tape.

put the thermometer probe on the inside above the UTH, cover with substrate, put a hide over it on the warm side.

adjust your thermostat accordingly until your your thermostat for the warm side reaches 90ish degrees.

:gj:


Edit: post pix of your BP. we love pix. :)

Ax01 covered everything I was going to say, so I just want to see pics of your noodle now :D

also a heat lamp isn't necessary if u can keep your cool side/ambient temps 80ish. you will need to maintain your humidity more with a heat lamp or it will dry out the air and moisture in your tank/vivarium or

You should cover the left and right sides of the tank for more security. Also, those half logs aren't very good hides because of the two large openings. A good hide fits very snug to the snake, has one small entrance and Udell that entrance us offset to one side