Humidity

oh...also, You can have a timer for lights etc., but I don't use lights so if you want to keep from buying that too, I'd just leave the lights off. The thermostat will keep the temps right by itself.

ok so i took all that in to consideration....if i have a UTH would i need the heat light i am using now. also i have two temp gauges on either side of my tank and i got light timers so that my heat light will turn on and off as well as my night light at appropriate times. i have my day light set from 9:30 in the morning till 10:30 at night and my night light from 10:30 at night till 9:30 in the morning...also the temp gauges have been staying stable on both sides (cool side about 80-85 degrees) (warm side 90-95 degrees) but at night these will drop....i was told that i really don't need a UTH if i have my over head light set up correctly. and thanks for the tips for the humidity, i choose to use a towel to cover the top and it has kept the humidity around 55....now just got to figure out how to get it to spike while Zoey is shedding

See...I've always heard the opposite : you need belly heat for ball pythons, not lamps. I don't know of anyone on this site that has actually recommend heat lamps for bps...If you have a UTH, you shouldn't need the overhead lighting.

When sheding, you can either do the sea sponge thing or dampen the towl (though change it out if it starts smelling musty) you're using over the cage and it may help boost the humidity.

ok cool....i will def get a UTH then...they do not come with thermostats correct, i will have to get each separate and i will should only need one for the hot side, that sounds good i will get one of those ASAP then, and it will also keep the air temperature correct?

No you would not need the heat lamp anymore, you can just put a normal bulb in to keep the day/night cycle. The uth should provide enough heat, even at night and prevent night drops. Also remember again that the snake lives on the ground, not 2 inches above, so the lamp may not be making your substrate warm enough. To get the humidity up you can moisten the towel on the lid, put some moist sphagnum moss, or even a moist sea sponge to keep the humidity up during the shed. I find the moss is plenty to keep my humidity up.

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Originally Posted by Fishead850

ok cool....i will def get a UTH then...they do not come with thermostats correct, i will have to get each separate and i will should only need one for the hot side, that sounds good i will get one of those ASAP then, and it will also keep the air temperature correct?

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Yes it will, warm air rises.

I haven't seen one with a thermostat attached, but that doesn't mean they don't make any. I think it'd just be cheaper to buy them separate anyway from somewhere like www.reptilesupply.com. It will keep the air temps correct. Basically, (like at night when temps drop) the thermostat will only turn off the uth when it gets above the temp it's set for. Otherwise, the uth will remain on and keep the tank warm. If you're concerned about a day/night cycle, you can keep the lamps, but if it were me, I'd try to sell the lamps (like on e-bay) and just keep the tank close to a window. (It's what I do. Room lights up when the sun's out, gets dark after it goes down. Except when the room's light is on that is...but you get the idea.)

I don't have a huge tub, so one uth works for me (hot side is right and so long as the lid is closed most of the time the other side still stays above 80). Now, later if you get a 50 gal tank or something, you'll prob need two uth's to keep all the tank warm enough-but that's later...

Also, Keep the lid on the tank. Sounds simple, but a LOT of heat and humidity will rush out of a tank with the lid off. So, when you go to handle your bp, be sure to keep the lid on after they're out of the tank so you can keep the right levels.