HELP unhealthy heat and humidity problem

:rip: Ok I have a 20 gal long tank with three lights two for the day adn one red night light to keep his temp up. My question is that my humidity is low so I cover the top it get up to like 55% to 60% great right but the temp get like 100 plus on the hot side and like 88 or so on the cool side. But if I take the cover off the temps get right and the humidity drops to like 40%. Both of these are not healthy for my little guy how can I fix it.. PLEASE HELP

are you using a heat pad? it sounds like maybe you should go the heat pad route instead of using the lights. lights really suck out all of the humidity. if you need to use a light in addition to the heating pad, i would just use the red light. cover the top in saran wrap or contact paper and cut a hole just big enough for your lamp with the red bulb in it. you can also try the diy humid hide and/or humidifier.

Yup, that's definitely too hot, and if you do away with one or both of those lights you may find you're back where you need to be.

will just having the heat pad keep it at 90 on the hot side ???

i use only a heat pad and it keeps it plenty warm on the hot side. i keep it set on either low or medium and i use a thermostat with it because my apt. tends to warm up during the day with the sun coming in the windows and it was actually getting too hot in the tank. i have a red infrared bulb that i plan to use in the winter only if i need it. otherwise the heat pad keeps it more than warm enough. it partially depends on what size tank you are using though--if your tank is really big you may need to use both the pad and the light together.

Ok I'll try that and see today is feed day so I will try and get some pics of my set up and a good feeding to post. Oh one last thing I dont have a human heat pad it's just one of the Zoo med or flukers ones but its big like it cover 1/3 of the bottom of the tank should I get a human one with a thremostat.

you can use the heat pad you already have with a thermostat. no need to get another one if you are getting the thermostat.

I have ONE 50w night bulb that keeps my temps at 92/78. I can't see why you would need that many lights....

all very good sugestions I will try anything that works so I'll start with covering the top reducing the number of lights and see how that works thanks for the help

let us know how it works out and if you have any more questions. :)

Covering the top not only helps retain humidity, it also really helps to maintain your ambient temps on the cool side. Since its covered, its not really affected by drafts in the room that might pull the heat out of the enclosure. Glass tanks are pretty tricky to keep. My days are numbered with mine though, I'm on the waitlist for a brand spankin new Animal Plastics cage!

and i envy you for that! one day maybe i'll be on that list too! :D

You might also be able to do well with turning down your own AC so the ambient temps are warmer in the room. In my old apartment we had no A/C, and the ambient was about 75-80 at any given time in the room. I had to turn the heatpads down a little so they wouldn't get too hot. It was a bit toasty for me in the room, but the snakes loved it!

that's a good point--i keep the vents closed in the room where i have my bp and that keeps it a good 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the apt. that also will allow the room to be a little more humid, not to mention that it should prevent you from having to use so many lights.

I live in an apartment complex with central air.
The temp in my apartment is usually around 75, with the heat pad on low the temps in my snakes enclosures are around 90, depending on how much substrate I put down, for example ... if I put a really thin layer, the temps could go up to 95 easily.
I have mastered the art of laying down aspen, so my temps get to 92 at the highest.

I use newspaper, and I also use those zoomed heat pads. I like them because they stick easily to the bottom of the tank (but heaven forbid you ever want to move one to another tank; you might as well buy another one, lol.) I have them hooked to lamp dimmers, though, since they get wWAY too hot by themselves. I do not use any heat lamps; in my opinion, they dry the air out too much and are only good for reptiles that need UV rays, and Bps are nocturnal so they do not need that. My house never goes below 79-80 degrees anyhow.

WWOOOOOWHOOOOOOO. thanks for the Info everyone I wrapped the cool side totaly and sort of covered the warm side but left enough open to not touch the light. I took all but my 75w spot light down and its on the hot side the heat pad is on the same side. The temp is hot side 93.6 and cool side 75 - 78 humidity is 56% in the day and 63% at night my night time temp is a great 73 on both sides.. Thanks for the help. Oh P.S I moved him from hoppers to small mice and he ate 2 small mice. No problems I think I have a very happy snake. He use to ball up when I would take him out of his cage at the store. But now he's just like hey cool I get to knock things off the coffee table again lets go and never even trys to ball up.

Congratz on getting your setup up and running.

73 on both the hot and cool side at night is somewhat low. They should always have a hot (90-95) side to retreat to.
I have a 20L which I have had running sucessful since 12/03 home now to it's second bp.
I covered the entire screen top w/ duct tape then on the cool side I put a small light w/ 75watt red bulb on t-stat. On the hot side I have a human heat pad under about 1/3 of the tank w/ the tank prop up about 1/2" for circulation also on a t-stat.
I cut out the duct tape about 1/2" larger than the light for air.
I use reptibark on the floor.
My cool side temp stays a solid 81.5 to 82.2 w/ the warm side stays at 91-93 w/ an overall temp of about 83-85
Humididty stays at 62-64% ( water dish is about 1/4 over heat pad)
Hope this helps.

man i feel ur refreshment towards ur succes i felt like that yesterday when i got all the temps right in my cage for the first time.

Question Jotay said that my hot side should never get below 90. But everyone else I have read said that the temp should fall at night to 70 or right at it. Doesn't the temp fall at night in their natural enviroment.. I am confused

they dont HAVE to drop, but if they do, than its ok becasue yes, they do drop normaly

i have a black light for a heat source, perffect temps, perfect humidity, and i leave it on all night and all day, so it might drop to 86*, but not lower than that

70* is too low for a hot side, the cool side can go to that at night, maybe a lil higher, like 75

yeah my hot side only drops maybe one or two degrees at night because my apt cools off when the sun goes down. the cool side gets no lower than 75-76. you still have to provide the same heat as you would during the day, its just that it is ok for it to drop a little but because it does drop naturally at night.

ok i have a black light that I can try tonight. thanks for the input. I dont remember having this trouble with my geckos temps. of course they don't need the type of exact temps and all that balls do

Check out the Ball Python Care Sheet here on this website, under Heating and Humidity.
70 is to low especially with no temp higher for them to go to if they feel the need.
Low temps and humidity above 60 could spell a possible RI
I don't think where they come from in the wild drops to many nights pass the low 70's
They like a little heat :)

Yeah, a night time drop is not required - but if it does drop than I'd go no lower than 75 on the cool side and still maintain a temp gradient of 5-10 degrees between the two sides. I just think it's important to always give them a choice of temps. My temps drop 1-2 degrees - only because it's night time.

Jotay - how's the new bp doing?

TG,
He is doing great! He is finally settling in and knows I am not a danger.
He is a sassy little guy and eats like a pig
And so very nosey, he is way different than Ozzy
Gonna be needing a bigger cage for him soon :)

mine says its 100 on the hot side, i feel the pad and it actually doesnt feel too hot it just feels pretty warm, is 100 ok ?

that's too high. it shouldnt get over 94-95.