Temp and Humidity Problems

Hi! I recently purchased a ball python, and am keeping it in a 30 gallon Exo Terra terrarium, with a 30 gallon sized heat pad (Yes it has a thermometer on it, on max heat). I live in New England, and humidity is a rarity. The heat pad itself is unable to heat the tank to over 77 degrees, so I bought a 75 watt infrared bulb, which now seems to be over heating the hot side. Also, the humidity is hovering around 35%, and when sprayed goes up to 45% for about 30 minutes before falling again. I covered the top of the screen with foam board to see if it would help, but the humidity is still low. I am also using a moisture retaining substrate, but that doesn't seem to help. Could I possibly get some recommendations on heating and humidity control? Thanks!

How are you measuring your temperature??? The heat pad is not intended to heat the entire tank, only the glass that it's touching. The temperature at that location should be 90-92°F.


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So the temperature under the substrate, on top of the glass, should be 90-92, or should the temperature of the substrate surface be 90-92?

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Originally Posted by JaredFC

Hi! I recently purchased a ball python, and am keeping it in a 30 gallon Exo Terra terrarium, with a 30 gallon sized heat pad (Yes it has a thermometer on it, on max heat).Should be on a THERMOSTAT I live in New England, and humidity is a rarity. The heat pad itself is unable to heat the tank to over 77 degreesAn UTH is only for a regulated hot spot for your animal to lay on. Unregulated it is well over proper temperature and you are gambling on burns. Unplug it until you can get a thermostat to control it., so I bought a 75 watt infrared bulb, which now seems to be over heating the hot side.Are you gathering ambient or surface temperatures? A temperature gun will give you an accurate surface temperature and you actually want to know what the temperature of the glass is UNDER the substrate on the UTH side. Also, the humidity is hovering around 35%, and when sprayed goes up to 45% for about 30 minutes before falling again. I covered the top of the screen with foam board to see if it would help, but the humidity is still low. I am also using a moisture retaining substrate, but that doesn't seem to help. Could I possibly get some recommendations on heating and humidity control? Thanks!

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The UTH is on a thermostat, I mistyped. I am using a temp gun. So should the glass under the substrate read 90-92 or the surface of the substrate itself?

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Originally Posted by JaredFC

The UTH is on a thermostat, I mistyped. I am using a temp gun. So should the glass under the substrate read 90-92 or the surface of the substrate itself?

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Under. Your snake can and will burrow so you always want to get your temperatures from the hottest surface they can touch.

Alright that makes much more sense. But now, what should the surface substrate temp be like, and what should the ambient temp be like on the hot side?

Don't worry about the surface temp, ball pythons live underground and they burrow. Just put a thin layer of substrate over the glass on the hot side with a hide on top of that, and your snake will be happy.

Then cover up the whole tank with either a piece of Plexiglas or something like aluminum foil or Glad Press n Seal to keep the humidity inside.

If your room temp is low you could put another UTH on the cool side set so the glass is 80-82*F.

Alright sounds good. There's just so much different information out there, with one place that told me to have 3 inches of substrate, which is obviously incorrect. Would covering the entire lid with cling film halt air circulation and lead to mold build up? And so ball pythons, as long as they have their heat pad, can live comfortably with 75 degree ambient temp on the warm side? Sorry about all of the follow up questions, I'm just over protective. Thanks!

An under-tank heater doesn't increase the ambient in the whole enclosure, but if you put a hide that is snug for your BP over it then it will trap some heat under it and help your snake stay warm. This is why I suggested two UTH's.

Alright, but is it ok if the substrate is 92, but the ambient is 75, or should I get a weak heat lamp just in case? Also, would the cling wrap make the cage moldy?

I use a heat lamp on a dimmer to keep ambient temps in range (as well as UTH for belly heat on hot side) ... I put it kind of in the middle-front area of my terrarium, slightly more towards the hot side because the exo-terra tanks have those plastic cross beams on the screen so I can't put it RIGHT in the middle... and I put a dimmer on the light it so I can adjust it lower or higher depending on the weather. The bulbs themselves I think are only like 60w (I don't buy higher than 75w). If I need to lessen the warmth even more but still need a little bit, I also have the option of a stand that I can hang the light on. Options! lol

I'm in SoCal so our weather is pretty mild or warm. On hot days when it's in the 80's, I don't need the lamp at all (unless AC is on), and just use UTH only w/thermostat, but when it chills at night I turn the lamp on low to mid level (on the dimmer switch) and that usually works well

The top of my screen is covered in foil except for the small space that allows the lamp to fit

My temps are 90-91 on UTH hot spot (the glass), low 80's all over ambient (like 81 usually). maybe a degree or two cooler than that way in the back corner of the cool side (which she loves to hang out because there's stuff to hide behind there. Either there, or under her warm hide... and she DOES move the substrate under there every time, so that is why glass temp is important. They will move the substrate.

Here's some pictures of my set up. You see two lamps up there but I only use one at a time... daytime and night time.. the room doesn't bring in any sunlight at all while we're away at work so I do the 12 hour day/night thing which I know isn't 100% necessary. She seems happy with it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d01e0cc362.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b2c083ef5a.jpg


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Also, don't judge, that ambient temp of 75 in the picture is off! I was warming things back up after a chilly night and I think I had also just misted some water in there which always lowers it a bit lol... Usually it's at 81-82 :P

I also usually have foil over that spot to the left of the lamp too

Thank you so much! Does the aluminum help keep your humidity up, or would cling wrap work better? I bought a new hermostat and my substrate is on its way to being perfect. Does the heat lamp dry it out?

I do sometimes have to mist inside the tank, but not too much...the aluminum does help because I notice a huge difference between if it's covered vs. not. I personally would prefer aluminum over the cling wrap, even if just for ease of forming it and placing it ... I always screw things up with cling wrap, that could be my own issue though lol

In SoCal the humidity is OK, so it never really drops lower than in the mid 40's if it does drop below range in the tank. Misting once in a while solves it, and I also use the Eco Earth substrate which seems to hold moisture decently... Cypress Mulch may be even better based on what I've heard others say. Having a larger water dish may also help. Sometimes I'll put a wet wash cloth on top of the screen under one of the sheets of aluminum and that's helped sometimes too.

In lower humidity areas, it could be a little trickier for sure. You just have to experiment with it

Thanks again, at this point all of my questions have been answered! I'll experiment with everything and hopefully it'll work. Thanks again everybody!

a radiant heat panel is another alternative to heat lamps, worth looking into. if you are sticking with lamps, then foil is better because it can handle direct contact with the lamp reflector without melting.