new bp owner...help!

[brittani72]

hi everyone, i just got my first ball python and am having some trouble regulating temps and humidity. my bp is about 2 1/2 feet. i have a 20 gal long tank, 2 hides (they dont match but im going to get matching ones as soon as i can), a ceramic heat emitter, a heat pad, a thermostat and a digital thermometer/hygrometer. i got the reti temp 500 thermostat which supposedly can control 2 heating devices at once but the problem is there is only one control for both of them. my temps are currently 75 and 95 and seem so always be about 20 degrees apart instead of ten which i understand is ideal. also my humidity is at 45% even with a damp towel over the top of the screen. im using aspen substrate but im thinking about switching to cypress mulch. i will post pics of my setup when i can but i have one hide on each end, the water bowl in the middle and the main thermometer is on the cool end and the probe is stuck to the glass directly over the heat pad. any suggestions would be appreciated!!

[Hull357]

i had similar issues however i do not use the ceramic heat lamp. i use foil over the cage there is a link to it.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial

it gives exact steps on how to set it up and all it really works i usually spritz his tank twice a day as well.

[Vypyrz]

hi everyone, i just got my first ball python and am having some trouble regulating temps and humidity. my bp is about 2 1/2 feet. i have a 20 gal long tank, 2 hides (they dont match but im going to get matching ones as soon as i can), a ceramic heat emitter, a heat pad, a thermostat and a digital thermometer/hygrometer. i got the reti temp 500 thermostat which supposedly can control 2 heating devices at once but the problem is there is only one control for both of them. my temps are currently 75 and 95 and seem so always be about 20 degrees apart instead of ten which i understand is ideal. also my humidity is at 45% even with a damp towel over the top of the screen. im using aspen substrate but im thinking about switching to cypress mulch. i will post pics of my setup when i can but i have one hide on each end, the water bowl in the middle and the main thermometer is on the cool end and the probe is stuck to the glass directly over the heat pad. any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Hello, and to BP.net.
Make sure that the probe for the Repti-Temp 500 is mounted between the Under Tank Heater and the glass. I would suggest using a $10 Lutron lamp dimmer from Home Depot or Lowes to regulate the heat emmitter. Here is the link to a thread with photos of one:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Instructions

I suspect part of the problem with the cool side temps is that it is caused by your house a/c. You could try setting your home thermostat to 75-77F. Another suggestion that you can try is adding something to the back and two ends to help insulate the tank a little. Colored foam board, available at Target and Wal-Mart in the school supplies section near the poster board, will look the best, but, you can also use pieces of cardboard.

For the humidity, you could try covering the screen top with aluminum foil or a piece of plexiglass, except where the CHE is. You might also try a larger water bowl, if possible.

[mark and marley]

what kind of substrate are you using?
what two heat sources do you have plugged into your tstat?
is the humidity low in your room?
what is your rooms temps range?
id get rid of the che,they dry the air out.
do you need two heating sources?
i keep my substrate thick and use two uths attached to a tstat.
i live in a dry area and i battled humidity the first couple of weeks.
i fixed that with a mix half and half mix of cypress mulch and sphnagnum moss and two pieces of plexi glass.heres a vid of my enclosure to give you an idea.my tank is a 20gallon long too.i can adjust the plexi glass in numerous ways,that day i had it that open because it was freaking hot in my room and i wanted the viv to get more ventilation.
http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r...arleycribs.mp4

i dont have to mist the cage but once or twice a week.
i dont think the probe should be between the glass and undertank heater as thats not where your bp is gonna be.id put it on top of the substrate inside the warm hide with a lil substrate covering the tstat probe and my thermometer probe.numerous herpvets and specialty stores told me this.i dont mean to contaradict Vypyrs as he has a different approach and probably works for him,just relaying what i was told from other experienced people and what i do for you to find what works best for you and your situation.

oh and welcome to bp.net

[Britain Mitchell]

I had tons of humidity issues when I first set up my cage. Suggestions:
I would switch substrates, a. because I hate aspen, lol and b. it doesn't do you any good with humidity.
What does your water dish/soak dish look like? The bigger it is the more humidity it will cause (mine is pretty big but my BP has almost 3 feet on yours).
I didn't want to do a whole humidifier set up because I live in GA and it just seems a little insane to make more humidity in my life... but I got a spray bottle and when the tank is having drier days or Princess is shedding I just mist the hell out of it.
I am not sure if you BP will care if it's hides match... so I wouldn't stress it but my BP loves papertowels over all other substrates so I could be wrong.

Good Luck!

[Skittles1101]

I suggest this
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...0846780&sr=8-1
over the Reptitemp all day. It works well for some people. But if you have any kind of fluctuating temps in your house it will not work properly. I ran into this problem and had massive heat spikes and scary dips in temps, within just a few hours. I returned it to amazon 2 days later and got the hydrofarm instead. The Reptitemp alone is not bad, but it just doesn't work in some conditions, and that may be the case for you.