Heating/humidity questions (new owner)

[das_nooblet]

After visiting an expo, I brought home my first BP yesterday, an 8-month old female Super Pastel

While I was there, I picked up everything for her tank and set it up based on my past few weeks of research, however I can't seem to get my temp/humidity right.

I am currently using a heat lamp with an infrared bulb (was informed that would allow me to leave it on at night) for heating the warm end of her home. The warm end is currently sitting at 90-92, but the thermometer I have at the other end was showing 70 this morning, on its way back to the 75 it was showing last night (both of which are too low for her good health).

I also can't seem to get my humidity to stay above 40% (should be 50-60% I believe?). She has a good-sized water bowl (large enough to fully soak if she chooses to), and I have tried misting with a spray bottle, though I'm concerned about getting her aspen too damp. I'm guessing that the heating bulb is having a detrimental effect on this.

Am planning to buy her a UTH pad tomorrow after work, should I use it in conjunction with the lamp? Without the lamp? Any suggestions for misting or getting the humidity up if I keep using the lamp?

This is my current setup, until she grows out of it (turned the lamp off for the picture as the red washes out everything). Both hides are identical, and I plan to pick up digital thermometers and hygrometer tomorrow as well.



Being completely new to reptiles in general, any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Atrox]

Maybe you should change your thermostat so that it reaches higher temperatures where the probe is, the heat should spread throughout the tank and create ideal cool and warm sides of the tank. I don't think that getting a UTH pad would be truly beneficial to you as the lamp creates the ideal air temperature. The mesh on the top of your tank is doing no good for both the heat and the humidity levels. You should try covering part of the mesh with a wet towel in order to trap heat and humidity in. If you don't want to do that, there is another amazing solution known as sphagnum moss. Line her hides with this, or just one of them and ensure that you keep it reasonably damp. That will do the humidity a whole world of good, all though you're probably just going to lose it slowly thanks to the mesh. I use a wooden vivarium so I don't have the mesh issue, but I usually line one of my BP's hides with sphagnum moss and then get a *tiny plastic bowl and fill it with moss. Keeping that moist really helps me with humidity when I need it.

Good luck, and welcome to the snake world (congratulations on your purchase too!).

[nightrainfalls]

so screen top tanks like this one are wrong for Ball Pythons. Fortunately you can adapt the tank to better serve you and your new pet. Congratulations by the way.

Note: that too cool a cool side is not really a problem, since the snake can move to optimize it's temperature. My cool side can fall as low as 69 f. My hot side is usually around 88F. My python is almost always found someplace in between, since neither the hot side nor the cool side appeal to her. She seems to like to be about 83 f. She uses the hot side after meals, but only for a few hours. She is occasionally found on the cool side just before she leaves a pile of pooh.

1. You need to cover most of the screen top with something. You might try cardboard wrapped in tin foil. It looks ugly but works well. Cut out a round section for your light. You need to make sure the light does not touch the cardboard in any way. Put maybe ten dime sized holes in the cardboard wrapped in foil for ventilation. This is very important, only ever use tape on the outside of your cage, never the inside. Now tape the cardboard down to the outside of the screen top.

2. Go to Walmart or Lowes and get an Accurite thermometer and humidity sensor with an outside wire probe. http://www.acurite.com/thermometer-w...red-probe.html

3. Install the Accurite inside your cage with the probe on the cool side, the body of the thermometer in the hot side. Makes sure the unit and the probe are on the substrate.

4. If humidity is still not high enough, add a second water dish.

5. If temp is still not high enough, purchase and Install a thermostat and a UTH. The UTH needs to go beneath the tank, and Thermostat sensor needs to be between the UTH and the Glass. Important, the UTH MUUUUUSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have a thermostat. Also important, you need a UTH rated for your tank's material. Some are plastic, some are glass. UTH for glass should not be used on plastic. If your tank is plastic get a plastic safe uth. UTH should cover 40 percent of the tank bottom.

6. If humidity is still too low, you can fold a sheet of paper towel lengthwise until it is about two inches wide, and drape the paper towel over the edge of the water dish with one or two inches of towel in the water. Put the rest of the towel over a water proof hide. Capillary action will wet the towel, and drive humidity up.

David

[das_nooblet]

I think I'll ask at the pet store I go to if they have any sphagnum, seems like it will probably be the best option for me, along with making some covers for the screened sections. Would I want the moss-bowl on the warm side, or somewhere in the middle like the water dish?

After her initial look-a-round she's spent most of her time so far in the warm hide (with another wander right before I went to bed)

If I do end up going the UTH route, is there a particular basic thermostat you would recommend? During me research I saw seen some people say get one from the hardware store, others a dedicated reptile one (like the Herpstats).

All I've seen in the stores around here so far are rheostats, and a lot of US companies either don't ship to Canada or charge an arm and a leg to do so

Thanks again!

[nightrainfalls]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=thermostats

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=thermostats

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=thermostats

[The Golem]

Cornels World is in western Canada.
http://cornelsworld.com/

allreptiles.com is in Toronto, has good selection of UTH pads and heat tape, and will ship.
http://allreptiles.ca/heating.html

As for covering the top (and sides, and many other uses):
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/refl...ck-2x10/902355
I folded duct tape around the edges to create a sort of flap to create a better seal and keep the humidity in.

I think I'll ask at the pet store I go to if they have any sphagnum, seems like it will probably be the best option for me, along with making some covers for the screened sections. Would I want the moss-bowl on the warm side, or somewhere in the middle like the water dish?

After her initial look-a-round she's spent most of her time so far in the warm hide (with another wander right before I went to bed)

If I do end up going the UTH route, is there a particular basic thermostat you would recommend? During me research I saw seen some people say get one from the hardware store, others a dedicated reptile one (like the Herpstats).

All I've seen in the stores around here so far are rheostats, and a lot of US companies either don't ship to Canada or charge an arm and a leg to do so

Thanks again!

[das_nooblet]

So as a temporary measure until tomorrow, I covered the screens over the cold end with some paper towel (didn't want to get it too close to the lamp) and dampened them with a spray bottle.

They've long since dried out, but humidity has gone up a couple % and temperature in both ends is now right where most care sheets seem to recommend it (80/92)

Can probably make some more permanent covers at/after work tomorrow, and see if that sphagnum idea solves the rest of my humidity problem. I still think I'll look at getting a thermostat for the lamp though, never hurts to be safe.


Thanks everyone for the help and advice!

[Atrox]

With any heating element it is ideal that you use a thermostat. I hope that all goes well for you.

[lucas.kearney]

Cover screen with a towel or duct tape to help hold humidity. Aspen bedding is the worst for holding moisture. I use this coconut husk stuff. Comes in a brick. Also, natural woods help hold humidity better than plastic hides, etc...

For heating.. I use a 75w red heat light on the left side of the tank. I covered a lot of the screen on top, left room for heat lamp and some air. That helps hold heat in the air from heat lamp, and holds humidity. Lightbulbs dry out the air a lot, so I also put heat cord (or heat mat) under the tank on the left side under the heat lamp kinda.. that's her hot side. If you can build up some hiding spaces under the heat lamp it makes a good basking spot closer to the heat lamp. Then a hide on the ground of the tank over the heat mat for belly heat (warm side) , and a hide on the cool side (right side). I also have a moss hide on the cool side for extra humidity if needed. I have a 35g tank. Half the tank has coconut husk and the other (hot side) has aspen bedding. Found that keeps humidity around 70. Hot side sits about 81, and cool side around 74-76 ish. Those thermometers that stick to the side of the tank suck. I got good digital ones from Walmart, and a pet store.. its worth it to buy a good one (and thermostats).

Oh, and I also bought a this (dimmer thing) from the hardware store. It's basically a "light switch) that raises or lowers the wattage to the electrical device plugged into it. I plugged my heat mat into it, and lowered it to about medium. You can adjust that switch to control heat. You can also but a thermostats from a pet store or hardware store.

[lucas.kearney]