another noob, is my setup correct?

[Chappy4o]

50% is a min but not terrible at all. You will hear different opinions too. I know one guy that keeps his enclosure at 70%, thats high I think and mine is only 65% for 2 weeks around shed time. I cant comment on a fogger, I have never used them... Your biggest problem is probably your Heat Lamp/CHE. I have a 48" long Aquarium I use and my Humidity is 58% 24/7 with 1 water bowl, Radiant Heat Panel that covers 1/2 the screen and the other 1/2 of the screen is covered with Dura Plex Plexiglass.
I think if you mist once/Twice a day youll be fine..if you could add a big water bowl that would help but your dealing with a 10G tank at this point right?
id hold off on a misting system... You already have that enclosure packed. Get yourself a 48" length enclosure then tweak things... I always see 30G longs and 40G longs (4'Long ) on craigslist with a screened lid for cheap once people are done playing snake master ..sometimes Petsmart & Petco ect..have sales for $1 a gallon...Anyway you decide whats best. Id wait & buy a bigger enclosure in a month. Save $20 a week then if needed ad things you need.

thanks, yeah i cant really go with a bigger water bowl unless i change the grapevine to something smaller and she seems to like the grapevine she has, though she hasn't come out of her hide since she ate so we shall see. the thing about when i mist is humidity jumps to like 84% and i try curling the corners back to try and regulate but after going to bed/work and back its down to mid-high 50's. my big issue is if it is safe to have that kind of a swing twice a day.

[CALM Pythons]

thanks, yeah i cant really go with a bigger water bowl unless i change the grapevine to something smaller and she seems to like the grapevine she has, though she hasn't come out of her hide since she ate so we shall see. the thing about when i mist is humidity jumps to like 84% and i try curling the corners back to try and regulate but after going to bed/work and back its down to mid-high 50's. my big issue is if it is safe to have that kind of a swing twice a day.

Its really not 84% most likely, its because when we mist we also get it on the Thermometer. When i look after i mist my thermometer screen has mist on it... Dont worry about it... After 1 hour im sure its down under 70%.... If you want a Misting machine or anything else make sure you buy things that will fit for a bigger tank/enclosure. I see people every week buy a bunch of stuff because this week they have a 10G tank then in 2 months they have a 40G and all the fancy Petsmart tiny stuff they bought ($150 worth) is useless for a big enclosure and they need a bigger UTH ($30) Bigger fancy Water bowl ($29) bigger CHE or RHP ($120) hahahahahahahaha.. Just lookin out for ya..
Anything you buy make sure it good for a T8. You cant beat a Professional enclosure for $150 onsale.

[Chappy4o]

Copy that I did! I foresee a T8 or T10 in my future

[Chappy4o]

So I'mm still wrestling with this humidity thing. I came up to the tank this evening and humidity was at 51% so I figured I would give it a mist, change of water and spot check for any urates or feces. So pull out the grapevine water bowl and hide (all of which are wet) and come to find the substrate is still very much wet. So I finished spot checking (no poo yet) and put it all back together with new water and close it up now it's just hovering around 50%. I'm guessing the wild swings I was seeing before was just water getting on the sensor so in actuality my humidity has only been around 50% this whole time. What can I do to raise humidity? My UTH is at 90* and ambient/cold side is about 80*

[CALM Pythons]

So I'mm still wrestling with this humidity thing. I came up to the tank this evening and humidity was at 51% so I figured I would give it a mist, change of water and spot check for any urates or feces. So pull out the grapevine water bowl and hide (all of which are wet) and come to find the substrate is still very much wet. So I finished spot checking (no poo yet) and put it all back together with new water and close it up now it's just hovering around 50%. I'm guessing the wild swings I was seeing before was just water getting on the sensor so in actuality my humidity has only been around 50% this whole time. What can I do to raise humidity? My UTH is at 90* and ambient/cold side is about 80*

If things are wet i wouldnt raise it. Im thinking the reading might be a bit off and as far as im concerned over 50% in a small glass enclosure with a CHE or Heat lamp is good. Plus you dont want the snake in wet substrait constantly. Bacteria can grow fast like that & also to much wetness can cause Scale Rot after a while so make sure you keep it dry in the hide where she lays.
Everything else sounds perfect

[Chappy4o]

If things are wet i wouldnt raise it. Im thinking the reading might be a bit off and as far as im concerned over 50% in a small glass enclosure with a CHE or Heat lamp is good. Plus you dont want the snake in wet substrait constantly. Bacteria can grow fast like that & also to much wetness can cause Scale Rot after a while so make sure you keep it dry in the hide where she lays.
Everything else sounds perfect

Well crap. . . Then something is gonna need to be done I think, it's pretty wet, even in the hide. Is the substrate I'm using a good method? I have a bottom layer of eco earth with a top layer of forest moss. . . Thin

[CALM Pythons]

Well crap. . . Then something is gonna need to be done I think, it's pretty wet, even in the hide. Is the substrate I'm using a good method? I have a bottom layer of eco earth with a top layer of forest moss. . . Thin

I know moss is used sometimes during shed time & also some keep a ball of moss in the enclose like a wet sponge to keep humidity up but I dont use any of that stuff so i cant answer. But there is no way its 50-60% in there if its wet. Your thermistat for humidity is not reading correctly. My enclosures are around 58 with large waterbowls and their dry ss a bone to the touch. I'll ask a couple other guys i know on here to see what they know.
Several of us just use butcher paper or neespaper because its easy to clean & disinfect.

[zina10]

This is what I think is happening. The lamp being on top of the screen is drying out the air right underneath of it quickly. The probe for the humidity hangs higher up and near the lamp, unless it was moved elsewhere. I bet down where the snake is, the humidity is far higher.

I'm not a fan of "wet" substrate all over in addition to wet moss. The air will still dry up under the lamp, yet the Ball Python will sit in wet substrate that might grow fungus or bacteria. That is a recipe for scale rot. I don't keep my humidity that high, unless they are in "shed". When I mist, I make sure that I leave some "dry" areas, as well. I never mist under the hides.

What I would do is move the humidity probe lower down, right above the substrate. Where your snake actually spends its time. If your humidity is between 50 and 60, you are probably just fine. Just bump up for sheds.

Humidity is not something that stays completely level all day long anyway, so some fluctuations shouldn't hurt the snake.

I know that is probably not what you want to hear right now, after putting all this work into getting your tank to work. But once you have an actual snake enclosure, whether that is a good sized tub or a PVC cage, everything will be SO MUCH easier to maintain. You will have enough space for the hides, heat and humidity are easier to control, and you can create humidity by misting some areas while leaving others dry. Just works better.

Seems to me you are doing an awesome job to make the best out of what you have. The fact that your snake ate, despite everything going on, is a good sign.

[Chappy4o]

The hydrometer probe is about a half an inch above the substrate. I think I'll let it sit and watch what it does and let the substrate dry out a bit. I just don't understand how it can be wet and humidity be at 50%. Unless like Mr. Sully pointed out that my hydrometer is incorrect which I'm not sure about, I have the Exo Terra digital hydrometer. Can anyone recommend a better hydrometer?

[CALM Pythons]

Let that sustrate dry a bit.. Let the hide dry a bit.. I dont want you to go spending more money when idk if your hydrometer is reading wrong..
None of these are perfect.. I use all Acurite theremomerters with cool temp, hot probe temp and Humidity and even those can be off by 5 degrees or %. Between my Hyrpstat, theremometers and Laser the same spot is 88-96 & 91. All I can say is at 55% my enclosures are dry so let yours dry up and kinda start over.... If you have to mist more during the 7-10 day Shed so be it, but dont over think this right now I say. Your doing great and you have things 100x's better than ive seen a lot of snakes kept, they will survive ok even when things arent perfect. Nothings perfect even in their natural habitat.
I use & order these ($20) they ship to the store or my house Free. If you find them on Amazon for $16 like I did once they ship free if you soend $50 i think. I bought a bunch for all my enclosures though....

https://m.lowes.com/pd/AcuRite-Digit...meter/50425266