I'm having temp problems and need advice

[Bogertophis]

I have a heater on in the room set at 75°.

Okay that's a pretty warm room then. I would expect your UTH should be big enough but you have to test that out- to keep it regulated in safe range for a snake living in the terrarium (as far as surfaces they may contact, as previously discussed). If you need more warmth, an overhead bulb or CHE should be enough.

[Bogertophis]

I was reading back at the beginning of this thread & you mentioned using 2 CHE's- that's too much for a 20 L tank. You can also 'insulate' the sides & back of this tank. If you want scenery, tape it on first, & insulate behind it- you can use various things- corrugated cardboard, foam board, poster board (foam core), cork (sheet or tiles), etc etc.- to help keep warmth in. You also started off saying the room is 70* w/ space heater, so there's a big difference too. Everything matters, just keep tweaking things to get what you need, & bear in mind that everyone's situation is a little different, so there isn't one exact formula we can give you; BPs are not the easiest snakes to accommodate, fyi. With higher heat, there goes the humidity, all too easily.

[dakski]

Yeah, I totally agree with Bogertophis here. Two CHE's is too much and will dry out the tank.

If the room is 75F, you can put a small CHE in the middle on a low setting to keep the middle of the tank 80-82F or so and the cool side about 78F, is my guess. Then the UTH on the warm side at 87-89F should do the trick for digestion.

Just remember two things.

1. heat sources will reduce humidity. The degree depends on other factors including what heat source, source of humidity, etc. but heat causes humidity to go down.

2. Too much heat is bad too. You can overheat a reptile easier than you can cool one down too much, in most instances. Too much heat (even 95F +) can hurt a BP (neurological issues/damage) and even kill them.

I would keep it simple.

Cover the top of the tank with tin foil and cut out a spot for the CHE in the middle part of the tank. This will keep heat and humidity in (better). Get the UTH to proper temps and you should be good.

Even if the room was 70-72F, a properly controlled CHE and UTH should do the trick in a 20L.

Too many heat sources mean too many adjustments, etc. Relatively speaking, that's a small tank, so the less need to fiddle the better.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[nikkubus]

I keep my house at 74 and have no problem with heating enclosures, and while most of mine are plastic, I do have a couple odd-ball reptiles that need more vertical space in glass aquariums and still manage to get heat and humidity up enough to proper levels. The only special things I do to manage that is covering part of the screen (about 80%) with a piece of acrylic, and then the back and sides have that 1/4" posterboard foam to help insulate, which I pick up from dollar tree because it's cheaper than anywhere else I know of. If you don't care the look you can just slap it on there with a little tape. If you want to make it look really nice you could print a nice background picture in several pieces and glue it onto the posterboard first.

[Jakob_Ansel]

Thank you all so much for all of your advice, it helped tremendously! My temps are now staying solid and are not fluctuating so much. The cold side is at 78°, the hot side is at 83°, and the thermometer under the substrate and over the UTH is at 89°. My only question is on humidity, the hot side is at 49% and the cold side is at 59%. I know the 59% is good but is 49% too low?

[Bogertophis]

Thank you all so much for all of your advice, it helped tremendously! My temps are now staying solid and are not fluctuating so much. The cold side is at 78°, the hot side is at 83°, and the thermometer under the substrate and over the UTH is at 89°. My only question is on humidity, the hot side is at 49% and the cold side is at 59%. I know the 59% is good but is 49% too low?

I wouldn't lose sleep over that humidity, but maybe when your snake goes into a shed cycle, mist a few times daily, or offer a humid hide in addition. Always things can be tweaked a little, but good job, you're getting this & we all know it can be a challenge.

[dakski]

^^^^^^^^THIS.

I completely agree with Bogertophis.

I aim for about 50% average with my BP in winter and mist when she goes into shed to up the humidity. In the summer it averages closer to 60% in her tank with the same water bowl.

There is a lot of debate on proper humidity for BP's. Too little can cause issues shedding and with RI's, etc. However, too much can cause issues as well. 50-60% seems like a good range and will give you flexibility.

Upping a little to help and ensure a good shed is never a bad idea, but if humidity is over 65%, probably not necessary.

Further, I have a range in my tanks as well because of where the water bowls are and the hot side tends to dry things out a little more.

Know that many humidity gauges aren't perfect and that's another reason I shoot for a range, and not a specific number.

[jmcrook]

Also bear in mind that the humidity will always 100% of the time be lower where it is warmer. That’s just how relative moisture content of air acts in relation to temperature.


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[Bogertophis]

One other way to raise humidity is just to use a larger water bowl, & put it partly over the UTH, which will increase evaporation.

[Hugsplox]

^^^^^^^^THIS.

I completely agree with Bogertophis.

I aim for about 50% average with my BP in winter and mist when she goes into shed to up the humidity. In the summer it averages closer to 60% in her tank with the same water bowl.

There is a lot of debate on proper humidity for BP's. Too little can cause issues shedding and with RI's, etc. However, too much can cause issues as well. 50-60% seems like a good range and will give you flexibility.

Upping a little to help and ensure a good shed is never a bad idea, but if humidity is over 65%, probably not necessary.

Further, I have a range in my tanks as well because of where the water bowls are and the hot side tends to dry things out a little more.

Know that many humidity gauges aren't perfect and that's another reason I shoot for a range, and not a specific number.

This is great advice in my humble opinion. Depending on the care guide you look at, or the forum you're on, people will give you wildly different advice on humidity. I've shared the story before from Reddit when people told me that I was killing my BP if my humidity was below 70%. Now that I'm a little more tenured with BPs I shoot for 50-60% but typically hang right around 55% when not in shed. I also have a humid hide just in case what I'm doing with the ambient isn't enough. My first shed was terrible but ever since I've had no issues.