Don't really know what to do?

[eckoxblayze]

So, I got a new pastel today that was shipped overnight. Out of the box, the snake was very docile. This is my second snake, and the first tub setup I've done. Now, I have a number of questions. I tried pulling him out and after he was in my hand he lunged one time and got into striking position. A few hours later, I saw him roaming around his water bowl, with his tail grazing the water. I know he's probably stressed, but this is where it gets tricky. Tomorrow is his usual feeding day, but I am hesitant to mess with him. Also, the humidity is way too high, but don't know if I should get him out to make adjustments. The setup is as follows. I have a 32qt Sterilite tub, currently on paper towels (switching to newspaper whenever I get him out). I have a small UTH on a thermostat under his warm hide. I placed a medium water dish in the middle and a cool identical hide on the other side. I'm using the AcuRite with the probe above the paper towls under the warm hide, with the unit itself on the cool side. The humidity says HI which means the thing is either broken, or the humidity is around 90+. Should I make more holes, maybe on the lid? I have about 5-7 soldering iron sized holes on each side, with none on the lid. I want to help, but don't know whether to mess with him to feed him and change his tub setup a little. Is he just hungry? Stressed? Am I killing him? He's only been in it for a few hours. Thanks in advance everyone!

[BMorrison]

I just got my bp last week and I tried to feed him 2 days after I got him and he wasn't havin' it but I went to feed him today and he went after it no problem. I'd leave him be for a week to get acclimated. I would get another hygrometer with a probe or something and check the humidity levels to make sure they really aren't that high. Good luck. Hope that helped a little?

Just my 0.02 worth.

[JLC]

He'll be fine...you're not killing him!

High humidity for a few days won't hurt him. If I were you, I'd just let him settle in for a week. Don't feed him tomorrow, just wait a week and leave him completely alone. Then try to feed him. If he eats...give him another couple days...(for digestion)...then transfer him to a temporary holding tub so you can solder a few more holes in his home.

A couple other tips to lower humidity without being intrusive...make sure the water bowl is on the cooler side of the tub...and maybe try a smaller water dish with less surface area for evaporation.

Good luck with the little fella!!

[GirDance]

After an especially big pee or spilling of a water bowl I've gotten my humidity up to 90%. It completely fogs up the sides of the enclosure and forms water droplets at that level. If you're not seeing this, I would try adding a second hygrometre into the mix and see if they both read out the same.

[Argentra]

Yep, more holes are called for - maybe two rows on the sides and a few in the lid. That's what I had to do for my tub and now the humidity is always around 55-60. If it goes up, then I know I have a mess to clean up.

But yes, give the snake that whole week to settle in before trying anything, be it more holes or feeding. The important thing now is to make them feel secure in their new home.

[eckoxblayze]

So basically, I'm pretty sure the AcuRite I had was broken. I took it out, and reset it, and now the temps are just straight lines and don't change. The humidity only says Hi or Lo. I went out and got a new one and it seems to be working just fine now. I also put the probe under the newspaper to get a more accurate temperature without the snake moving the probe. Thanks everyone for the help!