Hey everyone, I am brand new to these forums and I already learned so much great stuff about ball pythons. I am getting more and more interested in these animals as time goes on. I was just wondering if theres a few people that could throw out some tips for me regardling my setup? I will try to describe it to the best of my ability.

Pastel Ball Python (2-3 months old, probably less than 16 inches long)

Tank Size - 20 gallon (long)

Substrate - coconut fiber (about 1 inch deep, maybe a little less or more)

Heat - Under the tank heater (10-20 gallon size) and also a 50 watt red bulb that I leave on all day on the hot side.

Hides - I have 1 hide on the hot side which is a big fake tree with small little fake green flowers on the top with an opening at the very top. I have seen my new pastel crawling through it and through the top and also climbing all over this thing so I am sure he loves it. I also have one on the cold side of the tank. Its a fake half log with 2 entry ways and a couple small holes to climb in/out.

Decoration - I have 1 fake hanging down plant on the hot side of my tank and 1 nice little fake plant in the middle. I also have a nice peice of driftwood going from the middle of the tank all the way to the top of the fake tree hide. I have seen him actually climb around it a bit so I am assuming he appreciates this.

Water - I have a medium water dish on the cold side of the tank in the very corner.

Feeding - I just got him today so I am holding off on feeding him for another few days. I was wonder what I should be feeding it at this age. Small fuzzies or pinky mice? I was told either would be good for him at this size and age.

Some other things I was wonder - I have 2 thermometers in my tank. 1 thermometer is about 5 inches off the ground in the middle of the glass on the hot side of the tank. It reads between 80-82 degree usually. Is this good enough for the air temperature? Also my other thermometer is at the base of his fake tree hide. I have it low to the ground to try to get a good reading of the grounds temp. It reads between 78-81. Is this acceptable or should I do something to add? Should I add a higher wattage of red light? Or a bigger heat pad?

Also, I don't know exactly how to set up an ideal basking area so any help on that subject will be greatly appreciated. Do I even need a basking are or will he just pick the hottest area of the tank to lay around when he feels the need?

Also, humidity seams to be somewhat of an issue. I have 1/2 of the tank scren covered with plastic wrap to try to hold in the humidity, but it seams to hold only for about a few hours before I have to mist the tank again The humidity battle seams like it is never ending. Should humidity be around 70 or more around 80? I can't get it above 65 for very long.

I will greatly appreciate any tips or advice all of you ball python enthusiasts have to offer me. Like I said I just bought this gorgeous Pastel Ball Python today and I am really going to dedicate a lot of time into make sure it gets everything it needs to live a happy life. I set up the tank about a week before I even went to purchase the snake because I was so excited and wanted everything to be perfect.

Thanks guys!