I'm a new first time BP owner, having acquired a 6yo male about a month and a half ago. I keep him in a 40 gal glass tank, screen top, 18"x36". Heat: UTH, and on cooler days I add a 50w IR bulb on a timer. Cool side air temp is between 75-80F, hot side is anywhere between 85-95 daytime, depending on day. Bedding is shaved aspen.

I was having humidity problems. My apartment is normally pretty dry due to central AC. Even with a large water dish, I was seeing 40% humidity. And he was about to go into shed. It had been suggested that I construct a humid hide for him. So I set up a small plastic box with wet sphagnum moss, and cut two holes in the side so he could get in and out. Now the humidity on the cool side gets up to 60% (and probably is higher inside the box), and humidity is a little better on the warm side.

My concern:

Before I added the third humid hide, I had two half log hides, one on the cold side and one on the hot side. He seemed to camp out in them during the day, and switched between them. So I figured he's self-regulating his temperature. Now, during the day, he spends 100% of his time in the new humid hide. I've never seen him leave it during the day, just maybe stick his head and neck out. When I take him out of the tank to handle him, and he ultimately goes back to the humid hide. I do see him come out some time at night, though.

So I'm worried. When he's been in there, he feels really cold and moist. Does he really just like humidity? Or have I just created the world's coolest hide, and he loves it so much he stays there and forgets to self-regulate? I'd like to think that if he needed more warmth, he'd camp out under the log I moved to the middle of the tank, or the log on the hot side. But even after he eats, when I'd think he'd want heat, he still stays there. I'm worried the temp/humidity is going to give him a respiratory infection or belly rot.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ryan