Hello everyone!

I just bought a new Ball Python this week, and he's a true charmer. He's sweet as can be. When I held him at the pet store, he did the ball up thing, but after a minute or so, got very curious and started exploring, and wrapping around my arm. I brought him home, put him in his cage, and let him be.

So, after I put him in his tank, he explored and did the normal things. He has been very calm and subdued now, which I know is a good trait, and he ate well for me (yay!) when I fed him. He's never tried to snap at me or do anything that's freaked me out so far. But I do have a couple of questions for everyone.

So, I have an aquarium with a screen top for a cage (please for the love of god don't start flaming me, I know the problems and risks associated with it) but I would like some advice on keeping the humidity up. Currently, I'm misting 2x daily and laying a towel over a portion of the top of the tank, and it holds it at about 45-55% humidity. I was wondering if using a piece of pegboard would be a bit more efficient, because then it wouldn't be a damp towel laid across the top, and would perhaps provide a better bit of circulation.

Or would it be better to just provide him with a humid-hide to use as he pleases? although with it being winter, and me being in an apartment, I have trouble with the humidity being over 10%. How much would a humidifier help in the room?

The next question I have is does anyone have any clue why my snake is curling up on the backside of his hide, and not actually using it? He seems to like to lay in the corners of the tank more than anything, and he sticks to the cooler side (kept at about 80 degrees) His warmer side is 85 with a heat lamp that provides a basking spot. I've seen him once on this basking spot.

The tank is set up with two hides, a wood piece for him to lay on a little higher on the warmer side if he'd like, a water dish, and fake plant shrubbery which he tends to drape his tail behind. I have a humidity monitor, and a temperature gauge on both sides of the cage. I'm currently using aspen bedding, but planning on switching to the repti-bark when I do the full clean of his cage at the end of the month mark. One of the hides is a half log, which I've read they're not overly a big fan of. the tank is 36x12x18. I've read somewhere that crumpling balls of newspapers or paper towels and placing them in the tank may give him a more secure feeling.

He's very responsive, and not very 'energetic', which is supposed to be a good thing, but I've also read on here that a hiding bp is a happy bp, so I'm wondering if I should provide smaller hides for him, or if he just doesn't really like to hide.

Thanks everyone for your time!