Humidty Control Help

[Eric Alan]

I don't have a thermostat temperature controller either, but when I put my hand over the bedding over the heatpad, its very minimally hot. Like, it's warm but nothing burn worthy. Though it's starting to sound like the pad I have is not going to be sufficient, and the light I'm using is not a good solution either.

Yikes! If it feels warm to your hand on top of the bedding, it is far too warm for your snake. Think of it this way - at room temp, your hands are roughly 90°F. Feeling warm, means several degrees hotter than that. Which means that under the bedding, where your snake can still easily get to, is quite a bit hotter than that. That puts the temp there easily in the burn zone for a ball python. An unregulated heat pad is the most underestimated source of BP burns out there.

So, it sounds like I should get a much larger heating pad with a self-regulating temperature control, with a temperature sensor inside of the cage.

Nope. Just get a thermostat for your current heat pad and keep the sensor on the outside - you don't want your BP moving it, peeing on it, spilling water on it, etc. We can help with how to make sure it works properly. Also - remember that a heating pad is just for a hot spot temperature. They're not meant to heat the entire enclosure at all.

I should then ditch the light (? Or is there an alternative for mimicing day and night for him?) and cover up most of the screen with aluminum foil to keep the moisture in (Or should I cover it all... which I feel would restrict airflow?)?

The day/night aspect is far less important that making sure temperatures are correct. For most people, ambient light from a window in the room is enough.

I'm very newbie at this, but I definitely want to learn. And I do enjoy watching him in the cage, and its cute when he watches me back. So I'd like to keep the glass tank (Though I did put plastic over three of the sides so only the front is open).

If you haven't found it already, there is a fantastic write-up on how to set yourself up for success using a glass tank. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it's pretty easy to do once you're familiar with the basics. See here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...With-Pictures!

Good luck!