I'm in the same boat, needing an overhead lamp to heat the ambient air. Yes, that drastically drops the humidity. We get perfect sheds, though, so the humidity must be good. Here's what I do:
UTH (stuck onto the bottom to create belly heat) plugged into the 500r. That 500r has space for TWO things to plug into it, so the overhead lamp is plugged in as well. That way, the lamp is going on and off along with the UTH. It gives the humidity a chance to stay a bit higher than if the lamp were on constantly.
During the coldest part of winter these past couple of months, when necessary, the overhead lamp was plugged directly into the wall outlet, remaining on constantly.
To raise humidity there are 2 wet paper towels: One is inside a bowl with a bit of water. The other is on top of the warm hide. Since that hide is a big tortilla holder, the top is flat and holds a wet paper towel perfectly. Not damp, but as wet as they can be. During shedding, I'll also dab water directly onto the paper towel substrate around the tank, just not where the snake is actually lying on to prevent scale rot.
I check the AccuRite readings throughout the day. So far, this set-up has worked great! Good luck with your set-up! This forum is a wealth of information.
Reply With Quote