Heat water and hide questions for in my rack.

[ShutUpAndSmile]

I just got a RBI rack. It's 30.2qts and I have one drawer split in half for my two pied balls(they're about 130 grams)
I put there normal water dishes in it(which are like the size of a cat water/food dish) and when I woke up today I noticed condensation on the side of the tub.
So should I move the size of the water dish down?

Plus they are also pressed against the hot side of the tank. Before I put them in it , it was at 87. Now it's at 85 and not rising. How do I make it hotter? The top shelf is at 88.
Also they're not using their hides at all. Just sitting on top of them.
Should I take them out?

[CCfive]

You can try moving the water off the hot spot. What are you using to measure your humidity? If it's too high then yes go with a smaller water dish. As far as the temp goes, you'll have to adjust your thermostat until you reach optimal temps. Your top shelf will always read warmer due to heat rising. I know in my rack my thermostat is set to 94f to get a reading of 90f in the tub. I use hides in some of my balls tubs, others don't care. The rack set up works well for making them feel secure, but I take it on a snake by snake basis. Hope I could be of some help.

[ShutUpAndSmile]

I'm kinda ashamed but at the moment nothing. Everything I've found is like $25 and if I need something for each enclosure thats a lot. I've been stalking ebay for some good prices but no one combines shipping. </3
Well right now my thermostat is still on. And it's not bringing the heat up at all. o.e
How do I know if they're good with their hides are not? If they don't go in them by tomorrow try taking them out?

[ShutUpAndSmile]

I just looked on ebay and I found some. Bad news is they wont be here till Mid feb cause they're coming from China.

[CCfive]

If you go to walmart or lowes you can buy an Accurite thermometer/hydrometer for like $10. As far as they're hides go, give them a week to acclimate to the rack, you'll get a better feel for what they want after they are settled. Did you turn up the heat on your thermostat?

[ShutUpAndSmile]

I got 7 for $27 on ebay. I may run and grab one from walmart just so I have a feel for where I'm at.
Yeah the heat is turned up. I have a zilla thermostat at the moment. The little red light is been on forever.
I'm looking for a better thermostat as well. Just not sure what brand to get. I know helix is good so I'm keeping an eye out for those cheaper but not sure of other brands.

[CCfive]

Herpstat, Helix or the VE-series from Reptile Basics Inc. are all good bets.

[Inknsteel]

For a thermostat on a budget, you can pick up a hydrofarm on Amazon for about $30.

[kitedemon]

If the t-stat is on and no shutting off and your temps are low I'd look at the ambient temp it is likely too low generally racks don't do well in less than 77ºF rooms and most whom use rack systems run rooms to 80º if you room is already at 80 and you can't maintain the heat with 100∞ power 24/7 the heat elements are not producing temps high enough, bad connections, low wattage faulty cables something is not allowing the system to heat proberly. A new T-stat cannot make a heater heat more than 100% on all the time so although I believe that is a great idea I do not believe it will help if the one you have is working and never shutting off.

[ShutUpAndSmile]

Well my temps are now at 88 in the hot spot on the second to bottom shelf.
I usually keep my room warm because of my other animals. Plus I have a space heater.

I'll look into a hydrofarm :3