Different Temps on 4 tub rack

[bogey]

I have a 4 tub rack and it has back heat the question is to get the temps right i have the herpstat @ 109 and 3 of the tubs are right on with temps however the bottom one is at 112 in the hot side. is this normal wy would the end of the flexwatt get hoter then the are that the clips are on also i don't have any holes in the tubs yet and the humi is @ 45-50 i thought it would be higher in a tub. Now do I put some holes in the bottom tub so some of the heat will flow out and up to cool of the tub? also if i put holes in the tubs will that bring up the humid or not

[Slim]

As best I can tell from your post, your humidity is currently reading 45-50%.

Do you have the water bowl in yet, and what are you using the measure your humidity?

BTW, punctuation is your friend and makes it much easier to read what you're trying to say

[bogey]

Yes, It's at 45 and I have water bowl's in them. Sorry about the punctuation i'm at work and was busy this morning. My question was if i put holes in the one tub that's to hot will that bring down the temps? Also is it ok that the bottom of the flexwatt is much warmer then the top?

[kitedemon]

Racks are odd things they kinda work on an average I always get variations top to bottom. I personally found the bottom the coolest and top the warmest but that is me. Is the flexwatt a single strip or a bunch of strips all wired together? A number of bits all together a poor connection especially if the bottom is where the leads go to the herpstat. What is the ambient air temps it sounds like they are low to me racks generally do best at 80ºF rooms.

I have never found a rack to hold better humidity than much else. Well ventilated tubs don't hold humidity better than an enclosure or tank if it did I would become concerned that there was not enough ventilation. My rack matches the room RH.

[Slim]

I have never found a rack to hold better humidity than much else. Well ventilated tubs don't hold humidity better than an enclosure or tank if it did I would become concerned that there was not enough ventilation. My rack matches the room RH.

Once again, kitedemon, my experience is exactly 180 degrees opposite from yours. My rack is wonderful for holding humidity. Never had less than a perfect shed.

Interesting.

[kitedemon]

I started asking questions about ventilation to respected herp vets (Benoit and Rossi). I was told that there could not be enough only too little. The next expected question was how much is too little? I was told with no water dish and dry substrate in 2 hours the tub should be the same as the room. I use a fairly large water bowl (5 inch) and coco coir that adds about 10% RH to over the room. My room with no humidifier is between 15% and 30% RH. The tubs sit at 25 and 40%. 40% is at the lowest of ok but 35% is too low. I simply humidify the room it is the easiest option. No concerns about low ventilation related health issues, and no issues with shedding.

I believe you and I believe you have a correct balance. I also know it is hard won and there have been people here whom have decided that no ventilation was fine and ended up with a whole collection having RI. I simply cannot believe it is not at least in part related. I can't say exactly how little is too little, I always suggest more than less.

The Barkers of VPI state,

"They (ball pythons) do not tolerate poor ventilation without suffering the consequences. Keeping ball pythons in high humidity without good ventilation is courting problems of health and maintenance. This is one area in which the herp maxim, "It's best to err on the side of dry," is definitely applicable.

Ball Pythons Barker and Barker 2006 pp. 41

[Mike41793]

Once again, kitedemon, my experience is exactly 180 degrees opposite from yours. My rack is wonderful for holding humidity. Never had less than a perfect shed.

Interesting.

Think about the different places you live. Canada is slightly different from virginia haha

[Slim]

Think about the different places you live. Canada is slightly different from virginia haha

Agreed.

[bogey]

It's one pice of 11 inch flexwatt that runs down the back of the rack(back heat). The conection that plugs in to the herpstat is on top.

[RichsBallPythons]

One down side to backheat. You need a more steady room temp to get more even temps