You're very right, you need a thermostat. Good idea to use a barrier, but really I would stop using it alltogether until you can get a stat if that heating lamp is enough to keep it in the 80s on its own. It's good that you're using a probed thermometer on the hot side, but you need to change the others - those stick on dials are not very reliable at all. You can get an all-in-one thermometer/humidity sensor from wal mart for about 15 bucks, I linked it below. Put the probe in the hot hide under the substrate, put the actual device on the cool side, and it will measure both. It also takes humidity.
Some tin foil covering 2/3 of the screen top will be much more effective than plastic wrap at reflecting in heat and humidity. I can't tell you if he's dehydrated, I'm a bit new myself, but it can't hurt to put in a humid hide. If you're going to put in a bowl of water I'd fill it with sphagnum moss, some snakes don't like physically "swimming" or soaking, but damp media is preferable. A mister will raise humidity also. Put your heat lamp right above the water dish, and I also hear coco husk bedding holds humidity well. I do a 50/50 mix of aspen and coco husk and mist once in a while.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347
Reply With Quote