In need of a few suggestions

[Yazi]

Hey everyone,

I'm a relatively new BP owner and I have a few questions that might sound a little stupid.
First of all, I'm having difficulty getting things to stand upright in Yazi's tank without him tipping them over during his night-time active period. His climbing branch and a plastic set of bendable leaves are the worst offenders- both look like they're designed to stand but continually get knocked over. The leaves I could probably tape to the substrate, which is newspaper, but the climbing branch is trickier. Any suggestions on how to get these things to stay upright? I try to prop them against walls of his tank or heavy items like his hides, but no success yet.

Secondly, I'm using a UTH for his hotspot and a dim infrared heat lamp to keep the ambient temperature up. Humidity hasn't been an issue at all as he has two water bowls, one of which is gigantic. The thermometer I use to measure the temp of the hotspot is underneath the substrate, directly touching the glass that the UTH heats up. I noticed with my temp gun that the surface of the newspaper in the hotspot isn't getting as hot as the glass (obviously because paper doesn't conduct heat as well as glass) so I cranked up the UTH thermostat such that my thermometer reads a hotter temp than is recommended for the hotspot, assuming that not all of that heat will be transferred to Yazi. SO my question is- will the pressure exerted by Yazi's belly on the newspaper be enough to fully transfer all that heat? Should I dial the thermostat back down to "normal" hotspot temps, or do I have the right idea by overshooting it by a few degrees?

Third, I'm currently using an aquarium with a non-locking mesh lid that I started weighting down with books after I noticed him "exploring" the possibility of pushing the lid off. Does anyone have a good DIY locking suggestion so that I can put all my heavy books back where they belong?

finally, (and this is probably the stupidest question)- I currently live in a heavily wooded area with more bugs than you could possibly imagine. Do I need to take measures to prevent bugs from getting through the screen lid into the tank, or will Yazi not mind them? I've never noticed anything that look like mites- just the normal pests that I'd otherwise be swatting at with a rolled-up magazine.

[usaf21stsf]

I can only speak to your second question. Keep your measured temperature on the glass between 88-92. This is a safety precaution to prevent burns in the case they burrow. If they need the extra heat they will get to it. My little guy has completely moved all the substrate under his hot side hide to stay in contact with the glass and I've given up trying to put the substrate back level since he will immediately do it again.

[Yazi]

Yazi can't really burrow since his substrate is newspaper sheets. The glass is always covered 100% by non-heat-conducting paper.

[Archer]

Firstly, you should never use any type of tape inside his tank.

Maybe you could try something like this to keep the lid down:

https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Xtra...1C80TWYGR5FZ0P

or

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Mu...1C80TWYGR5FZ0P

[PitOnTheProwl]

"Assume" and "cant"....... famous last words in the reptile world.

Check with your pet stores, they should sell locks for the screen lid unless it is home made.