newbie temp question

[str33tsk8rx]

hi everyone,
i just bought a ball pyhton on saturday and im having a problem with the temps. I have an undertank heater on the warm side and its plugged into a thermostat so i can easily control the temps, but the problem is with the cool side. It stays about 77 during the day and drops to 74 at night and for some reason my bp only stays in the cool hide??(the first few days he stayed in the warm hide). Is this ok? or should i buy another uth and thermostat to maintain the cool side at suffiecient temperatures?? any other alternatives?

[UberAlice]

What's your humidity at? Your temp should not fall below 75 degrees. The more details about the enclosure that you can give us, the easier it will be to help.

[str33tsk8rx]

my humidity is like 70% even though i have a screen top. Im using aspen bedding and two cork slabs for hides and a water bowl in the middle. Its a 55 gallon tank and my python is over 2 feet long.

[Smulkin]

If you cover the screen top it will also serve to hold in and spread the heat more to the cool side - at least cover the half that is the warm side to force the warm air to the other side to vent.

[UberAlice]

55 gallon? I'd say maybe your UTH isn't big enough for the tank, that's a pretty big size. Most of us on here use human heat pads; they run about $12 at Wal-Mart, and as long as you get one that doesn't automatically shut off, they work pretty well for heating the tank. Generally overhead lights can suck out humidity and require a lot of misting.
It might also be your thermometer....the stick-on kind can be pretty faulty, as can the stick-on hygrometers.

[str33tsk8rx]

i use digital thermometers but, your right i should probably get a bigger uth or human heat pad
thanks for the hlp
also whats a good humidity range?

[Marla]

40%-60% most of the time, 70%-80% during shed.