Humidty Control Help

[Eric Alan]

I don't have a thermostat temperature controller either, but when I put my hand over the bedding over the heatpad, its very minimally hot. Like, it's warm but nothing burn worthy. Though it's starting to sound like the pad I have is not going to be sufficient, and the light I'm using is not a good solution either.

Yikes! If it feels warm to your hand on top of the bedding, it is far too warm for your snake. Think of it this way - at room temp, your hands are roughly 90°F. Feeling warm, means several degrees hotter than that. Which means that under the bedding, where your snake can still easily get to, is quite a bit hotter than that. That puts the temp there easily in the burn zone for a ball python. An unregulated heat pad is the most underestimated source of BP burns out there.

So, it sounds like I should get a much larger heating pad with a self-regulating temperature control, with a temperature sensor inside of the cage.

Nope. Just get a thermostat for your current heat pad and keep the sensor on the outside - you don't want your BP moving it, peeing on it, spilling water on it, etc. We can help with how to make sure it works properly. Also - remember that a heating pad is just for a hot spot temperature. They're not meant to heat the entire enclosure at all.

I should then ditch the light (? Or is there an alternative for mimicing day and night for him?) and cover up most of the screen with aluminum foil to keep the moisture in (Or should I cover it all... which I feel would restrict airflow?)?

The day/night aspect is far less important that making sure temperatures are correct. For most people, ambient light from a window in the room is enough.

I'm very newbie at this, but I definitely want to learn. And I do enjoy watching him in the cage, and its cute when he watches me back. So I'd like to keep the glass tank (Though I did put plastic over three of the sides so only the front is open).

If you haven't found it already, there is a fantastic write-up on how to set yourself up for success using a glass tank. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it's pretty easy to do once you're familiar with the basics. See here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...With-Pictures!

Good luck!

[Coluber42]

If you browse the forum, there are lots of threads about how to reduce the amount of ventilation of a screen top to maintain humidity levels. IMHO, the easiest and safest is to use aluminum foil, because you can cover the entire thing except for where the lamp is and the lamp fixture can't burn or melt the foil if it is in contact with it. You'll lose humidity through any remaining surface area that is just screen, including where the lamp is, so you have to minimize that as best you can.

Don't be discouraged, even though people will be telling you to just ditch the tank. It really isn't that complicated to insulate it and modify the lid (even just covering it with foil) to retain humidity better, and basically once you get it all figured out you'll be good to go and you won't have to worry about it any more.

You might need to make adjustments come summer depending on the temp and humidity in your house.

Regardless, thermostats are important even though they don't come in the "starter kit". Under tank heaters can easily overheat because they are covered with substrate, which functions as an insulator. The heater stuck under a tank and buried in substrate can get way, way hotter than it would ever get if it were just sitting out on the table, and snakes can burrow or shove substrate aside and come in contact with that hot surface even if the top of the substrate isn't that warm. Even the snake's body can have an insulating effect. Thermostats cut the power when the set temp is reached so the heater doesn't overheat even if it is well insulated.