Quote Originally Posted by Slownlow View Post
Hi thank you for your help.. The heating pad must have gotten so hot it warped itself and was off the tank when I went back to plug it in with a thermostat. I purchased an inexpensive one because of how much I've already spend trying to make things right for her.
You're right, the bulb dries everything out immediately. It's to the point where I have to mist everyday and cannot get the humidity to stay where it needs to be. By the end of the day it's at 40%.
I am currently soaking her in water to see if I can help with the remaining shed that's left on the thick part of her body. I'm worried that over misting is going to cause mold/mildew. I pretty much have to soak the substrate. The other day I put the moss we soak and use in the hide and that was all dried out by the end of the night. I think I'm going to put the smaller water dish back in. And put it under the lamp.. No heating pad for the time being. Have to find a good one that will stick to the tank. Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate? I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?

Side note. She has always been eating fuzzies. I attempted the small mice the other day (so much larger than a fuzzie) she tried to eat it. Wanted it. No go.. I cut it in half. No go. I ended up going to the store and buying fuzzies and figure I'll give her twice a week. While her mid section is thick. Her neck is maybe as big as a dime around. I appreciate all the help. The humidity is a never ending problem I can't seem to get right
No problem, and thanks for the thorough response, that helps us figure out how to help you. If the heating pad got so hot that it warped, then that is definitely scary and you don't want that anywhere near Nyx. I know how challenging it can be to optimize your snake's set-up while still working within a budget, but I can at least reassure you that after the initial expenses, it's much smoother sailing from there on.

Can I ask what type/brand of thermostat you have? I've found that as long as you invest in a reliable thermostat, you don't need to get fancy with the heating pad itself at all. Any of the common brands of reptile heat mats you often find in pet stores - Zoo Med, Zilla, Exo Terra, etc. - should work just fine, since the thermostat is doing the regulating. (I use the Zoo Med ones, myself.)

For the thermostat, in general, a "pulse proportional" thermostat (which constantly adjusts the power output to the heat pad to maintain a specific target temperature) is better than an "on/off" thermostat (which switches the heat pad off when it rises above target temp, then turns it back on when it drops below target temp, resulting in a wider range of temperature fluctuation). Many of the experienced snake keepers here will likely recommend the higher-end pulse-proportional ones from Herpstat (Spyder Robotics) or Vivarium Electronics, and the reason is because they are a good investment in terms of quality and long-term reliability. However, both of those are very expensive ($100+); luckily there are plenty of more affordable options. My first thermostat was the little 100W on/off one from Exo Terra (costs around $20-$30), and it was still much better than having no thermostat at all. Jumpstart is another commonly mentioned affordable on/off thermostat brand. Lastly, the 600W Exo Terra thermostat is probably the cheapest pulse proportional thermostat I've seen around (around $50-$60).

If your heat bulb is really eating through the humidity, do you think it would be possible for you to remove it? You would maintain the warm side temperature with the regulated heat mat, and the cool side/ambient temperature with a space heater just for the room that your snake is in. (Whether this is feasible kind of depends on where you live.)

Quick side question - what device(s) are you using to measure your temperatures in the tank?

For your specific questions about what to do in the meantime:
- "Can I put the water dish directly under the lamp and over the heating pad.. On the glass. Or on substrate?"
Yes, you can put the second water dish under the lamp. Since you mentioned you're going to turn off and stop using the warped heating pad (which I agree is a good call), then I assume you mean once you've replaced it with a new heating pad. Either on the glass or on the substrate is probably fine; I'd personally be inclined to put the dish on at least a thin layer of substrate.

- "I purchased a second hide. Should it sit on the glass if I was to put that over the heating pad with some damp moss in it? And place the other hide on the other side of the tank?"
I would set the hides on top of substrate too; as long as your substrate layer is not too thick, the warmth from the heat pad will still reach your snake. And yes, one hide on the cool side of the thank, and one hide on the warm side.

And lastly (sorry, this got long again!), about the feeding. Unbelievable as it may seem, just go by the mid-section width for choosing prey size. I was pretty skeptical too about how that fat frozen/thawed rat was going to fit down the hatch, but after watching the swallowing process (my BEL, Ravus, is not at all shy about being watched while eating), that scrawny little dime-circumference neck can stretch more than a balloon! If your snake was struggling with the larger prey item, it isn't necessarily because it was too big, she might just need more time to figure out how to approach and swallow it. (This happens especially with young snakes, who may wrestle with trying to swallow the prey butt-first or sideways for hours before figuring things out ... or giving up until next time. )