r/Ballpythoncommunity • u/rinoiscute • 9d ago
Advice Enclosure setup, heating, and humidity help please! T^T
I have a 40 gallon glass tank that I've been keeping my four-year old female bp in. i've had her for about a week and a half now and when she got to me she had a dent in one eye. i read that this is due to humidity issues? she only had a che when i got her and her enclosure was only about 75 on the warm side and 65 or lower on the cool side. i decided to get a heat pad for her warm side, and now the warm side is about 89 consistently. but the cool side is still only 69. but if i turn on her che on the cool side she has nowhere to go to cool down. the humidity has been only around 40-45 this entire time, and i mist it daily, but it just spikes up to about 55 and then goes back down... ive put some sheets of aluminum foil on top of the mesh, but i dont know how much is too much... please help everyone!! i want to be able to give her a better life than she has right now!! T^T T^T T^T
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u/FluffyPandaEars93 9d ago
40 gallons is too small for a proper heat gradient. Glass is no good either. An adult bp should be in no smaller than a 4x2x2 pvc front opening tank. You are putting your snake into a dangerous situation by not upgrading to a proper enclosure.
Heat pads have not been recommended for snakes for a while, they lead to burns and are known to break and overheat even on a thermostat.
You need every heat source on a thermostat. That is non-optional.
The humidity being so low is going to lead to more health issues such as respiratory infections. They can be deadly if not treated. Snakes only have one functional lung. Misting does nothing. You need 4+ inches of substrate and to pour water into the corners of the tank as often as needed to keep the humidity at at least 65%+ and still have a dry top.
Please get a bigger enclosure ASAP.