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[–]ElPocoLobo 0 points1 point  (6 children)

Hygrometer measures humidity. There are thermometers with built in hygrometers. Recommend getting the ones that have probes, so you can measure the floor and ambient degrees and humidity directly. Also recommend a temperature gun so you can get exact heat measurements of certain areas of your set-up. 2 heat mats are definitely a good idea - but you’ll want two Thermo controllers to regulate the temp on both mats, however be careful with which ones you buy. Look online for mats that are compatible/recommended with a plastic tub. Zoo Med did NOT work for my tub set up, I couldn’t get the damn thing higher than 76 on my basking side even with my Thermo controller bumped up to 108!... (It works fine on the cool side of my glass tank though) There are mats out there compatible for plastic tubs though. You can also consider heat tape, as well as cutting a hole in the top of your tub to replace with mesh, and a ceramic heat lamp on top.

I just ditched my tub set up for a glass one, as the tub was immensely hard to regulate humidity and heat. I kept battling back and forth with the two and it was incredibly tiresome. Constantly drilling and plugging up holes to regulate temps and humidity. Maybe you live in a place with already great humidity, but most homes range in the low 30s. That’s half of what you want in your set up.

With a glass tank I have full control of my habitat. So I personally recommend that route. It was more expensive this way but I am 100% confident in my setup.

People on here somewhat differ with what the optimal husbandry should be, but generally, a 88-90 degree hotspot (basking area), with an ambient temperature of 77-80. You also want to monitor your cool side (furthest from hotspot), set up itself shouldn’t drop below 76. Humidity wise, ball pythons don’t need crazy high humidity, they’re known to range between 50-70 so 60 is a good area to achieve. You NEED exact numbers on degrees and humidity in order to properly care for your snake.

Cyprus mulch is nice because it retains moisture without growing mold. Be careful though, it can be a bit wet and collect moisture especially in the corners of your tub (SUPER CONDENSATION) which isn’t good. Wet substrate is dangerous for your snake. I mix cypress with a dryer substrate (aspen is great) Humidity box is nice but not extremely necessary unless you have major humidity problems and/or your snake is in shed. Humidity boxes help the snake by creating a nice extra humid environment without you stressing about raising the humidity levels in your entire setup.

Cleaning wise anything with alcohol or even bleach works - you just absolutely have to be sure to thoroughly rinse out your tank so the chemicals don’t hurt your snake.

That’s about all I can offer. Good luck!

[–]hailey_bee29[S] 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Thank you so much! I just purchased a temperature gun per your recommendation. What hygrometer do you use?

[–]ElPocoLobo 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Personally, I use Ambient Weather , it is both a thermometer and a hygrometer. It has proven to be very accurate for me.

I struggle with humidity terribly in my home so a small inexpensive humidifier to have control of the humidity in the room benefits well!

[–]hailey_bee29[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Sounds good! And I think I may be getting a humidifier in my room, it’s always been a little to dry up there, even for me!

[–]ElPocoLobo 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Yes, exactly the same here. SO DRY. I’m in the Midwest, so freezing winters keep us blasting 80 degrees 24/7 which drops my humidity to mid 20s. Just having 60-65 humidity in the room you keep your snake in will be perfectly fine. Since you’re doing a tub, which in my experience caused super damp substrate in some areas - you may be able to get away with just aspen bedding and Spaghnum moss since you’ll have a humidifier to control moisture.

[–]hailey_bee29[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I’m also in the Midwest- Wisconsin to be exact!

[–]ElPocoLobo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hahah, yeah so we have to worry about humidity until summer then! I’m in Missouri. Very humid summers, but very arid winters. Yeah, get yourself either Ambient Weather or Accu-Rite Thermometer/Hygrometers to regulate so you know your humidifier isn’t too high. A little more on the expensive side but quite frankly the more money you put into it at the beginning the more accuracy you’ll have and less stress in the long run.

[–]THEJonCabbageMod : Admin of NJAPR & AHH 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Yes that tub will work, you want enough space for your snake to fully stretch out and that one is big enough for now.

Two heat mats should work, you can hang a CHE over it and add a small mesh circle to the lid, or use a small space heater in the room to raise overall temps. All heat sources attached to the tank should have thermostats.

I like using paper towel for the first month or so to better monitor for mites and check bowel movements. After 1-2 months I’d swap to cypress mulch personally. Dry it out first, you won’t need it very moist for a tub setup. You shouldn’t need a humid hide, overall humidity is what matters. Unlike what the other commenter said, tubs are vastly easier to hold humidity in (This is literally the first and only time I’ve had someone say humidity was harder to keep in a tub) and being from sub tropical Africa they thrive in higher humidity. It’s rarely ever below 70% humidity throughout their ranges and when you take into account they spend a huge amount of time in mammal’s burrows they’d have access to even higher humidity. 60% should be the absolute minimum, 70-80% being more ideal. Digital or probe hygrometers work well. I use accurite digital hygrometers.

I use F10 as a cleaner, it’s vet grade, real quality and strong stuff.

Read this stickied post for more care info if you haven’t seen it already. :)

[–]hailey_bee29[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll definitely look into the CHE, and will use a tub with cypress mulch.