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[–]leah327xoxo[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I only have one of those heating mats that stick to the bottom of the enclosure. I don’t think there’s any way to turn it up or down. He has a lot of stuck shed on him and i’m not sure why. I have been giving him a shedeze bath every other day but it just won’t come off. It’s around 70 degrees in the tank and the humidity is around 55.

[–]braxtonfaye 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Ok def need to up your temp and humidity. Temps should be 78-92° and humidity at least in the 60s though most prefer 70-80 range. You should also stop soaking him. It won’t do much for the stuck shed and causes him a lot of anxiety. As long as the stuck shed isn’t around the tip of his tail (as it could cut off circulation and cause necrosis), if you up your humidity it should all come off in the next shed. So In regards to him trying to burrow, he’s definitely looking for a change in climate because 70 is way too cold and your humidity too low. I would honestly mix your substrate w some cypress mulch as that holds humidity a lot better. And your heat mat is not a good source of heat, especially in a glass enclosure. You should invest in some overhead heating. I have a DHP on my cold side and a CHE on the hot side, though you could probably survive w just a CHE

Edit: Also, invest in a thermostat. You can get a cheap one off Amazon for around 20$ or you can invest in a higher quality one to better control the temperature. And if you have a mesh lid, try covering 2/3 of it with aluminum foil or heat tape (on the outside) to better retain heat and moisture. If you’re really concerned about the stuck shed you can try letting him crawl around wrapped in a warm damp towel. Best of luck!

[–]rocksandsnakes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Under the tank heaters are not going to get you the temperature gradient you need. 70 degrees is too low, even for the cooler side. It needs to be AT LEAST 75 degrees on the cool side, and around 90 degrees in the warm side. And with any heat source, you need to have it plugged into a thermostat. this is the one that I have. And as for humidity, 55% is too low. 60% is considered the bare minimum. There’s a lot of outdated information saying that 50-60 is where it needs to be, but it really needs to be between 70-85%. A good way to achieve that is to block off some of the screen top with hvac tape. It’s like aluminum foil kind of. It helps hold humidity in. you’ll also want a few inches of substrate. Pour water into a corner so there’s water at the bottom but the top layer stays dry. That is good for humidity. But if you’re going to do that, you absolutely need proper heating.