Hey guys! I just got my first corn snake last Sunday at an expo and I already love her to death (can't wait to hold her and stuff). Unfortunately, I'm having some trouble with her set up. I couldn't set it up before hand, despite being completely prepared otherwise, and now I'm paying the price. Her temps have been fluctuating a lot and I'm not sure what thermometer to believe when checking her viv. She's in a 12qt sterilite tub with small holes drilled in the sides. Underneath is a medium 8" x 12" Zoo-Med under thank heater hooked up to a Hydrofarm thermostat set at 87 with it's prob under two layers of paper towels at the hot end. The problem is that the Hydrofarm reads 76.1 while the ZooMed probe thermometer that I just got reads 89.0 and the laser thermometer that I have for my beardie reads 79.2. I don't completely trust the laser one as it was a cheaper one bought on amazon, but the little zoo med should work, right? And they all change temp readings very rapidly (I.e- 3-4 degrees within an hour... What should I do? Is the heat mat too big? The HydroFarm's cable is being squished a bit by the tub's cover, could that be the problem? Should I get yet another thermometer? Maybe one of the nice ones from Walmart? I have a 10 gallon aquarium, would that be a better housing option? Or am I just being an overacting first time snake mom?
Other Problems: I have a small waterdish in there for soaking or drinking, but last night water condensed all over the sides and the paper towel was very moist. I cleaned it up before leaving, but I'm worried why it did this and what I can do to stop it from happening again.
Also: Sometimes when I open the tub it smells like plastic... the only things in there is paper towels, a reptile hut from the expo, a small wooden stump made for fish tanks, two pvc pieces for hiding, a couple of fake plants, and a glass water dish. I'm not sure where the smell is coming from, but I'm very worried about it :/
Thank you guys for the help! I'm really worried that I'm doing something wrong and I don't want to hurt poor Savvy.
Other Problems: I have a small waterdish in there for soaking or drinking, but last night water condensed all over the sides and the paper towel was very moist. I cleaned it up before leaving, but I'm worried why it did this and what I can do to stop it from happening again.
Also: Sometimes when I open the tub it smells like plastic... the only things in there is paper towels, a reptile hut from the expo, a small wooden stump made for fish tanks, two pvc pieces for hiding, a couple of fake plants, and a glass water dish. I'm not sure where the smell is coming from, but I'm very worried about it :/
Thank you guys for the help! I'm really worried that I'm doing something wrong and I don't want to hurt poor Savvy.