double checking enclosure stuff!

[macaroni]

so today i received my baby northern (bred by splashy07! thanks a lot, theyre lovely <3) and i just wanna double check and make sure everythings ok! i plan on heading back to the pet store to pick up some more stuff regardless
i mainly want to ask because places are giving me mixed answers and im a little confused, sorry!!

right now, the baby is in a 4x2x2 foot tank with a front sliding door and im using ecoearth coco fiber substrate (its about 2-ish inches deep, i was planning on getting some reptibark as well but the store was out, which is the main reason im going back to the petstore tomorrow) and i have a 150w ceramic basking lamp (without a dome)
the tank also includes a large water bowl (filled only a little bit for now), one hide under the heat lamp, another on the opposite end, and one in the middle

the thermometer thats placed in the very middle of the top of the tank reads 100-110 (its near the uvb light though which might be skewing the temps?) if i point around the tank with my thermometer gun though, it reads 80-90 on most parts of the substrate and 90-98 on the side with the heat lamp
im wondering if these temps are okay? without the heat lamp on, without substrate, its been around 75-77 and with substrate, in the mid 80s to high 70s, i plan on keeping the lamp off at night
(and as a note, im also heading out to grab some cork board to make a 'ramp' so its closer to the lamp so they can bask better in the future)

my main issue though is the humidity, the gauge i have reads 40% without substrate and about 60% with, which i dont know if its because the substrate holds moisture too much and if i should air the tank out a bit (there are slits in the sides for ventilation but im not sure how well thats working) and if its because of the substrate, should i swap it out? (although, im not super worried right now since the baby is going through a shed and the humidity should help for now)

some other notes: the middle hide has some wet paper towels which are pretty cool to the touch, same goes with the water. the baby seems to be spending most of its time in the middle for now, could it be too hot?

i will also be out of state for the summer and im taking the baby in a smaller tank with me (a 10g) and that'll give the tank some time to air out maybe? i'll be using a 100w bulb with a dome on top of a screen cover instead of the 150w

this is my first time dealing with an animal in this big of an enclosure with any kind of burrowing material so im a little clueless! most places i looked said 110 is too high others say its good enough, maybe im just a little worried, haha

ill also be sure to post pictures of the lil' fella once hes done with his shed!
and let me know if you would like pictures of the set up!

other than that, the baby has been doing great so far! he's explored every inch of the tank so far and ate a bit of food i mixed up for him, hes also been super friendly!

thank you anyone who can point me the right way!
(i also apologize for all the text, whoops! i just wanna make sure i have everything right for them!!)

[splashy07]

I would keep him in the smaller tank for now. Smaller water dish too, like the ones I have. I do not use any substrate until they are at least 3-4 months old so I can check their poop and all. I do not want to take the chance of them ingesting it as they dig around a lot and can get some in their food. Don't worry about the humidity, better than too dry. No need for the damp towel, I wouldn't leave it in when temps drop at night. When you see beginnings of a shed, you may use it then. If you are taking him with you for the whole summer i'd try for a 20g, he will grow out of that 10g awful fast and it's much harder to create a temp gradient in a tank that small. He will need a hide on each side, one cool and one warm. Call me with any questions!

[macaroni]

thanks so much!! ill move him over to a 20g asap! i'll also dig around see if i have a smaller container to use as a water dish
i was originally going to keep him on paper towels until hes older but i was too paranoid it would be a bit too dry, i'll just toss the substrate into a container and swap it for towels :^) thankfully he pooped right in front of me this morning, so thats a relief haha

thank you so so so much for the help <3

[splashy07]

Any time, just ask. Text me, call me, sometimes I don't read these posts every day.
If you see he is beginning to shed, just spray the toweling a bit in his hide. Don't leave it overnight, though, won't hurt when he's older but wouldn't want him to catch a chill at this age, although they are very hardy, cautious is always better.

[macaroni]

alright! thanks again!!

just as a little update: yesterday i bought a 20g tank + top and a new bulb, already had a dome and uvb hood so didn't need to get those
hes also been eating and pooping well so, i guess his temps are alright! whew, i was just really worried haha

i'll also be keeping weekly tabs on his growth, length and weight wise!

[kingofnobbys]

alright! thanks again!!

just as a little update: yesterday i bought a 20g tank + top and a new bulb, already had a dome and uvb hood so didn't need to get those
hes also been eating and pooping well so, i guess his temps are alright! whew, i was just really worried haha

i'll also be keeping weekly tabs on his growth, length and weight wise!

please don't rely on guesswork regarding temperatures , you need to get hold of some digital thermometers , something like this are very good http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-LCD-Digita ... 1259141696

Here is a good guide for heat and UV for BTs

[kingofnobbys]

I would keep him in the smaller tank for now. Smaller water dish too, like the ones I have. I do not use any substrate until they are at least 3-4 months old so I can check their poop and all. I do not want to take the chance of them ingesting it as they dig around a lot and can get some in their food. Don't worry about the humidity, better than too dry. No need for the damp towel, I wouldn't leave it in when temps drop at night. When you see beginnings of a shed, you may use it then. If you are taking him with you for the whole summer i'd try for a 20g, he will grow out of that 10g awful fast and it's much harder to create a temp gradient in a tank that small. He will need a hide on each side, one cool and one warm. Call me with any questions!

I find 100L rearing tubs are very good for their first year or so.

I just line with absorbant paper towels ( I raid the pantry for these - very easy clean up , simply remove the soiled piece and lay a fresh piece ).

[splashy07]

Yes, totally agree with that! And don't forget, call me if you need anything!