Been seeing some unfortunate advice given to our babyherpers lately that could get them into some trouble. So here i'm going to go over why you really should have both gauges, and a temperature gun too!

Myth:  as long as a snake has good sheds, you don't need a humidity gauge. 

Reality: Humidity affects more than sheds. It's not going to matter if they shed perfect if they've got a respiratory infection from being kept out of range for too long. So It does matter. You do need to keep humidity in range regardless of sheds, and you need a way to tell. My approach is to use a gauge to keep the ambient humidity at the lower end of their range, and then offer a humid hide on the warm side to give them the option to choose their humidity preference- just like you'd do with temperature.

Speaking of which. It really does help to have both gauges and a temperature gun for monitoring your temperature. Here's why. 

You cant keep a temp gun reading at all times. I've yet to find a "smart" temp gun that can record temps and report changes or send alarms to your phone if anything goes out of place, and that really can be a life saver for your animals. You absolutely *need* gauges for monitoring temperature over time, and controlling heat elements etc.

Having that said. Surface temps are different than ambient temps so having a temp gun is really useful too.

Think about it, a rock under a basking light's surface temp is going to read differently than one thats kept 6 inches away from the lamp- But the ambient probe on the wall nearby will still read the same regardless. So your ambient gauge isn't going to tell you if said rock's surface temp is getting hot enough to burn your snake (unless you're placing it directly ontop of it- which wouldn't make sense to do).

Guns are also much faster to get a quick idea of the range across the entire gradient, as it would take time for gauges to acclimate to get an accurate read if placed across the enclosure to understand the gradient (assuming you were using just one of course). A temp gun can do that within seconds.

Guns can give you instant readings for places that your gauge may not fit, like inside of a hatchlings super tight hide.

So they both have their purposes, and they're both good tools to have ya know?

Tubs are not cruel or unethical. Tubs are inanimate objects with no feelings, thoughts, or choice in how they are used. Same as glass. It is the people who can be cruel.

There is nothing that restricts a person from using a plastic bin to provide ample space, proper thermal and humidity gradient, security, and even enrichment.
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There is nothing to prevent a glass tank from being barren, cramped, unsanitary, and entirely outside of proper thermogradients/humidity/security for the animal being kept inside it. Such an enclosure is not automatically superior to the former solely because it is made of glass. To suggest otherwise is shows an innocent lack of understanding at best or willful virtue signaling at worst.

Again, It is not the material the enclosure is made of that matters. It is the person behind it. Its entirely noble to want to advocate for the animals well being, but you're not going to get anywhere raging against an inanimate object when it's the human behavior that you actually want to change.

If racks, tubs, and all plastic were entirely outlawed- there would still be crappy keepers. They'd just be keeping crappily in glass instead.

Point is we could do a lot more good if people would place the rage where it actually belongs (at the behavior not the instrument), and cite scientific, species specific, studies that support why they feel that way.

That's how we're going to make real progress instead of just being viewed as a group of people that hopped on the bandwagon of an anthropomorphizing trend- which i'm sure those of us that have been doing this a while have noticed is is quickly and easily dismissed.
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Just trying to help...

Outside of temperature, Security is probably the most important factor to provide for your snake. Snakes that dont have it will stress, and just like with people, stress can cause serious negative effects on their health. They often wont eat. They'll be more susceptible to infections. So it's definitely important.

A lot of caresheets will give you just the checklist: Waterbowl, "Hide", Heat, humidity and Substrate. This approach is often for brevity or because people don't want to discourage creativity, but it makes the assumption that you would already know what types of hides are available, and how to select the best one that would work for your needs. Unfortunately, the one size fits all options available doesn't always work across all species.

So that's what this page is for.

First lets discuss hide size: Think of it this way: have you ever snuggled into a blanket and felt all cozy and safe? That sense of safety and security is what we are trying to provide for our snakes with a hide. Using the same example, if we took that same blanket and draped it over a canopy bed, technically yes, you'd still be under it, and the blanket still is there, but would the level of comfort and security provided be the same? of course not. Its the same thing with your snakes hide. If its too big, it just wont feel as cozy as if it were tight fitting.

Unfortunately most commercial hides are built for, yep you guessed it, the ball python- which is a much larger species even as hatchlings than what would be best suited for lamprophid or colubrid snakes. A good hide for your snake is one that would touch the body at several points, which this style of hide would do- for a ball python- but not for a hatchling house snake. Is it better than nothing? yes, but its a blanket draped over a canopy bed when we really want that wrapped up comfy blanket scenario mentioned above.

Ok so next lets talk about hide placement: Ideally we want two hides, one on each side of the enclosures thermal gradient. Here's why we want two. 
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and one of the adult ones:

​While they are not super pretty they are perfectly functional.