humid hides?

[mattramsfan]

hey guys, someone mentioned a humid hide on a post in this forum recently and i was just curious as to what exactly this is? and is it necessary to have one... and if i did have one, would this mean that i would be putting a 3rd hide box in my BP enclosure..... if someone could take the time to give me the run down i would greatly appreciate it.... thanks

[rebelrachel13]

It is not necessary, but it gives a nice boost to the humidity of the cage which can be pretty helpful during shed cycles. I don't use them in my enclosures, but if you have an issue with humidity, I would recommend trying it.

Using sphagnum moss, stuff some of it into a hide (any type, storebought or makeshift), and add some water to it. The hide should have a floor so that the moisture does not seep into the rest of the cage. If you make one of these, you would probably want to use it as an additional third hide so your snake still has the security of two identical hides.

Good luck.

[Mike41793]

People make a hide, usually the one on the warm side, humid when their snake goes into shed. Just get somethin like sphagnum moss, dampen it a little bit, and put it in the hide when your snake goes into shed. I have tubs so it holds the humidity pretty stable for me. But when a snake goes into shed i give them a shot or two of mist under the warm side hide. Its basically the same thing as adding damp moss...

[mattramsfan]

oh well i have spag moss in the tank all the time and i dampen it when he goes into shed so i guess i have been doing this all along... i just dont put in directly into his hide. someone scraed me with scale rot so i am paranoid about too much humidity. so i am always checking to make sure that his substrate is not too wet...

[Himitsu]

A humid hide is a container filled with water and moss or a cloth of some kind, meant to create a humid area for your snake. Depending on the size of your snake it can be something as simple as a cool whip container with a hole cut in the side or lid. It's used mainly during shed if you don't have good humidity in your enclosure. My cousin would always take the hot side hide out and replace it with the humid hide during shed, placing it right on top of the heat pad and under the heat lamp to maximize the humidity in it. I tried doing that but Yuki refused to go in it and simply slithered around for an hour or so until I gave in and gave her her normal hide back. When I put the humid hide in with the hot side hide, she still refused to go in it, but I know my cousin's snake seemed to love her humid hide. Seems kinda hit and miss to me, but I might have just gotten an unusual ball python that simply doesn't like it.

[Slim]

I used one when I kept a BP in a tank. Since moving to PVC cages, then racks and tubs, I haven't had to use one.