Alright this humidity thing is getting ridiculous!

[hungba]

Ok I am almost finished with my new rack, really want to get it done and put the snakes in. However, I am left with the final task of testing humidity and getting in the correct number of holes.

2 days ago, I tested and with room ambient humidity of 55%, the tub with water bowl was 80+%, so I put in 11 holes front and 11 holes back. It was still 75%.

Then yesterday, humidity in the room ROSE to 63%. Now the tub is at 70%? How can the tub be drier when room humidity rose 7%?

And, today I further tested two adjacent levels, one with a LARGE water bowl and NO holes, and one with 22 holes and a SMALL water dish. The one with LARGE dish and NO holes has a LOWER humidity than the one with SMALLER dish and 22 holes??? So the holes and smaller dish made the humidity RISE?

I switched the two hygrometers and confirmed it was not the hygrometers that are to blame. Same result.

PLEASE someone help me with this.

PS - I DID leave them in from morning to evening to let the humidity settle.

Before typing this, I moved the rack 1.5 feet to the right, and within what, 5 minutes, the results REVERSED...

[Mike41793]

I wouldnt worry about it. The humidity can change alot. Some people like to keep theres at 50% and some say 70%. Theyre hardy animals and can tolerate varying humidity. Imo those percentages seem acceptable.

Do you have the heat on in the rack while testing? Maybe something is wrong with the heat? Also where is the probe in the tub?

[hungba]

I tested both with heat and without for all combinations, stayed up nights doing it. The water bowls were always in the same position. The hygrometer is placed in the middle of the tub each time.

The thing I need to decide now is whether to drill holes in all the tubs, or throw away the one with the holes and buy a new one for that level. When I first tested it, without holes it got to 80% plus which is not acceptable. Now, with room MORE humid, it is LOWER without holes than with. I move the rack 1.5 feet to the right and suddenly, the tub WITH holes is lower humidity now! So I don't know if putting holes is actually lowering or raising the humidity (I know common sense says it should lower it, but each test seems inconsistent. I don't know if hole placement has anything to do with this. I have holes front and back only).

I would prefer not to have holes because I got opaque tubs deliberately this time as my friend said when he switched from clear tubs his non-feeders ate much much better. I don't know if this effect is better if there were completely no light even from small holes. Anyone?

By the way there is 1/8 inch gap between shelf and tub.

[cmack91]

Is the rack in its own room? Was that room ever used as a heated snake room before?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Outdoors, humidity rarely stays the same. It will be high in the morning, and lower in the afternoon, in most cases. Your animal's cage can do the same thing--let it fluctuate from 50% to 80%, and consider 60% to be an average to shoot for, not something you have to keep dead on stable at all times. Variable humidity is likely healthier for the animal, and allowing the cage to dry somewhat, periodically, will help reduce mold or bacterial issues.

[RetiredJedi]

Here's a few things I noticed about my RBI rack:

1) The top tub needs more holes than the bottom tub to keep humidity right in each.

2) I put the holes towards the top of the back of the tub and towards the bottom of the front of the tub to get air flow in there.

3) If more holes are then needed I start high on the sides of the tub.

4) If I end up with too many holes, I cover them with packing tape...ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TUB.

5) If I have the ceiling fan on high in the summer, the humidity goes down.

6) If I have the ceiling fan on low in the summer, the humidty goes up.

7) In the winter in change the direction of the ceiling fan to keep the humidty right with the speeds mentioned above for the summer.

8) I have to keep the door to the room open or it effects the humidity.

Maybe the airflow when you moved the rack is different then where it was before. You just have to keep at it and it will get right. The one thing that you don't want is moisture on the sides of the tubs.

[hungba]

Perhaps my post was too long, and I was unclear what my issue is. I am aware what are ideal humidity for ball pythons and I am not trying to keep them 100% stable.

I am trying to decide whether I should put holes in the tubs, because:

Humidity was too high. But when I put 22 holes in a tub, and replaced with a smaller water bowl, the humidity went UP!

That is the issue. Holes or no holes?

[cmack91]

I would just set up some tubs differently, and let everything run for a few days, and it should stabalize to some extent.

[hungba]

I think I discovered the reason. After I put the holes in, and replaced with the smaller water bowl, I did not realize that there was a small hairline crack on the bottom edge of the water bowl. A bit of the water seeped through it and onto the substrate making it a little bit wet. It was under the bowl and thus I didn't see it, but apparently it may have been the reason the humidity went up after putting holes and putting smaller water bowl.

I guess it's back to testing again.