Humidity Question

[EWC88]

I have a ball python and I would like to be taking the proper care for him/her. Right now the snake is living in a 20g long tank. I know I will have to upgrade later or possibly soon. He has a hide, and I will need to get another. I have aspen for substrate, and a decent size water dish for him to drink or go into, but he does not go into the water dish at all. I have also a undertank heater, and will be doing something with that so it is putting out right temp instead of to high or low.

My question right now is about humidity. I see that ball pythons need 50% humidity. I was thinking about purchasing the Zoo Med Repti Fogger and Terraeium Humidifier as well as a hydrometer. I was wondering if people recommend getting this fooger? Also what hydrometer would you recommed? Is the All Living Things circle guage one good?

Last question, doesn't deal with humidity, I just thought about it while typing. Is it bad that he doesn't go in the water dish to submerge him/herself? Also what size tank would be best for the snake in its permanent stage? I was thinking about building one out of wood to make it look nice from the outside as well, but not sure if wood would be best?

[darthkevin]

I thought about doing this myself because I live in a desert in Colorado. I have very low humidity all the time. But I decided against it. I use a damp towel over the enclosure and mist with a spray bottle as needed. Balls don't normally soak in dishes. If they do normally that is a sign of low humidity or snake mites. Just keep the bowl clean and make sure the little guy has fresh water so he can take a drink or dip as needed.

[The Serpent Merchant]

A humidifier/fogger is overkill for ball pythons unless you live in a desert, and even still it probably isn't necessary.

I would start off by getting a hygrometer. Then seeing how much more humidity you need in the cage. There are many easy/cheap ways to increase humidity in a cage. The all things living dial type (and all the others sold in pet stores) are complete junk and terribly overpriced. Here is a good one:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B000H69...pd_sim_sbs_k_2

The difference is this one can be calibrated when it needs to be, while the pet store kind will need to be replaced every few months.

A Ball python should have 1 square foot of floor space per foot of snake. So for an adult you want a cage with 4-5 square feet of floor space. height really doesn't matter. Less will make it easier to heat/maintain humidity. I would suggest that you not get another glass tank, but rather a tub or PVC cage. They are much better at maintaining heat and humidity in.

Here is some info on tubs and PVC cages:

Tubs: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

PVC cages: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

What are you using to heat your cage? What are you using to measure temperatures?

Check out this thread on cage heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

[Badgemash]

I have a similar problem living in AZ, but I wouldn't recommend using the reptifogger for a 20 gallon. I used one on my leopard tortoises when they were babies, which worked great for a huge 6'x6' enclosure (even then it was on a timer and only came on for 2 minutes 3x a day), but even on the lowest setting would be massive overkill for anything smaller than a really big arboreal cage (or amphibians who need a way more humidity than reptiles). I use the spray bottle method like darthkevin. I do not recommend that hydrometer though, analog ones are notoriously unreliable. May people on this site have had success with the acurite brand weather thermometers that give two temperature readings (warm end, cool end) and humidity. I got mine on Amazon for $13. Wood will be okay for building a cage if you use a sealant on it, but make sure it's one that isn't going to give off fumes or leach chemicals. I would vote for melamine if you really want to build your own cage, it's usually available in stores like Lowes or Home Depot.

[TheSnakeGuy]

All of those round analog thermometers are unreliable. Digital with a probe is the only way to go. I wouldn't recommend getting the repti-fogger things. It's an unnecessary investment. They're made for more jungle/rainforest type herps. As far as your "permanent home" for a full grown python, a 40 gallon terrarium seems to be standard for most enthusiasts. Some will say it's too big, but it's only as big to the snake as you let it be. Fill it with all kinds of greenery, trees, leafy garland, hides, and a big water dish, and you're 40 gallon will be a perfect home. Here's an example. This is my 20 gallon long . Almost 50% of the floor space is taken. Still lots of shadows, corners, and hides on the hot and cool side. The tank is big, but the snake never feels over exposed and prone to stress.

[EWC88]

Thanks everyone for the answers. I live in NJ so with that in mind and the other answers you guys gave me I will not purchase the fogger. I will get one of those hydrometers everyone recommend to see what my humidity is, and then post it on here to see what you guys think of it and what should I do.

I keep thinking of more and more question so I figured I will post all on here, if thats a problem I will make a new thread. When discussing hides, your suppose to have 2 right? One on cold and one on hot? How do you know what size of a hide is good for your snake? I got one of those logs cut in half from Petsmart. I got the biggest one because I thought it would need that, but it seems like it maybe to big? Can a hide be too big? Do ball pythons like to climb on anything? Was debating on putting in some type of tree branch thing for it to climb if they like it?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Log hides aren't the best, they don't make the snake feel secure and tend to mold due to the humidity.

Hides need to be snug. BP's want to be able to rouch all of the sides.

This is what you want:



These hides are the best:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

Ball pythons are terrestrial snakes, they don't climb

[BillinIndiana]

My humidity here in Indiana is around 40-45%... I've tried switching to Cypress mulch and misting daily, but the day/night lights I use for my ambient temps keep it dry. I've even covered 3/4 of the top of my screen top..
I was thinking about giving this a try.. An homemade humidifier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Cgx4x0F_g

The only thing is the guy in the video says that this gets his humidity up to 45%.. I'm already there. It most be really dry where he is to be below 40% or so.

[EWC88]

Aaron, how do you know what size of hide for your snake?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Do you have a scale? The snake in this picture weighs 200 grams and used the small size hide at the time



This picture shows the mini, small and medium size hides from reptile basics

I use small size hides for hatchlings through 350-400 gram BP's (up to 6 months old more or less)

Mediums will last a snake through 1200 grams.