Ball Pythons & Humidity in their native environment - LO

[Jase]

EDIT: This post is probably going to come off as random, and in the end, I've probably answered all my questions, but i figured i'd leave it here, and see what anyone can add. Please bear with my novel.

Alright, i'm not starting this thread to cause confusion or any sort of huge arguement among the board, I've just finally decided to present some information that I have found extremely puzzling for quite sometime. Basically, I feel that the ambient humidity present in a ball pythons enclosure has no beneficial/negative(depending on which end of the spectrum of humidity percentage is present) impact, except for the 10-14 day shed cycle periods, and that the ambient humidity doesnt make a difference in anything if a humid hide is present. In my herp care exp, i've owned quite a few ball pythons, honestly, more than i can remember. My collection is a bit larger than my signiture states, but the reason for that is normally i dont like to make my projects public (And before anyone gets on my case about improper care for a ball python - most of my snake housings stay right around 50% - basically because it is what every care sheet i've ever seen says, and...I like clean sheds ). The reason i'm posting this is just to see what anyone else thinks or knows about the subject of Ball-Pythons and their lives in the wild. I've done extensive(well as much online/book as i can come across) research on the climate of ghana trying to cure my never ending question of "where did ambient humidity and ball python captivity" come together. Basically it is my understanding that most of the imported Ball Pythons are native to Ghana(or other central/western areas of Africa), a fairly arid and dry continent, except for the southern region that goes through a four season per year cycle involving 2 wet seasons, 2 dry seasons. I'm assuming that all of their native humidity requirements are met by the wild-hides that they use. The rocks they hide under, etc, etc. Basically i'm just wondering....do most wild ball-pythons have bad sheds, or do they meet their own humidity requirements by finding places that meet their respective humidity requirements to produce good sheds. I know that as a species they are nocturnal, and spend the majority of their time hiding during the day, which has lead me to the conclusions that most likely they spend the majority of their days hanging out in the most humid areas an arid semi-dryland can provide. I also understand that ambient ground level humidity readings can be alot less than under rocks, in burrows, etc, etc. I've also read on numerous occasions that housing a snake that is used to a low ambient humidity can lead to adverse health effects, most commonly Blister Disease - Normally when reading, they reference housing a BP in a tropical climate that would be better suited for any tropical boid(GTP, ATB, Rainbow Boas, etc, etc)

At what point does a BP's ambient humidity reach a critical point that could lead to adverse health effects?

^^ thats the main question I've been trying to answer for quite sometime, and either I'm an idiot and I've been looking in all the wrong places, or there isn't a source that gives me the exact answer i've been looking for.

P.s.
Thanks for reading this post, my initial intent got side-tracked and i went off on a fairly random tangent, but hopefully in the end maybe someone on here will be able to provide some useful information, and if not, maybe someone will learn something they didn't know. - Or at least enjoy this novel, haha

Two good sites I'd reccomend everyone reading:

http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html
http://www.anapsid.org/microclimates.html

[sk8er4life]

I always wanted to know exact environments for a ball python (like pics of a place common to ball pythons) so i could make my terrarium as natural as possible to those places they are living in in the wild.(u cath my drift!)

[BallPythonBabe448]

africa....but im not sure if its the savana or jungle in africa....hhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[Jase]

africa....but im not sure if its the savana or jungle in africa....hhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm...

usually found on the outskirts of woodlands
but nothing like a jungle environment

[Cody]

They're found in Africa, but not usually in jungles and such. You can usually find them in the dry grasslands, savannahs, and forest edges. They're less likely to be found inside forest areas though.

I've also wondered why they seem to "require" such humidity levels in captivity when they come from a dry area. Either way, my snake is thriving in 60% humidity, so I'm not going to change anything just yet. Maybe I won't freak out as much as I might have before if I noticed my tank wasn't holding humidity well.

I guess as long as they have water to keep hydrated and take a swim when needed, you don't necessarily need high humidity. But it does seem easier for me to just keep the tank at 55-60%.

[RobertCoombs]

They make use of rodent burrows in the wild this is where they get their required humidity, I dont care how dry it is any where in the world you dig down a few inches to a few feet and the ground will be slightly damp if you have ever been in a cave you know what im talking about.....

[Jase]

yea basically the only question i'm really trying to have answered at this point
is at what percentage does humidity reach a high enough point to have adverse health effects on a ball python

[Adam_Wysocki]

I don't know that anyone will have an exact number for you, I have seen the guages in my rooms as high as 65% with no ill efffects. Some of the people living down in florida might have higher numbers to contribute.

The thing that you have to remember is that high temps and high humidity is a breeding group for bacteria. Also, a ball pythons skin is very senstive to prolonged exposure to moisture, so any sign of condensation from high humidity would be bad.

I am not sure what exactly you are looking for, but in my experience with ball pythons maintaing proper humidity is as crucial as maintaing proper temps and not just for shedding. Too wet or dry can certainly induce stress which will effect your snakes immune system.

Hope this helps.

-adam

[Blink]

I'm in Florida right now, my humidity in the Bps cage is ... 56.
It never goes above 60, unless it's in shed.
When in shed I bump it up to 70-75 ... (spraying/soaking)
Haven't had nothing but perfect sheds here.

[RobertCoombs]

I am with Adam on this one I couldent tell you a specific % of humidity as I am not about to put my animals at risk to find out