Any real risks associated with keeping snakes at a higher relative humidity?

[Snake Judy]

Are there any verified issues that can come out of keeping ball pythons at a higher relative humidity, say 70-80%? Assuming it's not accomplished by methods that leave the snake sitting in dampness constantly, like soaking the bedding.

[JoshSloane]

Oh boy, here we go! IMO there is no issue, humidity in their native regions hovers in the 70-80 percentages. As long as they aren't wet you should be fine. Others in here are going to disagree.

[MarkS]

As long as they're not sitting in water, and have decent air flow, higher humidity is good.

[Snake Judy]

Oh boy, here we go! IMO there is no issue, humidity in their native regions hovers in the 70-80 percentages. As long as they aren't wet you should be fine. Others in here are going to disagree.

That's why I ask. 50% RH seems quite low to me for animals from a tropical climate, and I'm trying to figure out how that became the general consensus. Inside termite mounds the RH generally sits at 90-100%. Of course, I'm by no means an expert, so I'm hoping some experienced keepers will chime in here.

[JoshSloane]

What you are pointing out is a general "issue" in the herp keeping community. As reptile owners we understand that our animals, being ectothermic, require unique conditions to prosper in a climate that is vastly different than their native habitat. As much some strive to recreate the snakes unique environmental niche, this must be weighed with the reality of providing healthy conditions for the animal in a realistic and sustainable way. Obviously we all don't have the means to maintain large zoo-like habitats at home.

If you look at humidity readouts from the various sub-Saharan African locations where ball pythons originate from, you will see humidity usually in the 70-80+ percent range. This absolutely does contradict the dogmatic 60-70% humidity that most bps are kept at in the US. However, I believe that this stems from years of empirical evidence that shows bps living long healthy lives, shedding and breeding normally at humidity levels significantly lower than their natural habitats. We all must be realistic that we cannot fully recapitulate every exact artifact from a bps normal habitat, but we can keep the specs within healthy ranges. Point being, we must work within the parameters of the tools that we have when providing a reasonable habitat for a bp. Can we maintain higher humidity? Sure, I do with my BRB, but it presents another level of difficulty in husbandry that hasn't shown to be fully necessary.

[Snake Judy]

What you are pointing out is a general "issue" in the herp keeping community. As reptile owners we understand that our animals, being ectothermic, require unique conditions to prosper in a climate that is vastly different than their native habitat. As much some strive to recreate the snakes unique environmental niche, this must be weighed with the reality of providing healthy conditions for the animal in a realistic and sustainable way. Obviously we all don't have the means to maintain large zoo-like habitats at home.

If you look at humidity readouts from the various sub-Saharan African locations where ball pythons originate from, you will see humidity usually in the 70-80+ percent range. This absolutely does contradict the dogmatic 60-70% humidity that most bps are kept at in the US. However, I believe that this stems from years of empirical evidence that shows bps living long healthy lives, shedding and breeding normally at humidity levels significantly lower than their natural habitats. We all must be realistic that we cannot fully recapitulate every exact artifact from a bps normal habitat, but we can keep the specs within healthy ranges. Point being, we must work within the parameters of the tools that we have when providing a reasonable habitat for a bp. Can we maintain higher humidity? Sure, I do with my BRB, but it presents another level of difficulty in husbandry that hasn't shown to be fully necessary.

Right, that's basically what I figured. Higher humidity comes with it's own host of potential problems, especially for new keepers, and if they do fine without it then there's no real reason to make the effort of maintaining those higher levels.

I just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be taking any unnecessary risks if I decided to keep my snake in a more humid enclosure.

[JoshSloane]

No, youre fine. For my BRB baby I have to keep him at 95% plus humidity. This creates issues with mold and fungal issues in the tank that are an unnecessary issue with bps.

[Nadaud]

Actually, that is the humidity level that I keep my BP at (70-80%). Haven't had any problems yet.

[nightrainfalls]

You can run humidity as high as 85% without a problem as long as you keep the tank very clean. If the tank is not scrupulously clean, mold fungus, scale rot, and other issues can become problematic. My humidity swings from 65%-85% ambient, with a few spots at 99-100%. My BP will often spend days in her Humid hide. When I take her out she has water droplets on her. It is much easier to keep your tank humidity in the 60-70 range and provide a few damp hides.

David