How much humidity is too much for a BCI?

[caravaggiooo]

I just brought a Nic BC home (my first snake!) and I'm having some trouble with humidity. I'm using a digital Acurite for measurements and the temps are fine I think, 75 - 86 f with a 93 f hot spot. My humidity won't come down past 80%, sometimes getting to the mid 80s. However, I'd dried out the substrate (cypress mulch) almost entirely beforehand, so I don't see any condensation or feel dampness; everything is seemingly dry and clean. I'm not sure if the current humid weather here may be having an effect, as I'm in an air-conditioned condo - possibly a little?

Should I be concerned about these current conditions, is it necessary to drill more air holes? My main reasons for wanting to keep it as is are a) I don't have a drill and need to ask someone to do it for me (I'll need to figure out how to keep the snake contained for that time, and he's just moved in so I'll have to wait), b) I'm worried added air holes would drop my temps, and c) it gets very dry here in the winter, and I want this tub to be viable then, too.

I've found mixed information regarding how harmful high humidity may or may not be for BCIs - from "it can lead to RIs" to "there isn't a maximum as long as the enclosure's clean and not constantly wet/mouldy". Advice would be greatly appreciated!

[richardhind1972]

I've got a nice hypo Nicaraguan, there really fun snakes
Can I ask what your measuring your humidity with as if your using them little round stick on dials, they often get stuck and can then give false readings

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[caravaggiooo]

I've got a nice hypo Nicaraguan, there really fun snakes
Can I ask what your measuring your humidity with as if your using them little round stick on dials, they often get stuck and can then give false readings

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Mine's a hypo as well! I'm going to have a hard time not handling or checking in on him for a whole week!

I'm using this thermometer/hygrometer from Acurite:



I don't think it's faulty as it was giving me other readings fine before, e.g. 50% outside of the enclosure. It does read high when it's touching the walls of the tub, so I've tried to change up its placement a few times, so far it's holding steady in the 80s

[Bogertophis]

Just a thought about drilling more air holes (and not saying whether or not you need them, as I have no experience with Nics), but if you do that, they
are really easy to cover up with a piece of tape in seasons when you don't need them. In the past, I've used a couple Prolines & was happy with the
extra ventilation for what I was keeping, & you can always make holes "go away", even permanently with silicone sealant etc.

[richardhind1972]

Oh right, there normally pretty good, yes that is a bit too high,just monitor it and it may settle down,is there weather really humid there at the moment
Do you have any pics here’s my girl she was 3 the other week




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[caravaggiooo]

Just a thought about drilling more air holes (and not saying whether or not you need them, as I have no experience with Nics), but if you do that, they
are really easy to cover up with a piece of tape in seasons when you don't need them. In the past, I've used a couple Prolines & was happy with the
extra ventilation for what I was keeping, & you can always make holes "go away", even permanently with silicone sealant etc.

That's a good point, and I do already have silicone on hand! Thanks for the tip. I think I'll wait another week or two before I mess with the enclosure again, so hopefully he'll be alright for that period.

Oh right, there normally pretty good, yes that is a bit too high,just monitor it and it may settle down,is there weather really humid there at the moment
Do you have any pics here’s my girl she was 3 the other week




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I'll see how it is for the first week - yeah, it's been quite hot and muggy recently (humidex 100 f yesterday), but it's down to 66% now so I'm thinking it didn't have much to do with the tub.

I only got a few quick phone pics before leaving him be -





Yours is gorgeous!! I can't wait to see mine grow up, he's still so little

[richardhind1972]

Thanks,her colours are really cool when she has just shed like last week,she’s got all sorts of colours going off

This was mine when I first had her

Nics are really nice snakes .i find they don’t like to hold on much at all,not like my other boas,I have a pair of corn island Nicaraguans too but there so different to the mainland nics
I look forward to watching his progression


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[dakski]

OP, two thoughts.

First, 93F hot spot is probably too hot and 75F likely too cold - Richardhind1972 - want to chime in? I don't keep dwarfs, but I thought care was very close to a BCI, which I do have. I would say 90F hot spot tops. Ideally 88-90F is the range. Mine stays about 88-89F and my BCI female (Behira) spends most of her time closer to ambient temps or a little above. My ambient temp in her cage is about 82F, the cool spot is about 78F, and her hot side is about 84-89F (the highest being on the hot spot). The cool spot, IMO, should be 77-78F at the lowest. Ideally 78-80F cool spot, 82-84 ambient (give or take a degree), with a 88-90F hot spot.

Secondly, and again, Richardhind1972, or Phillydubs (who also keeps dwarf Boas), should chime in if able, the humidity, as Richardhind1972 said, is probably a little high. HOWEVER, new keepers often get freaked out about spikes and drops in things like humidity and temperature. Obviously, really not desired with temperature, hence using thermostats (for safety as well), temp gauges, etc. However, things like humidity are much harder to keep in range as seasons and temperatures change.

For example, I keep Behira about 55-65% in the winter and raise to 75-80% for sheds. In the summer, the tank averages 65-70% humidity and I still raise slightly for sheds. However, I take these averages over a long period of time. Weeks or months. Any given day, it can be 75% in her tank in the summer, or 50% in the winter.

I generally do not allow below 50% for more than 1-2 days and get the humidity up fast when it's really dry. However, 55% - 60%, although a little low, is fine for a week (assuming she's not shedding), when it's really dry in the house.

My point is, 80% humidity won't kill your Boa for a day or two. Let things stabilize. For two weeks at 80% +, you potentially are asking for higher risk of an RI, etc., but not for a day or two. Make minor adjustments until you have it better, NOT DRASTIC ADJUSTMENTS!

Drastic changes in humidity, and especially temperature can be dangerous. Small adjustments are not. Take your time, get it dialed in, and slowly and prudently. Too often I see keepers get upset because the hot spot is 87F instead of 89F. They turn the thermostat (or worse the heating device without having a thermostat) up too high and that can kill an animal.

Remember, with humidity, small adjustments over time are fine. Don't do anything drastic, as major adjustments can stress your snake. With temperature, this is especially true; slow and steady wins the race.

Stay calm and keep us in the loop. We are here to help.

[caravaggiooo]

OP, two thoughts.

First, 93F hot spot is probably too hot and 75F likely too cold - Richardhind1972 - want to chime in? I don't keep dwarfs, but I thought care was very close to a BCI, which I do have. I would say 90F hot spot tops. Ideally 88-90F is the range. Mine stays about 88-89F and my BCI female (Behira) spends most of her time closer to ambient temps or a little above. My ambient temp in her cage is about 82F, the cool spot is about 78F, and her hot side is about 84-89F (the highest being on the hot spot). The cool spot, IMO, should be 77-78F at the lowest. Ideally 78-80F cool spot, 82-84 ambient (give or take a degree), with a 88-90F hot spot.

Secondly, and again, Richardhind1972, or Phillydubs (who also keeps dwarf Boas), should chime in if able, the humidity, as Richardhind1972 said, is probably a little high. HOWEVER, new keepers often get freaked out about spikes and drops in things like humidity and temperature. Obviously, really not desired with temperature, hence using thermostats (for safety as well), temp gauges, etc. However, things like humidity are much harder to keep in range as seasons and temperatures change.

For example, I keep Behira about 55-65% in the winter and raise to 75-80% for sheds. In the summer, the tank averages 65-70% humidity and I still raise slightly for sheds. However, I take these averages over a long period of time. Weeks or months. Any given day, it can be 75% in her tank in the summer, or 50% in the winter.

I generally do not allow below 50% for more than 1-2 days and get the humidity up fast when it's really dry. However, 55% - 60%, although a little low, is fine for a week (assuming she's not shedding), when it's really dry in the house.

My point is, 80% humidity won't kill your Boa for a day or two. Let things stabilize. For two weeks at 80% +, you potentially are asking for higher risk of an RI, etc., but not for a day or two. Make minor adjustments until you have it better, NOT DRASTIC ADJUSTMENTS!

Drastic changes in humidity, and especially temperature can be dangerous. Small adjustments are not. Take your time, get it dialed in, and slowly and prudently. Too often I see keepers get upset because the hot spot is 87F instead of 89F. They turn the thermostat (or worse the heating device without having a thermostat) up too high and that can kill an animal.

Remember, with humidity, small adjustments over time are fine. Don't do anything drastic, as major adjustments can stress your snake. With temperature, this is especially true; slow and steady wins the race.

Stay calm and keep us in the loop. We are here to help.

Thanks so much for the detailed response. I've lowered the hot spot to 90, and by keeping an eye on the AC I should be able to maintain around 78 which it's at now. Ambient at the warm side is right at 84, phew! So I do think my biggest problem right now is humidity; you're right, I've realized that it's much harder to control than the temps. My plan now is to get some holes drilled in the lid ASAP and hope it won't affect the temps too much (also a bit worried it won't help much at all, we'll see). If that doesn't work, I might switch the substrate out for paper towel or newspaper, or try digging out a fan I know I have somewhere. Crossing my fingers that extra ventilation will be enough!

So I guess the consensus is that constant 80+ humidity is bad, even when the environment is kept clean and dry? I honestly never imagined I'd have trouble with too high humidity, throughout my research I'd come to associate high humidity requirements with high difficulty, lol.

[redshepherd]

As long as the enclosure has good ventilation and the humidity isn't so high that dewdrops are forming, it's fine. High humidity is only a problem when there's poor ventilation or condensation.