How to get cypress mulch wet, but not WET

[AT6CL]

I found that cypress mulch works best in my glass viv. However, after a week or two, I find that I have to spray every day, then twice a day.

My question is how do I get the mulch as wet as it was when it was fresh out of the bag, but not so wet that it's not healthy.

I've made the mistake of soaking it a little too much and it was CHAOS...temps were too low, humidity was too high, and the snake would not even touch the substrate!!!

TIA
Tony

[lord jackel]

The moisture you are noting is actually caused by decomp. When the wood is compressed (as in freshly cut then bagged and stacked) it decomposes and releases moisture and heat. This is what warms your tank at first and provides humidity.


Once the wood dries out this means all the moisture has left the wood. As you have discovered spraying or soaking the wood just gets it wet it doesn't re-moisturize the wood.

I am not aware of any way to re-hydrate the wood without inducing a lot of mold into the equation.

[daniel1983]

Put a thicker layer of cypress mulch. The top dries quickly, but the bottom usually stays moist. In my rainbow boa enclosures, I use about 1.5" of cypress mulch(pile it in...then smash it down). I mist it slightly once every other day. If the humidity in the enclosure is insufficient, they will go into the mulch and utilize the moisture there.

However, you are keeping ball pythons...not rainbow boas. Since rainbow boas can tolerate a higher substrate 'dampness', they do not have a high risk getting scale rot from this practice. I can not say the same for ball pythons, so be careful with making the substrate too damp.

What is your humidity level without the mulch?

[qiksilver]

in my rainbow enclosure i just run the stream of mist from as sonic humidifier into one of the vents in the back of the cage for a few hours, kinda the hard way to do it, but its works really well

[AT6CL]

Put a thicker layer of cypress mulch. The top dries quickly, but the bottom usually stays moist. In my rainbow boa enclosures, I use about 1.5" of cypress mulch(pile it in...then smash it down). I mist it slightly once every other day. If the humidity in the enclosure is insufficient, they will go into the mulch and utilize the moisture there.

However, you are keeping ball pythons...not rainbow boas. Since rainbow boas can tolerate a higher substrate 'dampness', they do not have a high risk getting scale rot from this practice. I can not say the same for ball pythons, so be careful with making the substrate too damp.

What is your humidity level without the mulch?

If i use too much substrate, won't it affect my temps?

With aspen, the best I can get the humidity is 37%.