boosting humidity with moss?

[mainbutter]

I've heard of people using sphagnum moss or something to boost humidity in cages.. how does this work? Do you spray it or something?

I've been thinking of adding some to my snake's cage or building a humid hide. Speaking of which, I've read that a number of different beddings can be used to make a humid hide, anything in particular you would recommend?

[rishnack]

i use moss, the rehydrated bricks of it
i boil water to expand it and kill off anything unwanted (mites mainly)
after it cools i wring it out real good and lay it around the water dish
every now and then (couple days) rinse wring and repeat
you can use more or less and adjust to get humidity where you want it
some people put it in a conatiner with a hole in it for the snake to crawl into
but around the water bowl is good for me i got one female whos prone to scale rot so i dont like her laying on anything moist for very long
hope this helps
oh you can mist it if your in a hurry to it soaks up water like a sponge

[simplechamp]

Anything that can hold and release moisture should work. Sphagnum moss, sponges, moist aspen shavings, moist shredded paper towel. I use a sponge in a deli cup. Not for a humid hide, but just to keep enclosure humidity up.

Whatever you use, make sure to keep the sponge clean or the media changed often. Bacteria likes to grow in a wet environment that provides lots of surface area, but as long as you keep the setup clean, disinfected, and changed out often there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I clean and disinfect my sponge every day or two.

[Blue Apple Herps]

I personally have used cypress mulch with great success to increase the humidity. During where I live, the relative humidity would get down to 30% during the summer, so all my bps live on cypress mulch during the summer.

I do make sure to "fluff" it out several times a week to let plenty of air flow through it.

[L.West]

I recently moved my snake into an RBI cage system with an RHP for heat.

I put two identical Accurite meters inside the cage - one on the cool side and one on the hot side - they both read different humidity levels - which one do I go buy for humidity levels.

Also, how many times can you re-wet the moss stuff before you have to throw it out and replace it?

Thanks.

[simplechamp]

I recently moved my snake into an RBI cage system with an RHP for heat.

I put two identical Accurite meters inside the cage - one on the cool side and one on the hot side - they both read different humidity levels - which one do I go buy for humidity levels.

Also, how many times can you re-wet the moss stuff before you have to throw it out and replace it?

Thanks.

Personally, I would replace the humidity medium every few days. You could use it longer, but the longer you use it the more chance you are taking on breeding bacteria. No point in taking a chance and risking health issues.

That's why I use a sponge. It can be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and reused instead of having to constantly buy moss or other mediums.

[L.West]

What type of sponge should I get. How do you clean it out thoroughly??

Thanks.

[Mr. Constrictor]

I use a car washing sponge because there alot biger then a dish washing sponge. I cut to size, wet it and place it in a plastic take out dish with a little water in the dish.

[L.West]

Mike, how do you clean the sponge out - do you soap it in bleach/water solution and rinse well??

[simplechamp]

I wash and soak in hot water and antibacterial soap. Then flush a bunch of just plain hot water through until all the soap is rinsed away. I would imagine you could use a dilute bleach solution or clor-hex, any disinfectant really, as long as you just make sure to rinse really well. I also like to make sure the water is as hot as my hands can stand!