Cypress Mulch or Coconut Fiber?

[Crazy4Herps]

It's really dry here this time of year; having humidity issues with my darling girl, my entire reason for living. Is it just me, or does it seem like BPs are always either too cold or too hot or fasting or too dry?

Anyways, I mist her cage all the time, but it still drops. I have a large soak bowl under the CHE, and I have plexiglass over most of the screen top. But the humidity is still way too low! And I use aspen, which I love, but it doesn't hold humidity very well.

So, I believe I am going to try a different substrate, at least for the next few dry months. I'm debating between cypress mulch or coconut fiber (Eco Earth brand). If you know of something else that holds humidity well, I'd love to hear it.

How do you guys feel about these substrate options? Have you had any problems with them? Do they hold humidity well? How easy are they to clean?

Pretty much, aspen is all I've ever known...

[Crazy4Herps]

Also, could I mix aspen with either of these substrates?

And, I'd like to get some moss that I can soak in water and put in the cage. What brand should I use? I looked on reptilesupply.com and found a million different kinds of reptile moss... I don't really know what to look for.

[butters!]

in my small time with bps i have noticed that they only need humidity during sheds.since it is winter time the humidity in my houses are around 30%.no amount of misting helps.once i know they are in shed i put moss in there hides and they shed 1000% perfect.they eat well so i am not worried about ambiant humidity.until i learn the hard way i am not worried about it

[butters!]

if you have a lowes or home depot they have long fibered sphagnum moss for around 4 dollars a bag.it should last you all winter if you only have a few snakes

[Enya]

i recommend an ambient humidity of 50-60% and up to 70% during sheds. If this is hard to reach, try making a humid hide out of a tupperware dish and damp papertowel, then your BP can retreat into the hide until you can fix the problem.

[butters!]

do wat you do boo.but thats wat im telling them,a humid hide

[Enya]

As for the problem at hand, you can try using a humidifyer in the room that your snake is in. Having a good humidity level around the tank will help keep the humidity in the tank more stable. Sometimes the "snake room" itself is the biggest problem in terms of temp and humidity. I recently converted my walk in closet into a snake room because everywhere else in the house was either too cold or to dry.But thats just me.

[bja86]

Suran wraping 1/4 to 1/2 of the tank worked for me plus its cheap, also I havent tried ,but using suran wrap misting the bottom of it first, its just a thought.

Also try using a heat lamp with the dish near it or under it,the water will evaporate.