keeping humidity up-what the best way?

[toddstj]

Hi everyone,

been lurking here a bit, this is my first post. I have a 10 gal. aquarium that I keep my BP in. The temps. are fine, but I am having a hard time keeping the humidity up. I use a UTH and an overhead heat lamp. I also have a large water dish. I keep a damp towel over one end and spray the substrate with water sometimes, but the humidity is still low. I keep it cool in my apartment, would it be OK to put a damp washcloth in her tank to help with the humidity. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Nice informative forum BTW.

[likebull1]

Welcome.

Your best bet would be to put the water dish over the UTH and put foil over the top of the tank.

Or for better results, ditch the aquarium and get a Tupperware container with an UTH and thermostat.

[Kaorte]

The best way? Using a tub instead of a tank. Humidity is a hard battle to win and if you live in a dry climate than tubs are the best solution.

[stinker2009]

Hi everyone,

been lurking here a bit, this is my first post. I have a 10 gal. aquarium that I keep my BP in. The temps. are fine, but I am having a hard time keeping the humidity up. I use a UTH and an overhead heat lamp. I also have a large water dish. I keep a damp towel over one end and spray the substrate with water sometimes, but the humidity is still low. I keep it cool in my apartment, would it be OK to put a damp washcloth in her tank to help with the humidity. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Nice informative forum BTW.

Get ready for lots of responses saying get rid of the heat lamp lol. For my 10g I kept a lamp but I am just using a normal low wattage bulb so it gives off little if any heat to the enclosure. Ambient temps can usually be kept up simply with a UTH but you said your apartment is cool so I dont know. Cool for me is 76*. I covered the top of the cage with vinyl table cloth, except for about a quarter of it for ventilation. I also have a 2 inch diameter lid that sits on the ground and hold a small balled up, wetted paper towel that I change every day or two. It dries up slowly and i replace it every day or two. Having a washcloth just sitting in the tank seems like it would be a prime breeding ground for bacteria over time. The paper towels are disposable. If you wanna keep the heat lamp then you could try putting the water dish under it so water evaporates quicker, but then you have warm water for your snake.

[toddstj]

thanks for all your responses. I will probably cover one end and try the paper towel. My girlfriend does not want a tub, she likes to see inside. I know the 10g are hard to keep the humidity up. I would like to have a mister, that would spray every few hours to help. It is not really a heat lamp, but just a standard bulb, so not much heat coming off.

thanks all

[Neal]

Several things you can do to raise the humidity.

1.) The heat lamp sucks out humidity.
2.) You stated you keep it cold, which means you probably have to have the heat lamp on higher to compensate for the coldness, if you can bump the temperature up a few degrees then you could turn the heat lamp down which would acquire better humidity readings. I keep it like 72-73° in my house and I keep the heat lamp on half way and it stays 87° or so.
3.) You can cover one end of the tank which allows the humidity to kind of get trapped.
4.) Smaller tub would hold humidity, but you said your gf wouldn't let you.

[Kaorte]

Well the best thing I can tell you is to do a foil treatment on the top of the tank. The easiest way to do this is with a roll of foil tape. Cover 3/4th of the screen top (leave a space for the lamp!) with the foil tape.

There really is no reason to get a mister, those are more used for amphibians and very tropical animals. 50% humidity is possible with a tank, it just takes a little more creativity. What is your substrate? Cypress mulch is usually the best substrate for helping hold humidity. Make sure the substrate is not wet though. It should be completely try aside from light misting.

You can also get a bigger water bowl but do not place it over the UTH. This will only cause the water to evaporate quickly and will make it warm and a breeding ground for bacteria. Place the water bowl in the middle of the tank.

What kind of hides are you using? Some hides tend to absorb moisture from the air. I like to use plastic hides to prevent this.

I know your GF likes the idea of being able to see into the tank, but the reality is that ball pythons hide 90% of the time. They are rarely seen outside of their hides if they are happy and comfortable. I use iris tubs and they are actually very clear. I can see my snakes perfectly fine through the plastic.

If you are still struggling with humidity after the above recommendations, it might be a good idea to think about the tub. When it comes down to it, it is about the snakes well being, not your preferences.

[toddstj]

Well the best thing I can tell you is to do a foil treatment on the top of the tank. The easiest way to do this is with a roll of foil tape. Cover 3/4th of the screen top (leave a space for the lamp!) with the foil tape.

There really is no reason to get a mister, those are more used for amphibians and very tropical animals. 50% humidity is possible with a tank, it just takes a little more creativity. What is your substrate? Cypress mulch is usually the best substrate for helping hold humidity. Make sure the substrate is not wet though. It should be completely try aside from light misting.

You can also get a bigger water bowl but do not place it over the UTH. This will only cause the water to evaporate quickly and will make it warm and a breeding ground for bacteria. Place the water bowl in the middle of the tank.

What kind of hides are you using? Some hides tend to absorb moisture from the air. I like to use plastic hides to prevent this.

I know your GF likes the idea of being able to see into the tank, but the reality is that ball pythons hide 90% of the time. They are rarely seen outside of their hides if they are happy and comfortable. I use iris tubs and they are actually very clear. I can see my snakes perfectly fine through the plastic.

If you are still struggling with humidity after the above recommendations, it might be a good idea to think about the tub. When it comes down to it, it is about the snakes well being, not your preferences.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will give it a try. I am using Aspen for substrate and Half Logs for hides. I have a good size water bowl, I may need to set the tank up differently to make better use of the warm side. This is a great site. Good info here