Humidty.. some say more some say less.. can someone clear it up?

Ok, so I recently started a post about my friends ball python that has an apparent upper respiratory infection.. now after some googling etc, I posted here asking for advice and got a lot of great responses. One thing I was curious about is that some (not just here but from google) said raise the humidity up to 80% etc and some said drop it real low... so whats the deal, lower or higher?

Hi,

Higher - it helps break up the mucus.


dr del

when my female albino had it my vet told me to raise it up to 80% and raise the temp of the enclosure up also.

From what I've hear, RI is caused by low humidity.
So making the humidity higher would make sense to me. Though, I keep my humidity around 70%-80% normally. :)

Hey guys, thanks for the responses, I did/am raising the humidity, I was just curious as to what others think.. Also this thread isn't targeted toward RI just hidity levels in general and why.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fredanthony

Hey guys, thanks for the responses, I did/am raising the humidity, I was just curious as to what others think.. Also this thread isn't targeted toward RI just hidity levels in general and why.

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RI is caused by humidity that is too low. However, a lot of people are under the misconception that humidity that is too high will also cause an RI. That is not (exactly) the case.

The only time a snake will get a respiratory infection from high humidity is when the humidity is so high that there is condensation in the enclosure. Basically, if there is no condensation, the humidity could be as high as 90%, it doesn't matter. Just so long as it doesn't drop below 50% and doesn't create condensation.

And the advice everyone has given is good - raise humidity, and maybe bump the temps up a touch too. :)

Here's an example.. the subject is RI and humidity, if you read though the last few pages you'll posts back and forth.. some saying higher, some say lower..

Condensation in a bin is perfectly fine and will NOT cause a respiratory infection.
Just like humans; if a person has a cough, you turn on the humidifier overnight. Extra humidity.

Raise the humidity keeping the lung and Upper respiratory tract mucosa moist will help them both breath and expel any excess mucus.

Ri can be caused in ball pythons by a whole list of things from injury to stress..the cause of the RI should be corrected as aggressively as the RI itself ..