Humidity Questions

Hi all!
I just recently got my first Ball Python 9 days ago. He ate a great meal for us 3 days ago and looks like he is getting ready to shed because his color got dull and his eyes look blue. I have him in a 20 gal glass tank with a locking mesh lid. A water bowl big enough for him to soak in if he likes. 2 hides, one on either side of his enclosure a small tree branch structure for him to climb and fake plant to help "clutter" his cage and make him feel like he isn't in a huge open space. I am using snake aspen shavings for bedding. The light I'm using is an exo terra Daylight basking spot 100W light bulb because the 100W Daylight Blue reptile bulb wasn't helping keep his enclosure warm enough. I also have a uth on a thermostat to help keep the tank warm.

Along with any other advice because I'm new, My humidity wont stay over 50% for very long after I mist the enclosure. I have the mesh lid covered with a towel (not under the light) to help keep the heat in, but I don't know what else to do other than mist more. I dont have the ability to put a humidity box in unless I remove one of the hides and replace them with it. I'm also going to be replacing the bedding with a more efficient type that will help with the humidity, I just haven't been out to do it yet.

I had the same problem. Whenever I mist now I also spray the towel until it is damp. The damp towel helped hold the humidity in more than a dry one. It doesn't have to be soaked just damp to the touch.

Place damp moss in each hide. Since the snake stays in the hides most of the time he will constantly be getting the humidity needed. I used this trick and got perfect sheds.

Keeping the damp towel on the mesh will rust it over time. I would cut a cardboard cover in the shape you need to cover the mesh but still allow the light and heat through. Cover the cardboard with foil. This will keep some humidity and heat.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Place damp moss in each hide. Since the snake stays in the hides most of the time he will constantly be getting the humidity needed. I used this trick and got perfect sheds.

Keeping the damp towel on the mesh will rust it over time. I would cut a cardboard cover in the shape you need to cover the mesh but still allow the light and heat through. Cover the cardboard with foil. This will keep some humidity and heat.

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Thank you! I was looking for something to cover the mesh with that would still allow heat and light through! I was thinking about plexiglass or something similar with holes for ventilation but wasn't sure. And great trick on the moss inside his hides!

Hey there! I had the same problem that lead to a lot of stuck sheds for me, and this was a bit of a different approach, but it worked quite well for me :)

Since I had the mesh lid, I decided that the best way to hold in humidity would be by covering it somehow. Like you I used a towel for quite a while, but they don't hold in the humidity very well (although they're better than nothing, for sure). Eventually, I made a bit of a renovation on the lid -
Using large brown paper bags (like the ones you'd get from Whole Foods), I cut out pieces big enough to cover about two thirds of the lid and put some holes in it for ventilation. Then, I taped these to the OUTSIDE (don't want any tape on the inside of the enclosure) of the lid on the cool/humid side. This helps retain moisture on that side.
Also, I ended up switching to coco fiber substrate to help retain humidity better :)

I've been told that some type of plastic, like from a black trash bag would work even better, but it may be a bit unsightly.
So far, I've found this to be a pretty cheap option to help maintain some of the moisture in the tank !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kthoms104

Hey there! I had the same problem that lead to a lot of stuck sheds for me, and this was a bit of a different approach, but it worked quite well for me :)

Since I had the mesh lid, I decided that the best way to hold in humidity would be by covering it somehow. Like you I used a towel for quite a while, but they don't hold in the humidity very well (although they're better than nothing, for sure). Eventually, I made a bit of a renovation on the lid -
Using large brown paper bags (like the ones you'd get from Whole Foods), I cut out pieces big enough to cover about two thirds of the lid and put some holes in it for ventilation. Then, I taped these to the OUTSIDE (don't want any tape on the inside of the enclosure) of the lid on the cool/humid side. This helps retain moisture on that side.
Also, I ended up switching to coco fiber substrate to help retain humidity better :)

I've been told that some type of plastic, like from a black trash bag would work even better, but it may be a bit unsightly.
So far, I've found this to be a pretty cheap option to help maintain some of the moisture in the tank !

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Cardboard covered with foil insulates well and lays nicely on the lid without needing to be taped or secured in any way, so it's easily removed if/when needed.

I ended up doing adding moss in each side of the habitat and adding foil covered cardboard on top of the cage, leaving about 1/3 of the mesh open for light and air. This has worked so much better and my snake had a successful shed!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FinnkaWarrior

I ended up doing adding moss in each side of the habitat and adding foil covered cardboard on top of the cage, leaving about 1/3 of the mesh open for light and air. This has worked so much better and my snake had a successful shed!

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Great!