how important is humidity to a ball python's health?

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Originally Posted by Teacher's Pet

My issue is the opposite. I'm still trying to increase the humidity because it hovers in the 45% range. I also keep fiddling with the temperature on both sides. First it was way too wide a range (78°-98°!!) and now it's all the same (86°) on both sides.

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You humidity is fine.

Provide a humid hide and don't worry about it.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

RI is an infection but can be broken down to finer classes that all seem to fall under RI, viral infection, pneumonia fungal and bacterial, parasitic.

High humidity and low air flow can lead to RI and others the perfect bacteria breeding ground. Low humidity leads to bad sheds and excessively low for long periods (20% and lower) can cause lung issues although I have never seen any DMV state that low humidity causes RI at least in as far as my reading has gone anyway. Viral is serious and deadly and doesn't respond to treatment well. Fungal is often mistaken as bacterial, can be caused by high humidity and poor ventilation, it can be easily treated. Bacterial is pneumonia is similar but needs a different treatment. Parasitic is not RI at all but has similar symptoms.

Shedding issues unless severe are not life threatening just inconvenient.

ref, What's Wrong with My Snake? Dr. J Rossi
Understanding Reptile Parasites Dr. R Klingenberg

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I'm glad you posted this Alex because I was thinking the same thing - I've seen a lot of issues with too much humidity and just about none outside of difficult sheds with low. Balls are NOT one of the species that need high ambient humidity. Balls do just fine at whatever your humidity is provided a humid area in their enclosure is offered.

To much humidity has to be balanced against ventilation. Without ventilation bacterial issues and RIs can and do occur.

If your humidity is low, don't worry about the macro environment and focus on providing the proper humidity in a micro environment - a humid hide.

It offers all the benefits of a high humidity environment without any of drawbacks.

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Originally Posted by Teacher's Pet

My issue is the opposite. I'm still trying to increase the humidity because it hovers in the 45% range. I also keep fiddling with the temperature on both sides. First it was way too wide a range (78°-98°!!) and now it's all the same (86°) on both sides.

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Pet, work of the temps ignore humidity for now, temps come first. Humidity can be controlled later, often what happens especially with small enclosures misting will cause a big drop in temps and then the keeper compensates but as the humidity drops the temps rise. Get control of the see sawing then deal with humidity, a humidifier if you have a few snakes all the same works well.

Thanks Skip! There maybe some real reports about low humidity out there but I have not seen one yet, I am beginning to feel like it is a myth.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

More ventilation. holes along the top edge are not very efficient. Warm air rises and escapes but allowing cool air in the cycle has to reverse. So the tub breaths in and out. Air holes low and high will allow cool air in and warm to escape.

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Strangely, in my experience, top holes actually reduces humidity - for a simple reason. Humid air is less dense than dryer air, and thus rises. But I guess if the humidity getting sucked in is just as high, then there wouldn't be much difference. Then a lamp works so well..

But then again high humidity isn't too much of a problem unless it gets damp

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Originally Posted by ogdentrece

Strangely, in my experience, top holes actually reduces humidity - for a simple reason. Humid air is less dense than dryer air, and thus rises. But I guess if the humidity getting sucked in is just as high, then there wouldn't be much difference. Then a lamp works so well..

But then again high humidity isn't too much of a problem unless it gets damp

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Interesting I have an old rack with top holes and the humidity gains very very quickly add holes along the lower edge immediately reduced it back down in a few hours. My understanding is that humid air is more dense than dry are and settles low. Like fog over the small hills you can see the fog in the valleys and not on the hill tops. There is evidence that high humidity levels 80+ with low air flow causes lung issues. Condensation occurs when warm humid air meets cool surfaces. It isn't just damp it is low airflow and high humidity levels.

I don't have any humidity problems anymore, when I started I used humid hides and that solved all issues (please, do not used enclosed holes in hides! open ones against the edge.) Now I just have a humidifier in the snake room.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Interesting I have an old rack with top holes and the humidity gains very very quickly add holes along the lower edge immediately reduced it back down in a few hours. My understanding is that humid air is more dense than dry are and settles low. Like fog over the small hills you can see the fog in the valleys and not on the hill tops. There is evidence that high humidity levels 80+ with low air flow causes lung issues. Condensation occurs when warm humid air meets cool surfaces. It isn't just damp it is low airflow and high humidity levels.

I don't have any humidity problems anymore, when I started I used humid hides and that solved all issues (please, do not used enclosed holes in hides! open ones against the edge.) Now I just have a humidifier in the snake room.

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Oh I didn't know that about humidity without dampness causing problems in the lungs! Thanks! Well I guess we all have our ways of dealing with husbandry issues as long as they work for us, its cool right? :banana::banana::banana:

However to address the density of humid air.. I don't want to sound too much of a geek here but this is what I understood, I did google it and I got this answer as well. Air is primarily nitrogen and oxygen, N2 and O2. Molecular masses of 28 and 32 respectively. Water, H2O is 18. Extra gaseous H2O displaces mostly nitrogen and oxygen. All gases have the same molecular density, thus air with more gaseous water, or humid air, should be lighter or less dense and thus rises. At least thats what its supposed to do theoretically hahahha.

Well who knew? I never expected to see that. I grew up with this kind of event so I never questioned what my eyes were seeing.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...er_Springs.jpg

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Well who knew? I never expected to see that. I grew up with this kind of event so I never questioned what my eyes were seeing.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...er_Springs.jpg

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Oh yes about that. I've read it somewhere that fog is different from humid air because the water that results in fog is actually in liquid state not gaseous its just tiny droplets floating around.. and something about it is different. I think of it as a cloud on the ground. But well some are up there high and some are down below, its strange, neither seems to rise or sink. This is pretty interesting actually, I'll be looking it up soon.