humidity help!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kitedemon

Skip has the simple solution humid hides. Type of heating does not change humidity the amount and location of air flow and size and position of the water bowl does. Lamps only alter humidity because they are often mounted in such a way that they increase air flow, that is all.

---

Disagree. I switched from a 75 to 100 watt bulb a couple months ago to try to keep the heat up over the winter. Afterwards I noticed an immediate drop in humidity (about 15%). Like I said I didnt change anything other than my bulb and still saw a significant humidity drop within a few hours. Another reason I believe the bulb is to blame is that over night when I shut the bulb off I can easily maintain 40% with no misting.
As far as your humidity problem goes, I'm not sure where you live but I know for me living in the Midwest I have humidity problems over the winter too. I have found that part of this is caused by the dry air produced by having my furnace on. About the only thing I've found successful is to do what Skiploader said: try to maintain the 40% humidity, keep moist moss in the hide boxes and just tough it out till spring.

Humidity is a product of heat, evaporation (water vapour) and air flow. I think, by changing the bulb, you changed the heat and movement of the air and never rebalanced the system (larger water bowl different location and or altering the way the air moves.

If you take a air tight box at a given humidity and add a uth to it raise the temp to 90º and measure the humidity and then exactly repeat the conditions using a bulb inside (still air tight) the humidity will be the same as the uth. The fact a bulb it there will not change the humidity it is not absorbent and will not draw out water from the air. Bulbs change air flow patterns that is the difference. That can be changed by changing the vents on the enclosure.

I kept a completely open screen tank in a room at 30% humidity with bulbs at a constant 80% with nothing more than water bowl size and placement and altering the air flow pattern with fins on the top. No substrate at all and no foil top or anything of that sort. Just a pan of open water that needed to be refilled every few days. (not for snakes but for stabilized humidity of paper.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kitedemon

Humidity is a product of heat, evaporation (water vapour) and air flow. I think, by changing the bulb, you changed the heat and movement of the air and never rebalanced the system (larger water bowl different location and or altering the way the air moves.

If you take a air tight box at a given humidity and add a uth to it raise the temp to 90º and measure the humidity and then exactly repeat the conditions using a bulb inside (still air tight) the humidity will be the same as the uth. The fact a bulb it there will not change the humidity it is not absorbent and will not draw out water from the air. Bulbs change air flow patterns that is the difference. That can be changed by changing the vents on the enclosure.

Ok, I see what your saying. I never thought of it that way, I'm might have to try a little rearranging.
I kept a completely open screen tank in a room at 30% humidity with bulbs at a constant 80% with nothing more than water bowl size and placement and altering the air flow pattern with fins on the top. No substrate at all and no foil top or anything of that sort. Just a pan of open water that needed to be refilled every few days. (not for snakes but for stabilized humidity of paper.)

---

Reply fail (dumb phone).

@Kitedemon
I see what your saying now. I never considered that, I think I've got a little rearranging to do ;)

I have several suggestions. I live in Western Montana which is very dry and cold. I'm buying a new baby ball python in a few months, and I wanted to make sure I can provide the proper cage temperature and humidity before she arrives, so I've been experimenting with different methods.

First of all, I would suggest switching from an aquarium to a plastic tub. I know it sounds odd, but in nature ball pythons like small sheltered hiding places, so a shallow plastic tub is actually ideal. A Rubbermaid or Sterilite tub will also retain a higher humidity level on average because moisture cannot evaporate through the lid. It will also allow you to do away with any ceramic heat lamps or other basking bulbs (which greatly reduce humidity). Here is a helpful tutorial (which I did not create) if you are interested in this option: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...my-Ball-Python

If you don't want to switch to a tub there are several other things you can do. Switch to a substrate made of coconut fiber, as it will retain moisture better than aspen. Covering half of the cage with a towel will keep some of the humidity contained. Using an Ultratherm Heat Pad as the primary source of heat will also reduce rapid evaporation. Be sure to provide a large water bowl so your snake has the option to soak. Providing humid hides can also help.

Hope this helps :)