How often do you have to mist/spritz your enclosures?

Also, if you could please reply with what type of region you live in, and what you use for a substrate.

I am finding that I have to mist my snake's tank twice a day! I live in New England, which is a bit dry this time of year I guess, and I use Eco Earth for bedding, with a good amount of sphagnum moss.

I'd like to get this working better, but I'm also curious about what you do with your snakes! :)

I don't have to mist at all (during shed I have to but normally I do not)

I live in Florida so that plays a big role in it, The other main factor is the PVC cages that I use. The PVC cages hold in the heat and humidity very well and use Flexwatt or Radiant Heat Panels to provide the proper temperatures (neither kill humidity)

I use either corrugated wrap or paper towels for my substrate

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0458.jpg

I do have a automated misting system but I only use it during shed. (the misting system consists of a mist king pump/nozzle system and my Herpstat 4/ Herpstat humidity sensor)

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Originally Posted by paperaith

Also, if you could please reply with what type of region you live in, and what you use for a substrate.

I am finding that I have to mist my snake's tank twice a day! I live in New England, which is a bit dry this time of year I guess, and I use Eco Earth for bedding, with a good amount of sphagnum moss.

I'd like to get this working better, but I'm also curious about what you do with your snakes! :)

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From California where it's always dry.
I never have to mist, but that's because I use a tub/rack set up with newspaper substrate. Humidity has never been an issue.

Tub>Tank;)

I live in CT and have never had to mist since switching over to a rack. When i had them in tanks, ohhhh boy that was a whole other story lol...

Thanks for the replies. I like the tank for aestetics, so I don't really mind the maintenence that much, but it would be nice to only have to mist once a day or so. Then again, I was in a pinch when she arrived and ended up getting an analog hygrometer so it might not be 100% accurate...but I bet it's fairly close. I usually get it up to about 60% and it falls to around 40% by the end of the day.

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Originally Posted by paperaith

Thanks for the replies. I like the tank for aestetics, so I don't really mind the maintenence that much, but it would be nice to only have to mist once a day or so. Then again, I was in a pinch when she arrived and ended up getting an analog hygrometer so it might not be 100% accurate...but I bet it's fairly close. I usually get it up to about 60% and it falls to around 40% by the end of the day.

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Cover 90% of the tank screen with foil or a damp towel.
Are you using a heat lamp too? Lamps suck out humidity like a sponge

I don't have to mist at all.....anymore. When I had an overhead lamp I was misting 2 times a day. I now have flex watt and I don't have to mist at all. I live in Oklahoma.

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Originally Posted by paperaith

Thanks for the replies. I like the tank for aestetics, so I don't really mind the maintenence that much, but it would be nice to only have to mist once a day or so. Then again, I was in a pinch when she arrived and ended up getting an analog hygrometer so it might not be 100% accurate...but I bet it's fairly close. I usually get it up to about 60% and it falls to around 40% by the end of the day.

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That's why I use the PVC cages, they have the aesthetics of a tank, with the ease of a tub!

I only mist when in shed mostly. Winter months get dry so i mist few times a week but as summer comes, I never mist as humidity stays 45-55 in snake room

I live in NY. Have tanks n I mist twice a day but i dont mind. I enjoy taking care of my lil boy :)

aspen bedding too

I have tubs with flexwatt and my water dish provides all the humidity I need.

Yeah, there is a heat lamp and we have a towel covering most of the screen top (except where the lamp is).

Maybe I should move a water dish on the warm side? Flexwatt seems like the way to go!

Then again so do PVC cages, but I can't afford to make the switch right now. hehe

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Originally Posted by paperaith

Yeah, there is a heat lamp and we have a towel covering most of the screen top (except where the lamp is).

Maybe I should move a water dish on the warm side? Flexwatt seems like the way to go!

Then again so do PVC cages, but I can't afford to make the switch right now. hehe

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Moving the dish will add humidity. Also getting a larger sized dish will help too.

I don't really mist since I use tub setups that seem to keep themselves at the proper humidity without my help. :gj: Once in a while I'll do a couple idle spritzes just to feel like I'm doing something, hehe. Humidity always stays 60-75%. Perfect sheds.

I use tanks, and Eco earth. But I don't mist I pour water and mix everything around stays moist for alot longer and doesn't need to spray as much, never had a problem shedder.

I mist about once or twice a week for my one 20 gal tank, and I mist 2-3 times a day during shed. I dont have to mist my racks at all except once a day during shed.

Cypress in the tanks, foil covered tops. Newspaper in the tubs.

I live in Iowa where it is fairly dry. I have a tank setup and I never have to mist. For my ball python I use reptibark and the humidity is actually a little high and for my jungle carpet python i use cypress and I never have to mist. I would really suggest what satomi said and cover the top of your tank with aluminum tape, and if you use cypress as well I promise you won't have problems with humidity. Also, are you using a digital humidity gauge or a dial from a pet store?

-Alex

I use tubs in a rack system. I have to drill holes in the tub to remove humidity.

I currently live in Virginia but am moving back to Florida, where I'll probably have to drill even more holes...

I live in PA, during winter it's 20-30% humidity and it shoots up to 50-70% in the summer. I covered my tank with a large, thick towel and during the winter I had to dampen the towel every day and refresh the substrate every other. Quetzal's on about 1in of substrate on the warm side, 3in on the cool side (so he can burrow). Now that it's summer it's been about a week and humidity's still 60% (started at 70 because of shed). Outside of shed I'll probably be able to remove the towel and leave off misting when summer really picks up.

Forgot to mention, substrate is coconut husk.

You left off the best option, no misting at all...:)

We have all of ours in tubs in racks and we never have to mist and almost always get 1 piece sheds.
If you push the water bowl back over the hot spot for the shed period it helps with humidity in any type enclosure.

I live in Florida, mist once a day and twice during shed...Mine's in a glass tank with aspen bedding and the heat source is a lamp on a timer.

Honestly I could probably get away with misting less, but he seems glossier and healthier if I do it at least daily. I'm sure the lamp sucks a lot of moisture out of the air.

I run a humidifier and space heater in the snake room. Temps stay at 85 and humidity sticks at around 65%. I use cypress and i have freedom breeder racks. I mist my racks once a week due to the way freedom breeders are vented. Now i have made blocker covers to block a good portion of the vents to hold better humidity. I mist with a 2 gallon pump sprayer because of the amount of cb70 tubs in my freedom breeders.

I live in Florida and try to keep my windows open when I'm home, so humidity is pretty regular. I do mist, though. Usually once a day or every other, just because My BRB gets it all the time. It's a quick step over to the tanks.

I live in Florida

I use a tank, and have a heat pad and heat lamp. Lamp during the day, heat pad at night.

Even with the heat lamp on, usually my humidity isn't below 40% (except the occasional cold snap in the winter when it drops to 35%) I maybe mist once a day to keep the humidity closer to 50 or 60% and have a wet wash rag over one side of the screen top. I use Reptibark for substrate.

During shed, I just use the heat pad during the day and ditch the lamp. I've had pretty good luck with this system as far as shedding goes.

I have many of the snakes in a snake room that is humidified to 60% I never mist there. There is a side turned tank and a PVCx enclosure in my bed room and my office. The bedroom is in the winter at about 28% RH and the office is 14% RH. I live in NS Canada north of the OP. I use eco earth and large water bowls I mist about once a week maybe. Humidity comes from the water bowl and substrate. NOT the snake! Reducing ventilation can lead to health issues. I use the take that water bowl away test for ventilation. If I remove the water bowl with mostly dry substrate I expect to see the enclosure's RH drop to the rooms RH or close in 2 hours or less. Mine this happens in under one hour.

I keep hearing over and over bulbs kill humidity. For the record glass does not absorb any appreciable amount of water nor does metal or most ceramic sockets. They only change air flow patterns it remains a matter of balance.

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I keep hearing over and over bulbs kill humidity. For the record glass does not absorb any appreciable amount of water nor does metal or most ceramic sockets. They only change air flow patterns it remains a matter of balance.

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It's not the glass or whatever that kills humidity, its the type of heat being deployed from the light bulb. Radiant heat I think is the type we're talking about.

True though glass doesn't absorb moisture either though.

Edit: Actually it might be that fact that there are light photons involved that kill the humidity, not the method of heat transfer at all. Heat pads have radiant heat too and they don't kill humidity, but heat pads also have alot of conduction.

Jack photons? that would mean there is always low humidity outside. Sorry it is just the way that bulbs are placed nothing more than that. Airflow makes a big difference. RPH are installed inside usually with out through venting. Bulbs usually have through venting. A double walled bulb housing and the issue is about the same as any other system.

I live in Minnesota and it wildly varies how often I have to mist Snickers' tank.

It the winter it as dry as hell here even with an expensive humidifier in the house running. Snickers' tank gets misted once every night in the winter unless she goes into a shed in the middle of winter which is horrible because then we have to mist her tank down 4-5 times a day until she actually sheds.

During spring, summer, and fall her tank never has to be misted unless she is going into a shed and then 1 mist a day is sufficient for her to have a clean shed.

Winter here is a horrible biotch though.

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Jack photons? that would mean there is always low humidity outside.

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Yeah I answered my own questions in another thread. Photons it isn't. It has to do with how the different items heat the respective areas. Light bulb heats air, tank, stick and snake, UTH heats mostly tank and snake on top of it. That is- heat transfer from the UTH to the air is minimal.

Zoomed reptifogger using DISTILLED water on a digital timer works magic. I set mine to go on for 10 minutes every hour. Only thing you have to do then is mist once a day or every 2 days on moss and refill the zoomed bottle with distilled water when it runs low. You can even use a 2 liter bottle or large Fiji water bottle on the zoomed reptifogger as a replacement bottle.

I'm in Canada Alberta and I mist once or twice a day. It's pretty dry here!


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I live in Florida and I used to have to mist everyday sometimes even twice a day since I have a tank, but I switched over to eco earth and that helped out a lot with the humidity. After about a month or so it starts to dry out (the humidity will be around 30%) and I'll just pour a pitcher of water into the substrate, let the heat lamps dry it up a little bit and that usually fixes it. According to my AcuRite, my humidity is always between 50%-70% without misting thanks to that one little trick, but after about 2 months I'll clean the tank and put some new eco earth in. I'm too scared I'll grow some kind of fungus if I keep the substrate for longer than 2 months.

I live in Missouri, have a tank (30 gallon), paper towels for 'substrate' and mist twice a day. I cover most of the top with a damp towel, but I use a heat lamp so it gets dry on the warmer side. I would like to never have to mist but I don't mind it too much. I enjoy checking on Fuzzy and just watching what s/he does.

This snake has been like my baby. I constantly worry when there's no need to worry. But this snake is the one that got me over my fear of snakes, so its all new.

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Originally Posted by Superpop

I live in Minnesota and it wildly varies how often I have to mist Snickers' tank.

It the winter it as dry as hell here even with an expensive humidifier in the house running. Snickers' tank gets misted once every night in the winter unless she goes into a shed in the middle of winter which is horrible because then we have to mist her tank down 4-5 times a day until she actually sheds.

During spring, summer, and fall her tank never has to be misted unless she is going into a shed and then 1 mist a day is sufficient for her to have a clean shed.

Winter here is a horrible biotch though.

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Why wouldn’t you just use a humid hide in this situation?

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Originally Posted by Chris0445

Why wouldn’t you just use a humid hide in this situation?

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Nobody has posted on this thread for 3 years...

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Originally Posted by Chris0445

Why wouldn’t you just use a humid hide in this situation?

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You are asking a question to someone that posted on 03-25-2012 (over 6 years ago) and has not been on the forum since 2013