Humidity problem and sheding

Hello im having a problem with getting the humidity is between 50 to 60. I have a Vision cage with cypress substructure and a heating pad on the warm side of the cage. I have a water dish and also sweat box in there for him. Here is a picture of his home. He hasn't shed a whole piece since i put him in this new home.

also i was wondering does anybody know how good those Infrared tempture guns are better than using the other tempture guages

I don't think you posted the picture..:-\ Anyway, temp guns are a great thing. I have one, and rely on it more than anything else. Those "stick on" thermometers aren't very reliable AT ALL imho.

As for the humidity, the cypress mulch should be helping the it alot. What is the humidity right now in the vision?

it's at 42% right now it's a 36x28x18 cage. i have a heat pad on i got with the cage but i don't know how to raise the temp and humidity?

I'm having the same problem. I just got this snake from my brother who didn't take very good care of it. He's feeding but looked a little dehydrated. I bought a bigger water dish that he could soak in but he doesn't seem to use it, and a bigger hide that is a rock dome with an opening on the side. Should I get small and shallow water dish to put inside the hide?

Runit, try doing what the vet told me to do for my dehydrated bp: soak it for an hour a day in tepid water (tepid = not cold to your touch and definitely not warm to your touch -- that's too hot). You can do it in a bathtub, but because it should be prevented from escape, it's a lot easier to do it in an appropriately-sized Rubbermaid or similar container with a lid.

The depth should be about equal to the snake, and if the snake appears to be weak or lethargic as dehydrated ones will get, put something clean and heavy in that it can rest its head on (coaster, stone, saucer, whatever), so that it doesn't have to fight to keep its head above water. It's okay if the snake puts its head below water (and it probably will), but it shouldn't have to work hard to keep its head above.

ballpythonandragon, do you have a water dish in your cage? if so, is it made of a heat conducting material (ceramic, glass, terra cotta, etc.) and placed at least partly on the heat source? if not, give that a try. if so, other ways to boost humidity are to add another water dish, mist the cypress daily, and/or put a clean, damp sponge in the cage. Also, under tank heaters seem to work better for humidity than lights, so if you have any lights you may want to cut them off or switch to lower wattage and make adjustments to your heat sources to keep the temps right.

after he's in the bath for an hour, the water is pretty cool. Almost like he pulled all the warmth out of it. Is this ok, or should I find a way to keep the water warm longer?? I don't think he likes a bath. But his skin lookes better now. Maybe I'm just paranoid because he's my first snake. I don't want him to get sick and die. Any other help for a newbie would be welcomed! Thanks
-Andy

Nope, that's okay as long as it's not in too cold an area. If the ambient (room) temps are low, you might want to put it on top of a couple inches of heating pad. Chances are that he'll be more comfortable with it after a bath or three and will actually head for the water once he can feel it on his tail. He will absorb some of the water through his skin and should start to feel better in just a few days, but my vet told me to do it for a couple of weeks.

My BP finally shed, but it was last night whene i wasn't looking. It wasn't all in one solid skin. I found chunks around and inside his hide. He seems to be alot more alert now and not so blind. Thanks, marla, I think soaking him really helped. I also misted the inside of the cage twice a day to keep the humidity up around 60-70%(I think my meter is off, I need a digital one ;) ).

Runit, I'm sure he feels better now. A digital meter is definitely a good idea when you can pick one up, but low-tech soaking is good too. I'm glad it helped. :)

Next time when you see his eyes go blue/grey, you know it's time to bump up the humidity and/or start the soaks. If the snake is actually dehydrated (is the skin loose? any denting to the eyes? is it lethargic?), it would be a good idea to keep the soaking up until it looks better or eats again.

I'm having a hard time keeping the humidity up too. I'm using a 30 gallon long glass tank with reptile bark, a cermanic water dish, and a large hide-hut. The temp on the hot side is about 80 degrees average, but the humidity is around 40%. I use a infared light 24/7. I think it's too dry for my ball in there. She's never had a complete shed, and it always come off in blotches. I just gave her a bath, I think that helps. What should I do?

~BallPython713 8)

The temps on the warm side are about 10-12 degrees too low. Do you have an UTH (under tank heater)? I'm sure that just using the light bulb is the reason it is so low. Light's also dry out the cage in my experiences, so if you could, get two 10 gallon UTH's, and get rid of the light. Put one on the warm end on medium heat, and one on the cool end on low heat. The temps need to be about 78-82 on the cool side, and about 87-92 on the warm side. If your ball python gets too cold, it could cause a respiratory infection. How are you monitoring these temps/ humidity?

Do you have a screen lid for the cage, or..? There are several things you can do to bump the humidity up (which needs to be around 50%-60%, and up to 75% when she is in shed). Let me know. :)

Jennifer

How are you measuring your temps and humidity? If you don't know for a fact that they're right, you should get something accurate to tell you.

If your readings are right, get rid of the light altogether or switch it to a lower wattage (40 or 50) and that should be a good start. Next, make sure you have an under tank heater or human heat pad (without auto shutoff) to provide heat and get those warm side temps up 10 degrees on the floor. Put the ceramic water dish partly on the UTH/heatpad, and the hide partly on it, too. Add another hide on the cool side, which should be about 80F on the floor. If you have a screen top for your tank, cover 1/2 to 3/4 of it with a non-porous material (plastic sheeting, duct tape, saran wrap, wax paper, etc.) to help hold the humidity in.

LOL, Jennifer. Great minds and all that.

;) They work alike and consistently, eh?

Something like that. ;)

Thanks for all the input. I have two ZooMed thermometers (one on the warm end and one on the cool end), and a ExoTera hydometer (stationed in the middle). I also have a screentop. I had heard that my ball might be getting syntoms of RI so I'll make sure I increase the heat/humidity.

Are the ZooMed thermometers those stick on kind? If they are, they aren't really accurate, especially if they aren't "snake level" (i.e, about an inch above the substrate). I would really suggest buying a temperature gun, as well as a UTH with a rheostat or thermostat on it, so you know the EXACT temps you are distributing to the ball python.

Good luck. :)
Jennifer

Could I still use a low watt regular household bulb for a display light?

Yes, but you will have to make sure you maintain proper photo periods for the snake if you do -- 9 to 12 hours a night and on all day. Alternatively you can use UV, infrared, or black light and leave it on as much as you want.

Soaking your snake in warm water for 30-45mins every 5 days is a good practice, shedding or not. I also don't think that a humidity level of 45 is bad at all when not in a shed, 75-80 is good while shedding. In the summer, I soak my snakes in Gatorade every 3-4 weeks just to make sure that they ain't dehydrated. These are my personal practices, I've had exceptional results with them but you may choose to go by the book.

But Gatorade is for gators!

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Originally Posted by Marla

But Gatorade is for gators!

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LOL...that just shows how much you know about snakes.

Does it matter what flavor you use? What if you use the blue kind, is it gonna stain the snakes scales? :P

Oh yeah, and is there a certain flavor that has too much sugar or something in it that will give the snake an ill effect?

Thanks,
Jennifer

I know about electrolytes. I was just making a play on words.

:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by emroul

Does it matter what flavor you use? What if you use the blue kind, is it gonna stain the snakes scales? :P

Oh yeah, and is there a certain flavor that has too much sugar or something in it that will give the snake an ill effect?

Thanks,
Jennifer

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No, it doesn't matter what flavor you use, they do stain the snake to an extend but it's harmless. If you don't want your snake stained or are worried about the sugar use PediaLyte.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marla

I know about electrolytes. I was just making a play on words.

:)

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Sorry, I didn't know you were joking.

Guess that'll teach me to forget the winking smiley, eh? ;)