humidity question

well im just wondering if keeping the humidity at 70-80% when my snake is not shedding is ok.

i'd drop it down to about 65 or 70 when it's not shedding.

even as low as 50 but no higher than 70 on a regular basis
any more or any less will cause RI's

and ask people who know, ri's are no fun at all.

I thought temp was the most important factor in RI's? My humidity is usually around 55% or so, but at times when I need to raise the temp of the tank the humidity can drop to 40%. How bad is this?

Well, lower would simply cause awful sheds and dehydration. Most likely below 45 for any extended period will result in dents in the snake's eye due to dehydration. And, yes, it is rumored that sustained high humidiy over 70% will cause RI, this is false. I too believed it, but have gotten good evidence against it. For one, RI is caused by bacteria in the lungs. Which result in excess mucas building up in the lungs. This could be mistaken with high humidity because that might result in fluids in the lung as well.

But, I've seen arguments from long time herpers who keep theirs at a constant 80% humidity. Quite remarkably too, they are terrific eaters. Thereby supporting my hypothesis that higher humidity levels will result in better feeding. (When my other two cages are built I will be able to perform a full fledged experiment)

The bps have not gotten RI, seem to be in excellent health, and love the environment. Would I advise a constant 80%? No, not yet. But it may not be as harmful as we've come to believe, could very well be helpful.

The hygrometer in my bps cage reads 30-40 whenever I check it, and I mist it daily. Is this going to be a problem?

glass tank, screen top for now. I am wondering if I can modify the lid to hold humidity better w/o sacrficing airflow.

Definitely. Cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the screen top with anything impermeable, such as duct tape, foil, saran wrap, plastic dropcloth, or even waxed paper and watch your humidity improve. :)

I'm with John. My bp is more active and has a stronger feeding response when I keep the humidity between 70-80%. It seems logical that RI could become an increased factor if you kept humidity higher AND kept a dirty environment.

High humidity, heat, and the presence of fecal matter is a great recipe for bacterial growth! So, if you want to keep higher humidity, don't forget to keep your cages meticulously clean.

K

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ken

I'm with John. My bp is more active and has a stronger feeding response when I keep the humidity between 70-80%. It seems logical that RI could become an increased factor if you kept humidity higher AND kept a dirty environment.

High humidity, heat, and the presence of fecal matter is a great recipe for bacterial growth! So, if you want to keep higher humidity, don't forget to keep your cages meticulously clean.

K

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Ok I'm hearing two contradicting statements in this thread, so I guess I just need some clarification -

High humidity increases the chance of getting a RI, due to conditions that facilitate bacterial growth. But someone also said low temp/humidity can cause a RI too because it weakens the boids immune system.

I think we need some numbers here, as in the IDEAL % humidity for a BP.

Low temps cause RI, as does bacteria from poorly cleaned cages. High humidity is good, but can be bad IF the snake already has RI.

Lets put it this way. High humidity + dirty cage + poor temps = recipe for resp. infection.

And high humidity + good temps + clean cage = healthy snake.