Substrate to boost humidity

Was wondering if any of you guys know some good beddings that will help boost the humidity for my ball python? It has been getting colder here especially at night so I started using a heat lamp again. So far the temps have been very nice but I despise heat lamps...reason? They suck all the humidity out of my glass enclosure.

I keep most of the lid covered so I'm already doing that. I use cypress mulch and have used aspen in the past. Cypress mulch works great for me but with the heat lamp now on just might not work anymore :/

anyone know of anything that might work better?

I use "plantation soil" it's mostly coconut husk but it allows me to create a "bio tank" and plant live vegetation. I've only been doing a bio tank for about 2 weeks but my beeps seem to like it.

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Coco fiber substrate like Ecoearth or Reptile Basics works really good for humidity. Mixing some moss in with the sustrate works amazingly as well, I also make a little hedge of moss around all the edges of the tank but the front and spray the moss directly when I spray the tank.

Putting a damp rag on top of the hot hide (Or both if the humidity is low enough, I normally just do this for sheds) works really good as well. Just take it out and rewet it every other day or so and on the days I don't rewet it I just spray the rag directly as well when I spray down the tank

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I use coconut husk mixed with moss and it has done wonders for my humidity, the moss especially. That plus putting a damp rag on top of the screen and covering it has boosted mine to adequate levels with my overhead heating :)

I swear they need to start paying me...

Reptile Prime

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Originally Posted by Plasma

Was wondering if any of you guys know some good beddings that will help boost the humidity for my ball python? It has been getting colder here especially at night so I started using a heat lamp again. So far the temps have been very nice but I despise heat lamps...reason? They suck all the humidity out of my glass enclosure.

I keep most of the lid covered so I'm already doing that. I use cypress mulch and have used aspen in the past. Cypress mulch works great for me but with the heat lamp now on just might not work anymore :/

anyone know of anything that might work better?

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While I hate using it due to its non-sustainability, in my experience, there is not much better than cypress mulch. I don't use coco fiber for ball pythons, but I used to use it (eco-earth) for tokay geckos with a CHE/ heat lamp with tokay geckos before switching them to a larger enclosure. Indeed coco fiber does hold humidity well, in fact, it holds it very well. However, with a CHE or heat lamp, coco fiber dries out fairly quickly. This kind kind of the trade off for CHE and heat lamps, they kill humidity in exchange for an easy increase in ambient temperatures as you note.

If I may offer an alternate suggestion, try using cypress mulch or coco fiber with a radiant heat panel. They are more costly up front, but you'll find over time they save you money. An 80 watt heat panel runs about $90, but you never have to replace the bulb and most likely, the 80 W panel will use less energy than whatever bulb you are using. Their real benefit however, is that they help preserve humidity much better than a CHE or heat lamp.

Lastly they are very easy to "set and forget". If your room temperature fluctuates, as long as your heat panel is set to a thermostat, it will modulate the power so your enclosure stays the same temperature.

cypress mulch, good for controlling humidity and great at absorbing odors. I will never use aspen again.

I bought some Eco earth today that I'll put in Persephone's tank tomorrow morning. I'll see how that is then if her humidity is still a bit low I'll see how some moss works. If none of that is enough (I'm hoping it is and that it should be because it isn't the worst) I'll continue to try some of these answers! Sorry for the late update btw! I'll tell you guys how it goes tomorrow

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Originally Posted by Pezz

I use "plantation soil" it's mostly coconut husk but it allows me to create a "bio tank" and plant live vegetation. I've only been doing a bio tank for about 2 weeks but my beeps seem to like it.

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I've been wanting to try one of those but haven't seen too much about them and all

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Originally Posted by Pezz

I use "plantation soil" it's mostly coconut husk but it allows me to create a "bio tank" and plant live vegetation. I've only been doing a bio tank for about 2 weeks but my beeps seem to like it.

Sent from my LG-M151 using Tapatalk

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I've been wanting to try one of those but haven't seen too much about them and all

I personally buy bricks of coconut husk which holds humidity quite well and doesn't mold.

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Originally Posted by SDA

I swear they need to start paying me...

Reptile Prime

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Right?! lol

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Reptile-prime

Cypress mulch all the way. In the winter when I need a boost I put a shallow dish with damp sphagnum moss in both corners (so the bedding isnt constantly wet)

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Originally Posted by SDA

I swear they need to start paying me...

Reptile Prime

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Originally Posted by oodaT

Right?! lol

e

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agreed! Reptile prime ALL THE WAY!

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

when I need a boost I put a shallow dish with damp sphagnum moss in both corners (so the bedding isnt constantly wet)

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This needs to be told a lot more. You do not and should not need to keep substrate damp. It promotes bad bacteria, mold, yeast, etc and is not good for a snake to live on. Sphagnum moss in clumps in the corners does an amazing job to get humidity where it needs to be and keeps your cage from being a swamp ;)

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Originally Posted by SDA

This needs to be told a lot more. You do not and should not need to keep substrate damp. It promotes bad bacteria, mold, yeast, etc and is not good for a snake to live on. Sphagnum moss in clumps in the corners does an amazing job to get humidity where it needs to be and keeps your cage from being a swamp ;)

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Thanks! I should also mention that I change the moss regularly and soak the dishes in mild bleach before running them through the dishwasher once a week on the hot cycle (no soap) to rinse. :gj: