Higher Humidity this year driving me Nuts. 68-70%BP enclosures.

Ive always had Burms and their humidity is better around 70%-72%. Balls Ive learned over the last 3 years are better 50% up to around 60% so thats what Ive kept mine at since 2016 when I got them.
I dont know why Im having a problem this spring, nothing has changed but I cant get their enclosures below 68%-70%. During winter I close off their vents and fill water bowls all the way up because its to dry in the house and that works for 60%. I uncover the vents for summer and fill bowls 1/2 way for 60%. I only use Craft Paper substrate and the only way I can get the humidity to the 50%-55% range is removing the water. Even a tiny bowl makes the humidity sky rocket. I really don’t want to run a dehumidifier as my Burm enclosure would suffer and I already have enough stuff running around here with all these RHP’s, Herpstats, AC etc...
anyone know a Magic Trick to lower Humidity? Hahahaha. This is driving me Nuts!!! Someone tell me I can get away with 68% without any ill effects?


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68 is fine, I guarantee it.
I’ve kept ball pythons in 90% plus and no problem whatsoever. It’s below 55, and they get uncomfortable shedding.

For starters I keep the ceiling fan on in the snake room for mild ventilation.

If I remember, you have AP cages, as do I.

If humidity gets too high, I go into the snake room several times a day and open the doors to the cage/s and point an industrial type fan directly towards one side of the cage at a 45 degree angle and the air escapes out the other end taking humidity with it. I do this for 5-10 minutes or until a snakes tries to escape. This does a rapid quick fix, but the high humidity can bounce back within an hour or two. But repeating this will eventually bring it down to a stable %.

If things are way out of hand with water on the windows and sides, then I barely open the doors on each side of the cages about **1/4 inch.(after doing above step) I check frequently to make sure no one is trying a prison break. Usually within 24 hrs humidity will drop to the 70 ish range. You can do this with or without the fan running.

** only leave the doors agape if they are glass! I’ve had my big Carpets and Boas bend the thick plastic doors permanently and escape. They have also blown the doors out AND the tracks out due to the spring action of the plastic. So this potential may be worse with your Burm.

Other than these tips, you could install adjustable vents.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

For starters I keep the ceiling fan on in the snake room for mild ventilation.

If I remember, you have AP cages, as do I.

If humidity gets too high, I go into the snake room several times a day and open the doors to the cage/s and point an industrial type fan directly towards one side of the cage at a 45 degree angle and the air escapes out the other end taking humidity with it. I do this for 5-10 minutes or until a snakes tries to escape. This does a rapid quick fix, but the high humidity can bounce back within an hour or two. But repeating this will eventually bring it down to a stable %.

If things are way out of hand with water on the windows and sides, then I barely open the doors on each side of the cages about **1/4 inch.(after doing above step) I check frequently to make sure no one is trying a prison break. Usually within 24 hrs humidity will drop to the 70 ish range. You can do this with or without the fan running.

** only leave the doors agape if they are glass! I’ve had my big Carpets and Boas bend the thick plastic doors permanently and escape. They have also blown the doors out AND the tracks out due to the spring action of the plastic. So this potential may be worse with your Burm.

Other than these tips, you could install adjustable vents.

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Hey Reinz nice to hear from ya. The Burm enclosure is perfect. I keep him at 70% anyway. The Balls are whats bothering as others have always said 50-60%. In your reply you mentioned after 24 hrs your Humidity drops to the 70ish range. Is that to say you are generally in that range for Balls?
If so I have nothing to worry about.. in 68-70 but was always 52-60% other years. Maybe its the rain we have gotten this year. Even with the AC on I’m sure the outside humidity could definitely affect things inside.
Ive never had a damp or sweating enclosure. Thats only happened when someone spilled a Bowl. Thanks for your insight. It’s one of those things I can’t get out of my head even when im working. I’m afraid the Albino girl isnt content. When I open the cage she come right out onto my arm day or night. She starts to periscope right away and wants to get down and is crazy inquisitive. Strange for a Ball but she has always been outgoing since a month old. She Is 3 this summer.


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Originally Posted by Reinz

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Also wanted to say the Albino has stopped sleeping in Hides. She’s around 2000+ grams. 4’+ and healthy. She lays out though except when shedding or after eating. Strange to me. She thinks she’s a Burm or Retic hahahaha


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I don't know what you have running as heat sources, but a ceramic heat emitting bulb will drain your humidity. I have to actually have a humidifier set up for my tank because it becomes so dry, lol. Maybe it could balance out the high humidity?

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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

Also wanted to say the Albino has stopped sleeping in Hides. She’s around 2000+ grams. 4’+ and healthy. She lays out though except when shedding or after eating. Strange to me. She thinks she’s a Burm or Retic hahahaha


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Hey Calm, I have an almost six year old 1600 gram plus Clown that rarely hides. 90% time lying out in the open. Only when in shed and like you said after eating. I also have a Hypo Super Enchi, that’s pushing four and he’s also well over 1500 grams. He’s out at least 70% percent of the time, too. I don’t know what to tell you, they didn’t read the ball python manual lmfao. My humidity is around 55 in the summer, unfortunately in the winter I have to run a humidifier. But in Chicago the winters inside get dry. I wouldn’t sweat the non hiding. Even my Pied is starting to get in on the occasional “hey who needs a hide”. They are all kept in tanks in my living room. There’s a pic in my galllery. Hope this helped. Best of luck. But my other six year old guy a 1500 plus gram Black Pastel, he’s like a ghost, never see him unless he’s getting a drink or hungry.

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Originally Posted by royalreilly

I don't know what you have running as heat sources, but a ceramic heat emitting bulb will drain your humidity. I have to actually have a humidifier set up for my tank because it becomes so dry, lol. Maybe it could balance out the high humidity?

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That would work but I don’t want to modify my AP stack.
I run Pro Panels for heat.


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If you're on the east coast it may just be that we're having such a wet year that the ambient humidity is naturally higher in your house, even with the A/C running, than it has been in past years, which equates to higher humidity in the enclosures. It's also been cooler than normal so your A/C may not even run much, which means more humid ambient air.

IIRC from my AP cages, they have no ventilation holes on the sides, only in the back. So, you could try drilling some holes in each side to get more cross-flow ventilation. If you put the holes down low on the cool side, and up high on the warm side, then the cool air from the room will naturally flow into the cool side of the enclosure, get pulled across, get warmed up by the RHP, and then flow out of the enclosure. You can cover up the holes in the winter when your house is cooler and less humid.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

If you're on the east coast it may just be that we're having such a wet year that the ambient humidity is naturally higher in your house, even with the A/C running, than it has been in past years, which equates to higher humidity in the enclosures. It's also been cooler than normal so your A/C may not even run much, which means more humid ambient air.

IIRC from my AP cages, they have no ventilation holes on the sides, only in the back. So, you could try drilling some holes in each side to get more cross-flow ventilation. If you put the holes down low on the cool side, and up high on the warm side, then the cool air from the room will naturally flow into the cool side of the enclosure, get pulled across, get warmed up by the RHP, and then flow out of the enclosure. You can cover up the holes in the winter when your house is cooler and less humid.

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You nailed it. Wet wet wet here in the east this year.
Last night i turned a single fan on, pointed it up a bit and circulated the room. Guess what... My HUMIDITY was to low when i woke up hahahahahaha. So we got a solution, now to add some water to the 1/4 filled bowls and I’ll be Perfect. To funny.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

Hey Reinz nice to hear from ya. The Burm enclosure is perfect. I keep him at 70% anyway. The Balls are whats bothering as others have always said 50-60%. In your reply you mentioned after 24 hrs your Humidity drops to the 70ish range. Is that to say you are generally in that range for Balls?
If so I have nothing to worry about.. in 68-70 but was always 52-60% other years. Maybe its the rain we have gotten this year. Even with the AC on I’m sure the outside humidity could definitely affect things inside.
Ive never had a damp or sweating enclosure. Thats only happened when someone spilled a Bowl. Thanks for your insight. It’s one of those things I can’t get out of my head even when im working. I’m afraid the Albino girl isnt content. When I open the cage she come right out onto my arm day or night. She starts to periscope right away and wants to get down and is crazy inquisitive. Strange for a Ball but she has always been outgoing since a month old. She Is 3 this summer.


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Sorry for the late reply. I checked in yesterday, but didn’t have time to reply.

When, I drop the humidity (H) with the fan, I’m happy if it’s anywhere from the 60s to low 70s. That works for all of my snakes.

I do see the H rise with lots of rainfall, even if the a/c is on.

As as far as water droplets; that happens when I misjudge the water levels in their soaking bowls and they do this- vvvvvvvvvvvv(below)vvvvvvvvv.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8e08b07bba.jpg

I don’t think your BP is necessarily unhappy when periscoping and such. She may just be curious. My 18 year old BP usually comes out of her hide and to the door when I’m in the room. She is just very curious and also wants to come out to play.

My BP doesn’t care for ground hides and never did. When I moved her to a different cage with a Skyhide about a year ago, she took right to it. I’m not saying BPs should have Skyhides, just that that MINE prefers them. And she sure loves to hunt from it too!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...41b2a3b025.jpg
Elvira hunting


I think BCR nailed it with extra vents on the ends. When I got my first PVCs, they were AP copycats. I had high H problems at first. I bought vents to place on the ends, but ended up not needing them.

Sounds like things are much better now, glad to hear it. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reinz

My BP doesn’t care for ground hides and never did. When I moved her to a different cage with a Skyhide about a year ago, she took right to it. I’m not saying BPs should have Skyhides, just that that MINE prefers them. And she sure loves to hunt from it too!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...41b2a3b025.jpg
Elvira hunting

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That picture looks exactly like what my 9 week old male is doing. Same strike pose, except he is on a tree staring down at the new Zilla small humidity hide we got him. There is spanghum moss inside. Does he think there is a rodent in there and is waiting for them to come out? We feed F/T currently

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ranulf

That picture looks exactly like what my 9 week old male is doing. Same strike pose, except he is on a tree staring down at the new Zilla small humidity hide we got him. There is spanghum moss inside. Does he think there is a rodent in there and is waiting for them to come out? We feed F/T currently

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It sounds like he’s waiting to ambush something.

My Carpets do the same thing just staring at the ground.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...172f916938.jpg

I know she would love a Sky Hide but all my AP’s are 2’ tall so that would be a crazy stretch. I removed her PVC climbing branches last fall, she just gotten to big and she kept falling asleep on them then falling in the middle of the night hahahaha. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself after I saw some bruising..


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