HELP!!! Humidity problems?

Hi guys, i have a baby bci boa and she is in a cage built by myself. I have no clue what the deal is but its driving me crazy. She had a bad shed recently, and hadnt before. Now shes all wrinkly looking and has some stuck shed. Has been like this for weeks. She has a huge water bowl. Substrate is a mix of topsoil, spagnum moss and cypress mulch. I mist 2x a day. The humidity is at like 50%. Iui ts not a screen top cage. Its made from wood and sealed withna plexiglass front. Im stumped. It has a pro products rhp on a herpstat. She eats fine. I also have a fogger incoukd use on a humidistat if need be. Any tips? Temps are 91 on hot spot, 80 ambient.

Does the viv has any vents ?

Was your humidity at 50% during the shed? Because you should be bumping it up to around ~70 during that time or providing a humid hide. Also being right on the edge of 50% is kinda sketchy, you want to have some cushion room preferably mid 50s.

If the animal doesn’t shed in the first day (it should take like 10-20 mins tops) then it is on you to ensure the stuck shed is removed and not let the snake live in it for weeks on end


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Originally Posted by JibbaJabba

Does the viv has any vents ?

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Yes it has 2 on each side.

I was trying to bump it up but it would go down quickly. I was misting the enclosure. it just seems odd that nothing has changed and suddenly i cant keep humidity up

I have been soaking her but found vetter info on how to deal with that, so will be doing that today. Like i said seems odd i havent had any problems and then suddenly cant keep her humidity up.

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Originally Posted by Newtot

I was trying to bump it up but it would go down quickly. I was misting the enclosure. it just seems odd that nothing has changed and suddenly i cant keep humidity up

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How long have you had her in this enclosure? Also what are you using to measure your humidity? You say, you built this cage yourself, did you make sure it was properly sealed to minimize unwanted airflow?

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Originally Posted by Newtot

Yes it has 2 on each side.

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Cover them up. The gap between the glass is generally ventilation enough especially given the fact that most people keep opening the viv anyway to interact with snake and such.

If you mist your viv and got four vents, the humidity will escape in no time.

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Originally Posted by Newtot

...i have a baby bci boa and she is in a cage built by myself... She had a bad shed recently, and hadnt before. Now shes all wrinkly looking and has some stuck shed. Has been like this for weeks.... Temps are 91 on hot spot, 80 ambient.

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She has "been like this [in her stuck shed skin] for WEEKS" ? That's absolutely horrible care on your part- no offense, but I'd never leave a snake that is truly stuck like that for more than day, let alone "weeks"! :O

I've kept one BCI (in the past, for many years & she was never sick a day) & I'd say your temps are too high. Suitable for a ball python, yes, but not for a BCI. Mine ranged from 88* to 75*, & I also didn't fuss that much about her humidity either (she lived in a huge glass tank with screen top!), & she never had a "stuck shed". (She had a large water bowl, & where I live is humid anyway.)

In order for a snake to successfully shed, it needs good hydration but also good nutrition in order to grow, which is what "shedding" is all about. Your snake should probably be seen A.S.A.P. by a qualified (experienced) herp vet because she may be sick. When was the last time she ate??? I'm betting she's underweight.

If she was here, I'd be soaking her right now in lukewarm water & gently helping to remove the stuck shed. That & calling a vet for an appointment. :(

In case you need to find one: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

One more thing & it could be important: you said she "eats fine", so be sure to get a fresh stool sample for the vet to take a look at. Internal parasites ("worms") are one thing that can cause dehydration & malnutrition that results in bad sheds, & if that's the case, it's not very hard to fix. When a snake is sharing their food & water with parasites, it makes for bad sheds. It could be something else, of course, but this is something that really needs to be checked first & ruled out. ;)

It's not normal for a snake to get "stuck" in shed, & I suspect it's more than a simple humidity issue. But for future reference, if you notice this (or any) snake is going into shed (clouding up), I'd recommend that you hold off on food until after their shed is complete. Both shedding & digestion requires extra hydration from the snake's body, and many snakes just don't "multi-task" very well anyway. It could also be that because your snake is being kept a bit too warm, that if you fed her while she's in shed, that might have been enough to cause this dehydration & stuck shed? -That would be an even easier & nicer fix than parasites, eh? ;)

No she isnt under weight, she never skips a meal. Honestly i had been soaking her thinking she was dehydrated. Inky when i saw the lil skin flakes did i realise it was stuck shed. Im taking care of that now, by soaking for 20 min then using a damp cloth to get it off. Every care sheet inread recommended those temps but i have dropped them as well. I admit that the issue was my fault, im working to resolve it. I have a reptile vet and will be taking her. Thanks

You could give her a humid hide with damp sphagnum moss.

Typically most Boa imperators need average humidity of 60-65% - with about 50% on the warm side/basking spot and about 70-75% on your cool side.

I live in an area that tends to have very low ambient humidity, so even with PVC enclosures I usually have to fight to maintain good humidity levels. I am not a fan of ever soaking a snake unless there's a medical necessity like stuck shed. The usual tricks like large water bowls placed under the heating element to help with evaporation are definitely useful. But so far the best overall solution for me has been deep substrate - like a good 4" of ReptiChip - mixed almost 50:50 with sphagnum moss. Pour water into the substrate and mix it up until it's just slightly damp to the touch. You don't want it to be dripping water if you squeeze it.

Check it during your regular spot cleaning, fluff it up daily, and add about a cup (or more if needed) of water and stir it around again about once a week. That has allowed me to maintain a nice steady 60% in most of my enclosures. My Brazilian Rainbow Boa is a little jungle flower who wants her humidity at 90% or more, but the same strategy has worked with her - it's just that her substrate is a tad deeper and there's a higher ratio of sphagnum moss to ReptiChip.

As soon as any of my snakes show signs of going into shed... ( colours fade , eyes glaze over and disappear under the hides for days on end ) ... I start spraying the viv each day then after a while when they look normal again start spraying two or three times daily ..

100% good sheds each time ...


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