Humidity box timing

If you use a humidity box (tub with moss inside that you put in the enclosure) to help with shed, when do you put it in the enclosure? Do you put it in the second you see their eyes are turning blue, or do you wait until the period after the blue phase and before the actual shed comes off go put it inside? Or are both of these wrong and you put it in at a different time?


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In my naturalistic cages I keep the moss in them all the time.

Before I had a snake room I would wet it and let it dry before wetting again. That was the cycle regardless if the snake was in shed.

Now being I have a snake room I don't have to do that but still leave moss in most my hides. I will at times mist the moss but not always. I leave the moss in there for added security. I got two hanging cave hides that were too large for the snakes I got them for so I made them "smaller" with a good amount of moss in each one.

I will also just place clumps of moss in my cages for concealment. I use moss often.

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Originally Posted by EthanMG

If you use a humidity box (tub with moss inside that you put in the enclosure) to help with shed, when do you put it in the enclosure? Do you put it in the second you see their eyes are turning blue, or do you wait until the period after the blue phase and before the actual shed comes off go put it inside? Or are both of these wrong and you put it in at a different time?


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My humid hides are in the enclosures 24/7, but you could also put them in right when you see the start of a shed. Snakes don't improve their hydration "instantly"- so the earlier start is preferable.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

My humid hides are in the enclosures 24/7, but you could also put them in right when you see the start of a shed. Snakes don't improve their hydration "instantly"- so the earlier start is preferable.

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I have read in many places not to keep the humid hide in the enclosure 24/7 because they can stay inside too long because they like it and they end up getting scale rot. Is that true?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by EthanMG

I have read in many places not to keep the humid hide in the enclosure 24/7 because they can stay inside too long because they like it and they end up getting scale rot. Is that true?


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Letting the moss dry out between rewetting keeps that from happening. I would let my moss get good and dry before adding water. Only during a shed did I keep it moist.

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Originally Posted by KMG

In my naturalistic cages I keep the moss in them all the time.

Before I had a snake room I would wet it and let it dry before wetting again. That was the cycle regardless if the snake was in shed.

Now being I have a snake room I don't have to do that but still leave moss in most my hides. I will at times mist the moss but not always. I leave the moss in there for added security. I got two hanging cave hides that were too large for the snakes I got them for so I made them "smaller" with a good amount of moss in each one.

I will also just place clumps of moss in my cages for concealment. I use moss often.

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I have some trouble with humidity so I put a 6 inch in diameter and about 3 inches deep bowl filled with hydrated sphagnum-moss in my enclosure. I thought it would help the humidity but it does nothing. Do you know why that is? I do have a screen top, but it’s covered except where the CHE is. The CHE is on my cool side and my spagnum moss is on the other side.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

Letting the moss dry out between rewetting keeps that from happening. I would let my moss get good and dry before adding water. Only during a shed did I keep it moist.

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Ok that makes sense


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by EthanMG

I have some trouble with humidity so I put a 6 inch in diameter and about 3 inches deep bowl filled with hydrated sphagnum-moss in my enclosure. I thought it would help the humidity but it does nothing. Do you know why that is? I do have a screen top, but it’s covered except where the CHE is. The CHE is on my cool side and my spagnum moss is on the other side.


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Because it is not meant to raise the entire cage's humidity. It is a place the snake can go to get the humidity it needs.....which remains in the hide. Being a snake stays in the hides the majority of the time the snake gets the humidity it needs even though the rest of the cage may be low.

My humid hides were nothing more than a regular hide with wet moss in them....I still do it this way. Works great and nothing special is needed.

I leave one in my ball python's enclosure all the time. She's albino so it can be tricky to tell when she's going into shed, and it gives me peace of mind knowing she always has access to it if she wants it.

Now, my hognose loves his humid box a bit too much and would spend all his time in there despite having appropriate humidity in his tank, so to avoid any health issues I only put his in as soon as I notice he's going in shed. I usually play it safe and put it in as soon as I notice his colors dulling a bit instead of waiting to be sure he's in blue. I doubt that would be a problem for a ball python, but I figure the earlier you can get it in there, the better!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

My humid hides are in the enclosures 24/7, but you could also put them in right when you see the start of a shed. Snakes don't improve their hydration "instantly"- so the earlier start is preferable.

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Same here, everyone has a humid hide they can get to 24-7.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EthanMG

I have read in many places not to keep the humid hide in the enclosure 24/7 because they can stay inside too long because they like it and they end up getting scale rot. Is that true?


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Like KMG said, letting the moss dry out and not keeping it soaking wet constantly helps prevent this. You can also purchase humid hides like I have that have sponges in the top. This keeps the air humid inside the hide, but doesn't give the snake anything wet to sit on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EthanMG

I have read in many places not to keep the humid hide in the enclosure 24/7 because they can stay inside too long because they like it and they end up getting scale rot. Is that true?


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Using a humid hide does not mean the snake should be sitting in water: whether you're using soaked sphagnum moss, orchid bark or sponges, etc- you want enough moisture contained in the hide to raise the humidity, but you're right, with the warmth + humidity, it would tend to foster bacterial infections if the snake was actually "sitting" in water. You want the hide to start out "very damp" but no visible "water level"- and then you check every couple of days to add moisture as needed, either by spraying or re-soaking & draining out the excess. The moss holds a lot of water in it after a soak, but it also provides air spaces too, so the snake is never actually sitting in water. I've never seen a snake get skin problems when this is done right. But good question!