having alot of trouble keeping humidity up

the humidity in my bp's tanks are about 35-40% not desireable and i have a 40 gal and a 20 gal what can i do to raise the humidity?

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Originally Posted by Ninjapython

the humidity in my bp's tanks are about 35-40% not desireable and i have a 40 gal and a 20 gal what can i do to raise the humidity?

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Ok lets see what i can do to help you out.First off what are you using for heat? If you are using a light over head thier is your humidity killer.Lights keep the air very dry wich in turn keeps humidity levels down.If you are using a under tank heater try placing a towel over 2 thirds of the lid.This will help keep the humidity a little better.How big is the water bowl? Try to use a larger water bowl as this also helps raise the humidity levels.I hope this helps you out.

There's a lot of different threads on raising humidity. I would suggest using the forum search feature. You'll find lots of great advice that way.


Just some basic suggestions:

--Use a room humidifier to raise the ambient humidity in their whole room.
--Cover screen tops with something to hold in humidity (plastic wrap, clear contact paper, plexi-glass, etc)
--Don't use overhead lamps to heat
--Use a moisture-holding substrate such as coconut husks, repti-bark, aspen, etc.

Don't be discouraged, though. I have a glass terrarium with a screen lid and an overhead CHE, but with the help of the guys on the forum, my humidity is fine. I have a large water bowl which really helps, along with occasional mistings.

Also do not forget that 30-40% humidity is ideal for ball pythons that are not in a shed process. My snake room usually has a humidity of 35-50%. I have yet to have any adverse effects from maintaining this humidty range. The only time a higher humidity would be ideal would be during a shed cycle, when you would raise your humidity to the 60-70% range.

Why do you say 30-40% humidity is ideal for ball pythons? I've read a lot and it seems to be the one consistant thing throughout most caresheets. 50-60% humidity. 70% being during shed. I'm just curious. :rolleyes:

I've seen a number of different people say that humidity in the 40's is fine for a standard environment. Enough of them have large enough collections to give them at least some credibility in what they say. 50-60% isn't gospel truth. LOL


That being said though...whether you're talking about 40% or 60%...all I've ever seen or heard has been anecdotal evidence. I would be very, very interested in seeing some scientific studies on the matter, or even a detailed journal where a breeder (or just someone with a large enough collection) kept different sets of snakes at different humidity levels and recorded the resulting sheds and overall health of the animals.

When I keep my humidity at ~50% sheds go much smoother - nearly always one piece (with the prize in the bottom hehe).

I'm not trying to say that 50-60 is law, but what I am looking for is the source of this info. Plus 30s sounds just too low. At least 40s is closer to the average info out there. I want to be able to judge the credibility of the source of the info. I've not seen anyone come out and say it is fine, and that doesn't mean it's not out there. I would like to know who it is that says this and what amount of experience do they have? I took a lot of information as gospel when I first started in this hobby, and now I'm trying to get as much info as possible. But in order to process that info, I would like to get as much info on the source. And do these people say 30-40 % is ok or ideal? I'm just wondering. Give me info... :D and keep it coming.

The reason I'm so curious is because I've been looking into human humidity requirements. I've heard some people claim that when the humidity drops drastically in the winter, that it is partly responsible for illnesses and such. *shrug* Still looking into that info right now, which is why this struck me as interesting. :confuzd: I know my husband will slap me into a looney bin if I try misting him this winter. lol ;)

Haha one thing I use to keep humidity in, incase you only have good towels, is LP covers! You can get em at most used CD stores for .99 cents. These are great for 20-30 gallon tanks.

Lilly,
The source of the info comes from my experience, in my reptile room. The humidity range that I stated in my previous post, 35-50%, is the typical range that is found at my facility. I do live in the South, and sometimes my humidity does climb to 70%. However, for the last three years, that I have had my snake room built, I have not seen any adverse problems with my collection. I did state, however, that raising the humidity during the shed cycle is a good idea. I do mist my snakes, that are in a shed cycle, daily.
On a side note, that would be an interesting study to read about the effects of humidity on humans. The reason I say this, is because I would like to see what kind of data they kept on their test subjects. Where am I going with this? Well, I have heard of alot of people having health issues during times of low humidity, but remember that many health journals have put the percent of the American population that live in a dehydrated state at near 90%. Most Americans do not drink enough water, and therefore have numerous health issues as a result.

I hadn't heard that about the percentage of dehydration. Very interesting. I know I don't drink enough water. I'll have to mist myself too. ;) I'll have to consider that too. Although I have switched to drinking water instead of sodas and such.

Thanks :sweeet:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

I'll have to mist myself too. ;)

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WOW ... You're soooo lucky I'm on double secret probation or I'd have a FIELD DAY with that one. :P :twisted:

-adam

Well we don't want you to get in any trouble, now do we? :neener: Didn't even notice I set myself up so well for that one either. Sheesh. :imslow: I'm sure I could kick butt in a certain type contest for sure. :devilish:

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Originally Posted by tigerlily

Well we don't want you to get in any trouble, now do we? :neener: Didn't even notice I set myself up so well for that one either. Sheesh. :imslow: I'm sure I could kick butt in a certain type contest for sure. :devilish:

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You've already got my vote. ;)

-adam

Contac paper works well for covering screen lids and keeping humidity up also.

(not to thwart the topic derailing)

Interesting thread.

I had been told elsewhere that humidity only mattered during shed.
My humidity is very low normally (20-30%) but during shed I keep it around 70%+.

I use a uv heater which is presumably what is drying the air and that is smething I will be changing when I replace my viv now Monty is geting a little large.
Low humidity has not done him any harm over the last 8 months though.