Why need constant humidity?

Yes, I know humidity is used to help snakes shed well and easily, but why exactly do we need keep the cage humid continuously? My ball python had never had a problem with shedding for the amount I've had him since he was about a month old (he is now a year and close to 2 months).
His enclosure's humidity level is always about 45% to 50%, but of course when every time I realize he is in the phase of preparing to shed, I always raise it.

I always read that we should keep the humidity levels around 50%, but why do we need to do this when they are not in the phase of shedding? I've tried my best to search each site and forum for this answer, but never found one. This is just a curious question that has been picking at me for a while. Thank you!

There are a lot of reasons. For one thing, it is very humid where they live in the wild. It's something they've adapted to, so they aren't used to low humidity. I've also noticed that when humidity stays up their scales are smooth and shiny. They tend to get rough and dull if they're too dry. Beyond that, some of them won't feed if they're not comfortable, so low humidity may cause feeding issues in addition to shedding issues. I've also noticed that when humidity is low some of my snakes have bigger urates and it takes longer to pass them, so it can block them up if they get dehydrated.

Humidity is just as important to good husbandry as proper temperatures.

That was really informative. Thank you.

As a foot note as soon as my Royals / Burm // Boa /Retic are going through shed ... I wait until the eyes clear up and the colour returns then I increase the humidity by spraying well a few times daily until I find the old skin a few days later ..


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Thank you. That's really good to know. I've always began to increase the humidity when I see his eyes are cloudy, but I'll do it your way from now on, for I think that is more convenient.

One of the major reasons that has yet to be mentioned is their respiratory system. Their bodies are designed to thrive at a certain humidity level.

"Humidity is a key factor in treating many respiratory diseases, but it is also a key factor in the cause of many infections. A desert species placed in a high-humidity environment will not have the ability to cope with the excess water vapor in its lungs. The reverse is also true when high-humidity species are kept in too dry a climate. The mucous that helps keep the lungs moist and allows the removal of dust will simply dry up, and infection will soon set in."

Sooo, improper humidity levels may literally be slowly killing a snake, or at the very least, shaving years off their lives.

I might be in the minority here but I'm not very concerned with humidity. My humidity has ranged anywhere from the low 30s in the winter to the mid 60s during the summer. I've never had a bad shed or RI with any of my critters. I believe as long as your animals have access to fresh water and can stay properly hydrated they'll be fine. I will sometimes mist their cages during a shed or just to give them a little rain effect but that's about it. Even though many of these critters may originate from more tropical places most have been bred in captivity, some for generations, and they've acclimated to their current environments. I could be wrong and if I ever see a bad shed or hear an animal wheezing then I'll raise the temps and humidity but until then it's business as usual.

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Originally Posted by the_rotten1

There are a lot of reasons. For one thing, it is very humid where they live in the wild. It's something they've adapted to, so they aren't used to low humidity. I've also noticed that when humidity stays up their scales are smooth and shiny. They tend to get rough and dull if they're too dry. Beyond that, some of them won't feed if they're not comfortable, so low humidity may cause feeding issues in addition to shedding issues. I've also noticed that when humidity is low some of my snakes have bigger urates and it takes longer to pass them, so it can block them up if they get dehydrated.

Humidity is just as important to good husbandry as proper temperatures.

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^^^^^this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I might be in the minority here but I'm not very concerned with humidity. My humidity has ranged anywhere from the low 30s in the winter to the mid 60s during the summer. I've never had a bad shed or RI with any of my critters. I believe as long as your animals have access to fresh water and can stay properly hydrated they'll be fine. I will sometimes mist their cages during a shed or just to give them a little rain effect but that's about it. Even though many of these critters may originate from more tropical places most have been bred in captivity, some for generations, and they've acclimated to their current environments. I could be wrong and if I ever see a bad shed or hear an animal wheezing then I'll raise the temps and humidity but until then it's business as usual.

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Well, you aren't "alone". ;) Though it's fairly humid in both our states, and to be fair, I don't currently have any B.P.s -I also don't own a hygrometer. (gasp!)
Snakes in the wild do not have constant humidity levels either. As to the flip side of the coin, my Trans Pecos rat snakes (desert species) do just fine with the
higher humidity here & have for some 12 years now. Same for my TX longnose snake (another desert native). I do think it matters more for some snakes than
others (snakes like Brazilian rainbow boas seem to need about 70%, or so I've read). Likewise, I offer humid hides & misting cages as needed or as "enjoyed"-
my corn snakes do just fine without humid hides, but they enjoy the daylights out of them, so they all have hides full of moist moss. Oddly enough, my Australian
spotted python (Antaresia maculosa) requires a humid hide to shed well, & apparently they occur mostly in moister coastal regions, not actually desert.

One thing that does matter is that our houses are heated in the winter, & that tends to suck out the natural humidity that's otherwise in nature, so that's
the time to really pay attention. And when I lived in the desert, I mostly used a "swamp cooler" that raises the humidity, rather than regular A/C, so that
makes a difference too. (I use A/C here -a swamp cooler only works if it's a dry climate, but they're cheaper to run if you can get away with it.)

Craigafrechette, what you quoted makes a really good point. Thank you.