Humidity and humid hide questions

[About10Owls]

I have two main questions about the subject.

1.) People with moist hides with the snake at all times (not just shed), have you had problems with scale rot or RI's, or do the snakes seem to manage their time spent in them well enough, given plenty of options?

2.) For folks with lower ambient humidity, using aquariums, how do you manage humidity w/o moist hides? I am trying to avoid having to deal with UTH's and the thermostat needs on them, so alternative options would definitely catch my interest.

Details on tank set up

Gearing up to get a BP very soon, we're using a 40G breeder tank (which I know is a bit big and can cause some difficulties) and is only heated with lamps on dimmers (no UTH's or CHE) but ATM we have the temperatures perfect and it plenty of cover/hide choices. The top is the typical wire mesh fit lid covered with adjustable foil panels seated loosely around the lamp domes.

So far hides are as follows:

-Warm Hide @84-86
-Warm moist (sphagnum moss)@84-86
-Middle Hide @79-83
-Cool Hide @80-82
-Cool side moist hide @~83

*also, there is a basking/hot spot at 89.5-91.5

Bedding is Cypress mulch, and the ambient humidity is typically around 40-50% (with water bowl under one of the lamps) unless we mist the cage.

[smokinreptile]

I personally use a mix use Cyprus peat moss and topsoil and I love the mix if you're going to do I hide I put on the cool side and my personal opinion I wouldn't use a heat lamp I've seen people fly there snakes by using it and definitely stay away from my heat rocks I know that there's a lot of people that will disagree with me and that is fine that's just what worked for me for years

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[Crowfingers]

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[About10Owls]

I personally use a mix use Cyprus peat moss and topsoil and I love the mix if you're going to do I hide I put on the cool side and my personal opinion I wouldn't use a heat lamp I've seen people fly there snakes by using it and definitely stay away from my heat rocks I know that there's a lot of people that will disagree with me and that is fine that's just what worked for me for years

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Erm, so yea I agree definitely about not using heat rocks, everything I've read about that makes them look hazardous for snakes (especially since they don't even actually 'bask' by evidence that I've come across.

As for the heat lamps frying the snake, these are not in the tank, they're on top of the lid ~16.5in above him, and I've tested the wire by putting my hand directly against the wire it shouldn't be possible for him to contact burn even if he got extra climby and decided to rub his face on it (so long as he didnt somehow manage to wedge himself into the top and stay there for a prolonged amt of time, which should be impossible).

Now to the substrate, I have seen someone that used moss mixed into the substrate to some decent effect, but doesn't the potting soil make things difficult to clean? (I could see that not being an issue in a smaller set up, but this is a fully furnished 40G terrarium)

Finally, the hide on the cool side I don't think will work for me, our cool side can drop to just above BP minimum range (by design) I really don't want him having to go to the coolest place in the cage just so he can get moist (adding complication to any cold related issues). Which is part of the reason we have so many hides, the other is that the tank is large so we know that could be potentially stressful.

Thanks, but ultimately I'm not sure if you read the post entirely. I can include pics of the set up if anyone is interested.

[smokinreptile]

It's not hard to keep going at all I've used other substrates and you don't use potting soil you use topsoil potting soil and other ingredients you don't want and as far as the hides I was just simply saying what I would personally do mean if the end of the day you're the one that's got to be happy with it dun matter what I say or anybody else is on the page we all just have our own way of doing things too

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