The Kaiju thread - CB17 female Pearl Burmese Python

[Valyrian]

The health problems you mention have got me worried now so I'm going to change it all out for the dry bark I have tomorrow.

[CALM Pythons]

Cheers mate. I actually made some changes since testing more. I moved the thermometer probe so it's hanging dead centre high in the middle of the enclosure. I also moved the exo terra warm hide to the back as they're really good at absorbing heat and it was reaching 40C under the heater which is too high imo.

The basking area is bare now and reaches 35C in the day with a drop to 30C at night to mimic the temp drop in nature. In this position the top of the warm hide reaches the same temps as the basking area directly below the heater. So she has the choice to bask on top of the hide partially hidden by plants or in the open (she's pretty confident being in the open). Or she can go in the hide which is a couple degrees cooler.

I dumped out half the water so its a shallow pool now. Humidity was down to 80% but went back up to 90% when i moved the warm hide. The substrate is 2 expanded eco earth bricks with bark and sphagnum moss scattered on top. The heater is drying the substrate out and some condensation has started to form however at this rate I believe the humidity will drop further as the sub dries out. And the heater seems to be doing this very quickly. Next time I'm going to buy the eco earth in the dry bag. When she's bigger I'll definitely use paper.

The good news is she pooped finally after eating four rats in the weeks since the last time so the setup is doing her good.

Thats great to hear. Sounds like your familiar with how to see your way around the little Hic-Ups
Looks to me like she has a great environment and keeper. Nothing better than that. I look forward to seeing your updates throughout the year
Awesome looking Burm!!!!


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[Valyrian]

So I took out the eco earth, vacuumed and dried the enclosure. The substrate is now dry orchid bark with a smaller bowl.

But its still reading 86% humidity. The probe is right as the read out dropped to 60% when I took it out.

This enclosure has front flow ventilation on the top and bottom and they're widely used and well reviewed.

Is this still too high for a Burm? Loads of people even use these for desert species without issues.

[CALM Pythons]

So I took out the eco earth, vacuumed and dried the enclosure. The substrate is now dry orchid bark with a smaller bowl.

But its still reading 86% humidity. The probe is right as the read out dropped to 60% when I took it out.

This enclosure has front flow ventilation on the top and bottom and they're widely used and well reviewed.

Is this still too high for a Burm? Loads of people even use these for desert species without issues.

It sounds to me like your home is a higher Humidity than most. My home is 30-40% so my enclosure with a large bowl is 58-62.
Yes 85 is to high. During shed 70-75% is ok, but then needs to return to a average of 60%. Test your house/room for a hour and if your room Humidity is what the snake needs you'll have to find a way to vent without hurting that sweet enclosure.


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[Valyrian]

Yeah the average humidity in the UK is 50 - 60%. A guy I know uses the same pro rep substrate, enclosure and heating system. He said although the bark feels dry to the touch it does contain moisture but that will drop over the next week as it dries out. I'll monitor it and update

[Valyrian]

There is moisture under the substrate but I'm releasing the humidity periodically by opening the doors. This should drop over the next few days from what I'm told.

Thinking about it this is a good thing. I mean, this is actually very similar to what happens in nature after a shower.

[CALM Pythons]

There is moisture under the substrate but I'm releasing the humidity periodically by opening the doors. This should drop over the next few days from what I'm told.

Thinking about it this is a good thing. I mean, this is actually very similar to what happens in nature after a shower.

Its only good over 60% when shedding. In nature Burms find a dryer area afyer swimming etc... High Humidity for snakes that require 50-60% & dry bedding will cause Scale Rot.. Also it could possibly cause respiratory probs if prolonged. I think you'll need a dryer bedding and some Vets. If she has to lay in Damp Substrate for days every time you replace it until it dries again you'll have trouble.


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[Valyrian]

Yeah I think I'll get a drier bedding like lignocel or even still use bark but bake it off first.

When I said 'shower' I meant a rain shower. I've been researching their distribution, for example the rainy season in Thailand is from May until October. Right now the relative humidity in Thailand is 93%.

[Valyrian]

The substrate isn't damp. The bark is dry to the touch but it is expressing the moisture held within it. You'd have to see it and touch it to know what I mean.

[Valyrian]

Ok I did write a post but it looks like it didn't process. She's on paper towels now 63% humidity. Going to change to aspen after her next poop as shes been stressed out enough.