Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 2,890

0 members and 2,890 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,441
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11
  1. #1
    Registered User oghercules's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-28-2018
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    5
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    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!

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran the_rotten1's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-22-2016
    Location
    Bakersfield, CA
    Posts
    613
    Thanks
    3,352
    Thanked 645 Times in 319 Posts
    Images: 11
    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.
    ~ Ball Pythons - Rosy Boas - - Western Hognose Snakes - Mexican Black Kingsnakes - Corn Snakes ~

    Check me out on iHerp, Instagram, & visit my store!


  3. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to the_rotten1 For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-21-2018),oghercules (07-21-2018),Sunnieskys (07-21-2018)

  4. #3
    Registered User oghercules's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-28-2018
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    5
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    That was really informative. Thank you.

  5. #4
    BPnet Royalty Zincubus's Avatar
    Join Date
    02-22-2011
    Posts
    6,948
    Thanks
    2,510
    Thanked 4,897 Times in 2,992 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    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 ..


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro




  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Zincubus For This Useful Post:

    oghercules (07-21-2018)

  7. #5
    Registered User oghercules's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-28-2018
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    5
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    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.
    Last edited by oghercules; 07-21-2018 at 06:51 AM.

  8. #6
    Banned
    Join Date
    01-27-2017
    Location
    MA, USA
    Posts
    10,560
    Thanks
    14,297
    Thanked 11,072 Times in 5,330 Posts
    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.
    Last edited by Craiga 01453; 07-21-2018 at 08:40 AM.

  9. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Craiga 01453 For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-21-2018),Hannahshissyfix (07-21-2018),oghercules (07-21-2018),Sunnieskys (07-22-2018)

  10. #7
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-05-2014
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    4,190
    Thanks
    5,014
    Thanked 5,484 Times in 2,683 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    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.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

  11. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to EL-Ziggy For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (07-21-2018),Craiga 01453 (07-21-2018),oghercules (07-21-2018)

  12. #8
    BPnet Senior Member Sunnieskys's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-13-2017
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    2,471
    Thanks
    913
    Thanked 1,694 Times in 1,076 Posts
    Images: 2

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    Quote Originally Posted by the_rotten1 View Post
    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.
    ^^^^^this.
    ~Sunny~
    Booplesnoop
    Coilsome, Odyn, & Eeden AKA theLittleOne

    0:1 Pastel Het Red Day Chocolate
    1:0 Normal
    0:0:1 Pueblan milk snake

    *~* Nothing sticky (tape, stick on gauges, Velcro) goes into your enclosure! Again...NOTHING sticky goes into your enclosure....EVER! *~*

  13. #9
    Bogertophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-28-2018
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    20,182
    Thanks
    28,081
    Thanked 19,739 Times in 11,797 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    Quote Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy View Post
    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.
    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.)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 07-21-2018 at 04:51 PM.

  14. #10
    Registered User oghercules's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-28-2018
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    5
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Re: Why need constant humidity?

    Craigafrechette, what you quoted makes a really good point. Thank you.
    Last edited by oghercules; 07-21-2018 at 07:26 PM. Reason: didn't realize you had to click Reply With Quote to let person know you're talking to them.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1