Humidity skyrocketed?! Please help new BP owner!

[amanda_perez]

Hi there! So I got my super mojave girl (who i named Chai) last weekend and even though I spent months researching BP care now that I actually own one, I feel like I know nothing. I have her in a 20 gallon tank with a mix of cypress mulch/ eco earth bedding, 2 hides (cold and hot side) a UTH set to 88-90 that I'm constantly double checking with a temp gun, mat plugged into a thermostat and a cold side of about 75 degrees right now. The only thing missing was a thermometer and humidity gage. I bought two different non digital ones, to then come on here and learn they are basically trash and weren't working, so I immediately ordered an inkbox digital off amazon. Turns out, had an old card number linked to my account so I had to reorder it and now six days later it arrived along with a misting bottle. I've been anxiety ridden all week that there was very low humidity in the cage because the bedding is completely dry in the hot side, (QUESTION ONE) is that suppose to be that way? I live in south florida where it's fairly humid and hot all of the time so I wasn't too stressed about it being cold outside or in the house. So, me being a rookie, I misted the cage before setting the thermometer in, and about ten minutes later the humidity read 99%? I thought there was no way, but the temperature portion of the digital thermometer is pretty precise. I'm so upset at myself for misting impulsively thinking it needed it without really knowing. Chai was settling in nicely this week, but after checking up on her after this i found her on top of her decorative plants with her nose up to the screen top. I felt like she was feeling way too humid, so I immediately took her out and let the tank air out without the screen top for a bit. Should I trust my humidity gauge? Is that bedding suppose to dry out on the hot side? Is my bedding holding too much humidity for where I live? Sorry for all of this rambling, I just wanted to give as much detail as possible to be best advised.

[Luvyna]

First off, even if the humidity is at 99% no need to worry Having high humidity such as 80-90% temporarily (a few days to a week or two) is totally fine. BPs would be exposed to these conditions normally in the wild after rainfalls and whatnot, and when in shed, some snakes will stay in their humidity box for a week, and the humidity inside those can be 90-100%. Overly high humidity is only a problem if it is a chronic problem and if the enclosure is unsanitary, which would lead to bacteria growth. For the most part though, the problem people have is too low humidity, not too high.

It's normal for bedding to dry out after it's been in the enclosure for a while (and also normal for cypress mulch to be very wet when it first goes in—humidity goes up to 90% for me if I do a full bedding change). I use a tub that holds humidity pretty well so I mist once or twice a week to keep it at 55-65% unless my BP is in shed (then I mist more and go up to 70-80%).

Has the humidity gone down since you posted this? I can't imagine it staying at 99% for more than an hour especially with a glass tank with a screen top, so if it stays at 99% for a few hours I'd suspect something is wrong with it. I can't imagine a humidity gauge going up to 99% unless you deliberately soaked it. Could you take the thermometer/humidity monitor out of the enclosure and let it sit in your room or outside where you know what the humidity should be (you can see daily humidity on the weather forecast) to see if it's roughly accurate?

Is your screen top covered by anything? It should be partially covered to maintain humidity but it also shouldn't be so closed off that there is no incoming air supply or ventilation. Overall I don't think you could make a glass tank too humid for a ball python unless you cut off too much airflow.

[fadingdaylight]

This usually happens right after a misting. Mine will be reading 54 or so by the time I go to bed, but if I don't mist it, I will wake up and find it at 40. So I always mist before bed, and it usually rises quickly to around 82. I have waited up to see how long it takes to come down, and it's usually less than hour before it balances out around 62. From there is seems to creep all the way down to 48-50 overnight so I mist lightly in the morning before I leave for work. This causes another, smaller, spike.

Sadly, I am coming to realize that this is the major downside to glass enclosures, humidity doesn't hold well. Even with the top mostly covered and a wet sponge under the lamp, etc.

My plan is to convert to a PVC enclosure with a radiant heat panel. This should help reduce the amount of meddling I have to do to keep the humidity in line. The way I see it, the less I have to mess with the enclosure everyday, the happier my snake will be.

[amanda_perez]

Thanks for the reply! The humidity did go down within the same day, which was yesterday. today it's reading at 78% on the warm side and 80% on the cool side. It doesn't seem to go lower than that. Is that normal long term? If it doesn't lower should I consider changing to a bedding that doesn't hold so much humidity? Oh and yes I did end up taking the thermometer out of the cage and leaving in on the desk and it read that my room temperature was 72 (which is spot on) and humidity was 74. I'm assuming since the thermometer was accurate the humidity must be accurate as well?

[fadingdaylight]

I have seen my humidity gauge get "stuck". I took it out and wiped it down, kinda blew into the sensor, and left out in the room for a while to see if it came down to what I know the room was. In my case, about 45. Once it did, I put it back in and watched to see what it did.

Generally, when i notice my substrate (same as yours, eco earth and forest floor) drying out, i will kinda turn it as I mist to get a little moisture mixed into the deeper parts. Remember, it only needs to be slightly damp, not wet. I try to think in terms of "morning dew" vs "recent rain".

[larryd23]

I just checked on weather.com and the humidity in Miami is currently 66%.

That's your starting point.

Air conditioning or a dehumidifier would lower that number.

Misting will raise that number.

So... the numbers you are seeing make sense. Do nothing and your humidity should be pretty good.

[ballpythonsrock2]

I'm assuming since the thermometer was accurate the humidity must be accurate as well?

I wouldn't assume that to be necessarily true. I not long ago took an old acurite digital with both temp and humidity out of my enclosure to test it beside a new living room one and the temp was right side by side but the humidity was a lot lower ( which I suspected and is why I tested it ) I threw it away. But since you just got it it's more than likely accurate. And your numbers match up as larryd23 said about your local weather humidity.


75 degree's on the cool side is too low though. You should add some type of heat and try to bring it up to 80 which should "cure" your high humidity problem believe me.
And I am one of them that believe ALL heat sources like night light bulbs, che, uth, etc. need to be connected to a thermostat for the snakes safety and to save electricity and life of the heating device ( especially heat bulbs longevity )

[Phantom1987]

75 is fine on the cold side. Radiant heat panel or heat tape is all that all that’s needed. If you use a glass enclosure it’s cheaper in the long run to convert to a PVC enclosure.