Humidity and Feeding help

[honey.bee.]

Hello,

So I have had Dexter for 3 weeks now and I have feed twice since I got him.
A small rat on 05.03 and another today, on 05.18. Both times I fed, I thawed the rat in the same room so he could smell it ahead of time.
The first time I didn't even get the rat all the way into his enclosure before he took it (very dramatically too) and I left him alone for 72 hours.
I just fed an hour ago and it took about 35 minutes of me doing the "zombie dance", the only reason I didn't stop is because he was out of his hide and interested but just not striking. He FINALLY took it but I wouldn't call it a "strike".
Is this normal behavior??

Also, he has not pooped? He's peed and I've found 2 clumps of urates while spot cleaning but no poop. Is this normal?

And the last thing, I've asked for advice on humidity before and I need more help on that.
I've covered 3 out of the 4 panels of the top of the exo Terra tank and I spray about 5/6 times a day with a spray bottle. I also switched his corner soaking bowl to the hot side and the small bowl to the cool side. It's at about 30% so I don't know what to do.
After I spray it gets to like 45% but only for about an hour.
I will add a humidity hide as soon as I receive the box/hide from Amazon.

If I really need to I am open to changing him to a tub enclosure but he's solely a "pet" ball python and wouldn't know how to go about that, especially bc I am using an under the tank heater and ceramic heat lamp (no light) so I hope I don't need to do this!

Thanks in advance!

**Note that in this picture the small bowl and foliage are out for cleaning and I am waiting for his second hide, he just ate so I'm not gonna bother him for better pictures**

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[honey.bee.]

Hello,

So I have had Dexter for 3 weeks now and I have feed twice since I got him.

A small rat on 05.03 and another today, on 05.18. Both times I fed, I thawed the rat in the same room so he could smell it ahead of time.

The first time I didn't even get the rat all the way into his enclosure before he took it (very dramatically too) and I left him alone for 72 hours.

I just fed an hour ago and it took about 35 minutes of me doing the "zombie dance", the only reason I didn't stop is because he was out of his hide and interested but just not striking. He FINALLY took it but I wouldn't call it a "strike".

Is this normal behavior??

Also, he has not pooped? He's peed and I've found 2 clumps of urates while spot cleaning but no poop. Is this normal?

And the last thing, I've asked for advice on humidity before and I need more help on that.

I've covered 3 out of the 4 panels of the top of the exo Terra tank and I spray about 5/6 times a day with a spray bottle. I also switched his corner soaking bowl to the hot side and the small bowl to the cool side. It's at about 30% so I don't know what to do.

After I spray it gets to like 45% but only for about an hour.

I will add a humidity hide as soon as I receive the box/hide from Amazon.

If I really need to I am open to changing him to a tub enclosure but he's solely a "pet" ball python and wouldn't know how to go about that, especially bc I am using an under the tank heater and ceramic heat lamp (no light) so I hope I don't need to do this!

Thanks in advance!


**I did post this under ball python husbandry as well but I am also putting it in here bc I lumped so many things into one post!**

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[bcr229]

I would swap the substrate out for cypress mulch, which can be damp without molding so it will hold humidity better under the regular hide boxes. It is expensive though.

Alternatively you could put damp spaghnum moss under his regular hides to help bump up the humidity under them.

Unfortunately those enclosures just don't hold humidity well due to the open screen top and vents under the doors.

[msnoperope]

At least for the humidity I ended up using moss(store bought, very inexpensive) covering a quarter of her tank and the rest aspen. This along with a large water bowl and misting twice a day keeps our tank at 55%-60%. Her last shed she curled up in the moss and shed quicker then usual.

[honey.bee.]

I would swap the substrate out for cypress mulch, which can be damp without molding so it will hold humidity better under the regular hide boxes. It is expensive though.

Alternatively you could put damp spaghnum moss under his regular hides to help bump up the humidity under them.

Unfortunately those enclosures just don't hold humidity well due to the open screen top and vents under the doors.

I think my local pet store sells cypress mulch so I will definitely make the switch! Is that something I should/am able to mix with coco fiber? I've noticed me BP likes to try to burrow but he can't with the reptibark he's currently on.

And yes I do have spaghum moss in pretty much every corner and I did mix some into the bark, it just dries so quickly with the CHE. I will definitely use more tho and as soon as his bigger hide comes I'll set it up as a hide box.

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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Posts have been merged

[ballpythonsrock2]

Make sure you hygrometer is working accurately. I kept struggling some months back and came to find out it was a bad hygrometer.

[bcr229]

I think my local pet store sells cypress mulch so I will definitely make the switch! Is that something I should/am able to mix with coco fiber? I've noticed me BP likes to try to burrow but he can't with the reptibark he's currently on.

And yes I do have spaghum moss in pretty much every corner and I did mix some into the bark, it just dries so quickly with the CHE. I will definitely use more tho and as soon as his bigger hide comes I'll set it up as a hide box.

Yes you can mix cypress mulch and coco fiber, that's actually a very common substrate mix for snakes like BRB's and sunbeam snakes that require really humidity.

I've used ReptiBark and don't like it as it's very dusty and it does seem to dry out quickly.

[honey.bee.]

Make sure you hygrometer is working accurately. I kept struggling some months back and came to find out it was a bad hygrometer.

Could be, i feel like it does seem accurate but it does take a while to get an accurate reading. I might as well get a better quality one!

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[Craiga 01453]

I've been using glass for almost 20 years with success. There are plenty of tricks to boost humidity. Some have already been mentioned, but I'll echo them based on my experience.

Adding Coco coir substrate will go a long way. I use a blend of Eco Earth and Reptibark. It holds humidity well, spot cleans easily and looks naturalistic.

You've got plenty of room for a second water bowl too. Adding a second water bowl will definitely boost your humidity.

Lastly, I wrap my glass enclosures in 1/2" foam board insulation. I cover the top, back and sides. This helps immensely with heat and humidity control. It reduces air flow while still allowing plenty of oxygen to get in. It also holds heat in. This allows the heating equipment to run more efficiently. Less artificial heat = less evaporation = better humidity.
This also helps to lower my electric bill since equipment is functioning more efficiently.