Always In Humid Hide

[wonderwhitters]

So we are in a temporary 20L Zilla till we get our Animal Plastics T10. I mist it down twice a day, and also utilize a humid hide for our BP. It's placed roughly in the middle of the tank, partially under the CHE that's on the right side of tank. Stays in temps around mid 80s in that spot. He spends nearly ALL his time in this humid hide. I don't typically ever see him anywhere else. Should I be concerned about his developing any sort of scale rot from spending all his time in the damp environment? It's only damp/moist. There isn't any standing water in it.

Hopefully that's not a dumb question! If he's happy in there, and it's not a problem, I don't mind at all. Just want to ensure he's not gonna develop any sort of illnesses from staying in the humid hide most of the time!

Also, he very well may come out at night and wander. I've yet to catch him do it, but I know they tend to do their exploring at night. I totally need a night camera! LOL.

[Bogertophis]

Probably no cause to worry. BTW, while many do 'mist' their enclosures, it actually doesn't help keep the humidity up as much as you'd expect. The overall substrate
chosen does a much better job, & also, minimizing the air-flow is what most plastic enclosures rely on. Glass tanks (etc) can be made to work also, by covering most
of the screen tops. Moisture cannot escape glass OR plastic, it's the ventilation methods that vary widely & makes all the difference.

So many "techy" people with snakes, I'm surprised that more BP keepers aren't posting videos of their snakes over-night excursions. We'd welcome yours...

[wonderwhitters]

Probably no cause to worry. BTW, while many do 'mist' their enclosures, it actually doesn't help keep the humidity up as much as you'd expect. The overall substrate
chosen does a much better job, & also, minimizing the air-flow is what most plastic enclosures rely on. Glass tanks (etc) can be made to work also, by covering most
of the screen tops. Moisture cannot escape glass OR plastic, it's the ventilation methods that vary widely & makes all the difference.

So many "techy" people with snakes, I'm surprised that more BP keepers aren't posting videos of their snakes over-night excursions. We'd welcome yours...

So at the moment I'm currently using Reptibark mixed with Coco husk. I am planning to change over to Reptichip per some recommendations when I do his first cage clean, but I'm not wanting to disturb him for a bit and mess up his cage. We keep plexi glass over half the cage top, and then I've added some foil to some areas as well. I feel like it's a struggle keeping it up still unfortunately!

[Bogertophis]

I know...in the winter, all our home heat dries out the air a lot...it's an uphill battle for anyone keeping herps that need humidity...not just you.

The kinds of snakes I keep are far more flexible about it, so I'm lucky. No BPs, & some of my species are desert denizens; my spotted python needs a humid hide
year-round & I make no effort to humidify her whole cage...she's fine. My Florida rat snakes (yellow mix) all have large water bowls, & when I give humid hides to my
corn snakes I get mixed results...they're very adaptable it seems.

Keep in mind that the plastic enclosures that many people use to house their BPs & other boas/pythons have only tiny air-holes for air-exchange, & some have NONE-
instead they rely on only the tiny gaps around the doorway. So covering only half your cage top isn't enough... ("light bulb moment" hahaha)

[wonderwhitters]

Keep in mind that the plastic enclosures that many people use to house their BPs & other boas/pythons have only tiny air-holes for air-exchange, & some have NONE-
instead they rely on only the tiny gaps around the doorway. So covering only half your cage top isn't enough... ("light bulb moment" hahaha)

I always am so scared of mold/fungus growing also. I'm so OCD about this I fear. LOL.

[Bogertophis]

I always am so scared of mold/fungus growing also. I'm so OCD about this I fear. LOL.

I know what you mean...it's one reason I'm glad I don't keep BPs, or snakes that need similar warmth + humidity.

For what it's worth, I've tried (in the past & for a couple years) a pair of plastic enclosures & had mold issues in the substrate. I live in a fairly humid state, & I even
drilled many extra vent holes but still had the issue. Also, I just didn't like using "plastic" housing, & these were one of the few made of HDPE plastic. (ie. 'food safe')

The thing about HDPE plastic is that even that isn't supposed to be re-heated (when used for food) since it does break down & can leach or off-gas carcinogens...but
most everyone in the BP-community is so hooked on plastic enclosures for BPs & it's just too "inconvenient" to consider this issue... To me, glass is safer...it's inert
when heated, & disinfects easier (plastic scratches). The plastics can also sag a little over time (from the constant heating).

You'll have to make up your own mind...nothing is perfect.

[Bogertophis]

Back to the "humid hide"...you can also use "orchid bark" which comes in tiny or large chunks (florists & plant nurseries carry this too, btw). Using large chunks would
enable you to have high humidity without the snake laying directly on real moist substrate. That's what gets them into skin problems, excessive contact with wet stuff.

[dakski]

Do you know what the humidity in the tank is, or the range?

Misting can mess with temperature as well. I occasionally do it in the winter when my snakes go into shed, but I have Boaphile tanks that are really well sealed. A couple mists up humidity for a while even with paper substrate. Also, it never gets too low in there, or if it drops below where I want, I add a water bowl. I think you said you are getting a similar type (PVC) tank soon and that will help a lot.

I agree with Bogertophis about the better substrate as an option.

A couple other thoughts.

Could he be going into shed? That would explain that as well.

Also, I wasn't clear, is it mid 80's on the cool side or the middle of the tank. Cool side should be 78-80F and if it's hotter than that, he might be trying to cool off.

[aurum]

I know what you mean...it's one reason I'm glad I don't keep BPs, or snakes that need similar warmth + humidity.

For what it's worth, I've tried (in the past & for a couple years) a pair of plastic enclosures & had mold issues in the substrate. I live in a fairly humid state, & I even
drilled many extra vent holes but still had the issue. Also, I just didn't like using "plastic" housing, & these were one of the few made of HDPE plastic. (ie. 'food safe')

The thing about HDPE plastic is that even that isn't supposed to be re-heated (when used for food) since it does break down & can leach or off-gas carcinogens...but
most everyone in the BP-community is so hooked on plastic enclosures for BPs & it's just too "inconvenient" to consider this issue... To me, glass is safer...it's inert
when heated, & disinfects easier (plastic scratches). The plastics can also sag a little over time (from the constant heating).

You'll have to make up your own mind...nothing is perfect.

When you say plastic are you talking about bins, pvc caging, or both?

[Bogertophis]

When you say plastic are you talking about bins, pvc caging, or both?

All plastics. Consider that the "bins" aka "tubs" that so many use were never designed to hold living animals...they're designed for storage, not for heating or housing, and certainly not for constant heating. Just saying...I know, in our modern world we use plastic everywhere, & those of you who are younger have never known a world without it. But ask any chemist about the toxicity of plastics, & remember that you can smell those plastic bins for a long time even when only used for room temperature storage of sweaters & such. Now consider that you're heating the plastic to house snakes: if you never took chemistry, the thing to know is that heat makes the molecules more active & more likely to off-gas, where your enclosed pets are forced to breathe it 24/7. The self-preservationist in me wants to minimize my own exposure to unhealthy stuff whenever I can do so, & I feel the same way about my pets. Cancer & other diseases may take a while to develop, but the more exposure you have to things that are unhealthy, the greater the chance you have of causing genetic mutations that lead to serious illness, & presumably the same for our pets. None of us can avoid ALL bad things in our environment...it's impossible these days, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do the best we can, does it? (yes, I'm a "label-reader" too, lol) Food for thought.