Hydration problem???

[K.N]

I have a ball python and am trying to keep the humidity up in the cage. It stays at about 30%-40% unless I spray his cage down then it shoots up quick then back down again. The cage is about 75 gallons and it has a mesh sliding lid. It also has a heating pad under its cage and a lamp with a black light bulb in it. I have tried putting plastic on the lid, aluminum foil and it still shoots down. I also put the bowl under the light and it still does not help. There is also a hide box that I made out of tubberware and filled it with an inch of water so he could get his moisture he needs but I never see him go in it. The bedding is cyprus and its supposed to hold moisture and it does for a little while then it drys out. I think the light may be the problem. All help would be great. Thanks

[Stalker Jesus]

I have the same problem. I bought a waterfall with a fogger but that actually flooded my cage over night.

[Kaorte]

That tank is far to big. Move down to a 20g or smaller if your snake is under a year old. 40% humidity is okay but you should shoot for between 50-60% . Having a lamp will not help your cause. Lamps suck humidity out of the air. You will be constantly struggling as long as you have a tank that size and a lamp.

Your best bet might to be to switch to a tub setup. They are easy to maintain and cheap to setup.

Your bedding should never be wet. It could start to mold or cause a skin infection.

I don't really think the water hide is a good idea. If you want a humid hide, make a humid hide with damp paper towels or moss.

[flynn]

75 gallons? Your fighting an uphill battle. Far to large.

You're right in saying the light is the problem. It will burn up your humidity constantly while its on. I assume the tupperware with an inch of water is an effort to create a humid hide...if that is the case you need to put something in it such as moss or paper towel.

If you wet down a towel and wring it out very well, you can place that over half or 3/4 of the lid, this will bump the humidity up. The down-side is that the towel (wet or dry) is a fantastic place for bacteria to thrive. Be sure to change the towel every few days (for a clean one).