Humidity Help

[Zwihelm]

I have had this rescue bp for almost a month. He had a stuck shed (double in some parts that with proper care i was able to remove. He was also being assist fed pinkies of which would have starved him to death if the double stuck shed didnt. I know how to take care of a stuck shed but i am having problems preventing it. No matter what i do my cage just wont hold humidity and my hygrometer hits as low as 10%. I have a screen top cage (20Long) which is really not helping but i have a glass insert for half of it to trap some humidity. I am using a heat lamp and a uth on the side of the cage, 2 waterbowls on either side of the cage, terrarium liner, and spraying him down 3 times daily. I feel as though a different substrate would help but will eco earth be too moist and cause scale rot and other problems?

[MJT_23]

I use Eco earth with both of my snakes, one is in a glass tank and it holds humidity very well, as long as you don't drench it I haven't had any scale rot.

[Ashleigh91]

I use aspen and I have a screen top tank ... I spray at least once a day, and I keep a set of table place mats on hand that I'll wet in the sink, then wring out and cover a portion of the screen. I use two 50W heat bulbs and a UTH and my humidity stays around 50%. During shed I was misting 3 times a day to keep his humidity at 70%, but we managed. Not sure why you're having so much difficulty with humidity, but I'm sure that another substrate - such as eco earth - would help and if your area is as dry as it seems then as long as you don't soak the substrate, I'd think you would be fine.

Hope you get it worked out!

[sharkrocket]

Some things that might help you:

1. You can easily cover more than 1/2 of the screen top. Cover at least 3/4 if not like 5/6 of the top and see what that does for you. You can use cling wrap to cover more of it since glass can be expensive and hard to work with.

2. You can make a humid hide for your snake using moss which holds humidity really well. Keep spraying the moss every day or so. http://pet-snakes.com/make-humid-hide

3. What are your temperatures? If they are too low, you might not be able to keep humidity up. They are linked somewhat.

4. As long as you do not have standing water in your cage, you should not worry about scale rot with substrate. If you can afford it, cypress or something of the like is great because when you spray it will absorb the water for evaporation, thereby increasing humidity.

edit: and I hear plastic tubs are better for holding humidity. We switched from glass to plastic tubs in a rack, and I can't say I've seen a noticeable difference. We use cypress, spray often, and put wet moss in our hides.

[kitedemon]

The big issue with humidity that people don't seem to understand is simple humid air rises. Screen tops loose heat and humidity. I would NOT suggest blocking off more than 1/2 max 2/3 of the top. This practice is well documented to be a strong promoting factor with RI. I also would suggest a coco coir (eco earth) substrate it holds a huge amount of water. You can squeeze it out with your hand. I would never suggest the top surface be wet damp but not wet.

I found this to work very well to increase humidity.

place a glass pan (baking dish) or plant tray on the bottom of the enclosure on the cool side. Add water to the dish not enough so it spills but enough that it has at least 1/2 full. Bank the coco substrate so it is very deep in and over the dish (2-3 inches). the top layer will stay dryer if not add some more dry to the top. I found this held so much humidity that it would take 4 or 5 days to drop below 50% Every now and again you have to top up the dish just poke a hole with your finger down and pour in a bunch of water (slowly) until the dish is full cover over the hole.

[Slim]

Welcome to BP.net!

In a glass tank, humidity and temp control will always be a struggle. I suggest you look into either a PVC cage or a tub set up early in your ball python career. The sooner you switch, the easier it will be on you, and your snake.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Basics...*DUW*

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...highlight=Cage