Drowning in water bowl and humidity with aspen substrate

[jjc]

I just added an XL Repti Rock water bowl to Simon's enclosure, in hopes of helping with the humidity. I was able to maintain the humidity with twice-daily misting, but I'm hoping the larger bowl will help minimize the misting. So far, it seems to be making a pretty big difference with keeping the humidity levels more stable.

Simon soaks when he's about to shed (regardless of how high his humidity is kept), and I'm just wondering if there's anything to be concerned about with such a large bowl (2" deep, 11" diameter). He can easily fully submerge himself, and he can't just plop himself in it and tip his nose up, like he could with the previous bowl. In the wild, I know they have access to real bodies of water, and they presumably aren't drowning en masse, so can I reasonably expect him not to pull a Virginia Woolf?

On some of the soaking threads, I see people talking about snakes drowning, which seems odd to me (if the soak is conducted in a sensible fashion), but what do I know? In all of my Googling, I can't really find any examples of snakes drowning in their water bowls.

Also, I'm about to switch him from Repti Bark to aspen and wondering how I should expect that to affect the humidity.

Thanks!

[spitfireashlea]

I suggest switching your substrate to paper towels. Keeps the humidity EXTREMELY well. You will only have to mist once every 4-5 days, maybe even a week depending on some things.

Try it out

[Jason Bowden]

Maybe just put about 1/2 inch of water in the bowl.

I've never heard of a ball python drowning in their water bowl.

[wilomn]

Unless your snake is sick or retarded, he won't be drowning in his water bowl.

Papertowels won't hold much water without being constantly wet. This can lead to a host of problems. Dry is fine, wet isn't.

Aspen will keep the humidity up longer without having to have the entire bottom of your cage wet. You can keep a corner wet if necessary and a misting will take longer to evaporate should you go that route.

A humid hide may help out too.

[jjc]

Okay. I thought it was fine, but figured I'd do my due diligence.

I can't really compare him to any other snakes, but I'm pretty sure he's not retarded...for a snake. He also just got a clean bill of health from the vet, so I know he's not miserable with mites or other parasites. He's got two AcuRites in his 20L, and I keep a close eye on temps/humidity, so he's not just desperate to avoid a too-hot/dry enclosure. I think the boy just likes his water bowl. He also has been dragging his rodents into his water bowl for the past several feedings. Perhaps, he's hoping to grow up to be an anaconda.

The humid hide was a no-go. Simon steadfastly ignored each humid hide I tried (I ruined several of my bowls for His Highness, in the process). If it's not a Zilla rock den, he's not interested. Short of removing his existing hides, I don't think he'll ever be convinced to use another hide. I'm starting to wonder if they're made of actual crack rock.

I thought the Repti Bark was supposed to be good for humidity, but you think aspen will be even better? Glad to hear it won't negatively affect the humidity, in any case.

Thanks.

[Clementine_3]

The only time I have ever heard of a snake drowning in it's water dish was because there was a lid on dish. The person was using a deli cup type bowl and cut a small opening in the lid so it wouldn't spill. Well, the snake went in and couldn't find the way back out and drowned. I saw pics of the poor little dead snake and the set up so believe that is truly what happened.
So, just don't do that and all should be fine!

[CritterVet]

Sphagnum moss is great for humidity, but you wouldn't want to use it as the main substrate. Maybe a shallow container of the stuff, wetted down, on one side would help. I like to use sphagnum in humid-hides and I use it as the main substrate for my tropical frog. The good stuff they sell at garden shops for orchids doesn't get moldy, in my experience.

[Watever]

How do you keep him ?

I never got any problem with humidity (other than having too much) while keeping ball python, when using a water bowl. I never never had to mist an enclosure.

If he is in a rubbermaid, put less hole.

If he is in an aquarium, cover a part of it. Nothing else should be needed.

[jjc]

He's in a 20L with two UTHs and a ceramic heat emitter. The room (and my entire apartment) is kept pretty cold, hence the two UTHs and CHE. Two AcuRite thermometers with probes, the ginormous water bowl, two identical hides, fake vines, branches/logs, a rock, etc. He's currently on Repti Bark; the top of his tank is covered in foil and topped with a piece of plexiglass that's just a bit too small to use alone. The humidity isn't atrocious, but I still have to mist the enclosure on a daily basis to avoid crazy fluctuations in the humidity. I'd prefer not to move him to a tub, but if I go out of town or otherwise can't attend to him on a daily basis, I would move him to a tub to keep the humidity in check without relying on a friend/petsitter to take care of it.

Sphagnum moss is also scattered around his enclosure (to assist with the misting) and has also been used in the, as of yet, unused humid hides. If I just stuck a container of the moss in his enclosure (uncovered) and kept it pretty wet, would that also make a noticeable impact on the humidity?

Is the soaking actually dangerous to him, in any way? I know that wet substrate can lead to scale rot, but is soaking in a clean water dish a threat to his health?

[blackcrystal22]

I suggest switching your substrate to paper towels. Keeps the humidity EXTREMELY well. You will only have to mist once every 4-5 days, maybe even a week depending on some things.

Try it out

Paper towels don't keep my humidity up at all. For higher humidity and burrowing animals I use aspen, because it holds 10x easier.

Think about it, paper towels and newspaper dry out easily and don't hold any moisture, while wood bedding (aspen) will stay slightly damp for a little while and provide more humidity in the enclosure.