how much water???

[dinger51]

Now that my BP has shed and I don't need all of the water bowls I used to increase the humidity, how much water does my BP need? What is the minimum amount. I am having a hard time keeping the humidity down. BTW the humidity is at 63%-64% currently. Will this cause a RI? I use paper so my substrate isn't holding any any moisture. any help would be great.

[JLC]

One small bowl that always contains clean, fresh water is fine. And your humidity levels are fine, too. Some people swear by higher humidity, saying it keeps their snakes even healthier than the average bp. I think bad temps with bone-dry air is much more apt to cause RI than good temps with moderately high humidity.

[Marla]

Judy is definitely right because snakes rely on temps to maintain their immune system. If you keep one water dish with an inch or so of water in there that's changed regularly, that should be fine. If your humidity is still above 60%, try changing placement of the dish or type of dish you use to one that doesn't conduct heat as well.

[dinger51]

thanks,

I took the water out for a while, he is sleeping, it came down to 66%. Correct me if I'm wrong, but thats still too high? I may end up drilling more holes in the plexi to maintain a lower humidity

[Marla]

That's higher than you want it to be as a general rule, but give it a few hours before you decide what the results of removing the bowl are. It takes time for it to reach stability.

[gen]

Question about water dishes: Is it okay to have 2 water dishes? I have a pretty big tank, 30 or 35 gallon I think, and I've got my little guy (6 months old 189 grams) coming in about a week. Someone suggested that since it's a pretty big enclosure for a small guy I should have 2 water dishes, 2 hides. Does that sound good, or should I ditch the second water dish and get another hide instead? My humidity is 60-65% with two water dishes in there.

[JLC]

I'd offer a variety of hides. They don't have to be very big for a snake that size...you'd be surprised at what tiny spaces they love to cram themselves into. If you have room for two water bowls, it wouldn't hurt to have them.

[Marla]

I'd hold off on the second water dish until it's shed time and then throw that puppy in there. If you have extra space, i'd see if I could set up some vines or some other sort of climbing apparatus if i were you.

[gen]

Yeah, I've already got some ivy vines and a grapevine branch for him to climb on. I think I'll go get another little hide today instead of the second water dish.

[Marla]

Sure, that sounds like a good plan. You could even get one of the small coconut fiber basket liners and cut it to a good size and he can climb on that as well as go inside.