humidity?!

[megan8706]

Okay, I am very new to the BP world as I just purchased my first BP Monday. Was told absolutely nothing about care etcetera so I am kind of learning as I go with the help of google. I was told I have a female, she is very sweet and docile, also ate like a champ today. Anyways on to my question, how do I get the humidity to stay where it should be? Based off of what I found on Google it should be anywhere between 50-60, also she tends to stay in her hide on the cool side and never moves under the heat lamp, is that normal? Thanks in advance for any and all advice (:

[Mr. Misha]

Hi Megan and welcome to the forum.

Describe your terrarium setup so it'll be easier for us to guide you. If you download Tapatalk app for your phone you can take a couple of photos and post them up through your phone.

Here's a couple of helpful threads to start with

Ball Python Care Sheet:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

How to Setup Glass Terrarium:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t=setup+gallon

Shedding:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...hed-No-problem

[Navaro]

Hey, and welcome!

Ball pythons generally don't bask. So its pretty normal to not be under the heat lamp. The heat lamp is generally used to up ambiet temperatures (aiming for 81 - 83 in my opinion). Make sure you have an under the tank heater (UTH) hook up to a thermostat. Your aiming for 90 degrees here..

Humidity ideally should be around 50 - 60%. Some people swear by 45%, some 55. Makes little difference so long as it isn't to either extreme. You want to aim for 70% during shred. No constant 80's, and no constant 30's imo.


In terms of humidity it depends on your setup. If your using a glass tank with a screen lid, you can try using aluminum foil over the screen (3/4's covered, or more or less as needed) and monitoring it, seeing how you go. That way the humidity won't escape out the top as the hot air rises. You can also experiment with moss (i recommend sphagnum) in her hides, or areas around the tank to slowly release moisture into the air. Just make sure she's not laying on drenched materiel 24/7


If you have any further question, don't hesitate to ask! Questions show you care.

[megan8706]

Thank you. Right now I have her in a 10 gallon aquarium with a wire top. Temperature stays right around 80 for the most part. But humidity is staying really low between 20-30 unless I mist the tank, then it goes up for a short while then drops again.

[Navaro]

Hey, thanks for checking back. 20 - 30 is really too low. You might find she has trouble shedding with those percentages. Try the alluminum foil on top of the screen. Tape it in place, but outside the tank. You never want to use tape on the inside of a tank. Snakes in general have a habit of snagging themsleves on it.

If you don't have that available a damp towel over the top of the screen works wonders temporarily.

With the foil, you should be able to mist once, or twice daily and hold a pretty steady 55%. Just figurure out what works well for your 10gallon. If it shoots too high, peel back a little of the foil. You can also cut out areas for your heat lamps ect.

[megan8706]

I will definitely try the aluminum foil. My 6 year old would be devastated if we were unable to keep her as they have become friends since Monday.
I also read to wait a week or two before handling/feeding, but she was very eager to meet us, very friendly, and settled into her new home fast. I handle her usually daily, except for today as I fed her today, and read to not handle for 24-48 hours after feeding to prevent regurgitation. I want to have a happy healthy BP so I want to make sure everything I'm doing is right.

[megan8706]

Update: today I have a very shy little girl, hasn't been handled in two days due to feeding. Aluminum foil is helping a great deal with humidity. Thanks so much for your time

[Navaro]

your welcome! Gorgeous snake