First ball python - problems with humidity.

[shinimeggie]

I swear, after researching ball pythons, I must be the luckiest owner in the world. Valhalla, who is probably around eight months old give or take a few months whilst she was in the pet shop, is a very patient creature, who enjoys being handled, and is never grumpy - she even patiently dealt with my cat bopping her on the head (don't worry, I put a stop to that instantly). And, to put the cherry on top of the cake, she is not a fussy eater at all. I've never had any problems with feeding her - defrost mouse, kitchen tongs, boom. Instant strike.

Anyway, beyond that luck, I'm having problems keeping the tank humid enough. If I mist it, I can normally get it within range, if not a bit too high, but after an hour or so, it's back down to around 45%, even 40%. The temperatures are within normal range - I even tried turning the thermostat down to the lowest recommended temperature for the hot side, and I still had the same problem. Do I just have to mist it every hour, or am I doing something else wrong?

She's also not had a shed yet, so I'm a bit concerned the humidity is causing problems with that. She does actually come into the bathroom when I have a shower and has a little steam room in the sink, which she seems to enjoy as she curls up and sits there happily the entire time. But beyond that, I'm struggling, and I don't want to think I'm accidentally doing damage to her just because I apparently am vivarium dumb.

I've tried - misting, a living damp moss box, an extra water bowl, and dampening her bedding (which seemed to have kept it in the 45% range for a couple of days, but no higher).

[Zincubus]

Maybe best to give an overview of your set up ... including the type of lid covering if it's a tank ... type of heating ( ceramic presumably if it's so dry ).

Any info will let the others advise better.

She will go into shed eventually so don't worry .

[shinimeggie]

Thanks for your swift reply!

She's currently in a two foot vivarium, the kind that is wood on all sides, with sliding glass doors on the front. I use a ceramic heater rather than a mat heater, purely because that's how I got it second hand. She has the standard stuff in there - two hides, a water bowl, some fake plants, a decorative skull. There's no lighting, so no extra heat from anything like that. I use hemp bedding, which I've never had a problem with in terms of smell, and seems to hold water reasonably well to help raise the humidity, but not quite as high as it should be.

Now I've mentioned it, I'm thinking to myself that maybe the fact it's a ceramic heater rather than a mat heater that could be the problem? However, the guy who used it before me had around ten snakes and just needed to upgrade his old tank, so I assume that he had no problems keeping a snake comfortable in there for at least the first couple of years of its life. I also did do research on snakes and ceramic heaters, and didn't see the humidity as some sort of reported problem.

[Zincubus]

It's just that I've about 24 setups and around 5 or 6 are heated by ceramics and I struggle to keep the humidity up in them all . I'm sure there are a few ways to help the situation . I have a bowl of water near the bulbs for starters but the water gets warm so I provide a bowl for drinking water at the cooler end as well .
I also spray the vivs as often as I think about it ESPECIALLY when they're due to shed ..

[shinimeggie]

So, consistent misting as often as needed, and a bowl of water under the bulb if possible? I thought that may be the case. Is it unusual I've had her for around three months and she hasn't shed once yet? When I reserved her in the pet shop, she was undergoing a shed, but I would have thought a second one would have happened by now.

[tttaylorrr]

they shed when they need to. what size prey are you offering, and how much does the snake weigh? you might be unintentionally underfeeding.

also some humidity tips: sphagnum moss! or, something i do, is get a hand towel, soak it and wring it out so it's not dripping, and lay it over one of the hides. towel method can last about a week before it needs to be rewet.