Humidity discrepancies between captive and wild?

[Zach_este93]

Hello, I am wondering why humidity is suggested to be between 50-60%. In most of the areas in which Royals naturally live it seems as though humidity generally ranges between 58-78% or higher. I realize that there are exceptions to this, I am just trying to understand why. Do they prosper in the lower-than-natural humidity?

Currently I am running a tub set-up with a humidity that ranges between 56-77% throughout a 24hr span. Temperatures are as follow; cool end ambient is 80-84, warm end ambient is 86-90, hot-spot is 90-94 (all taken with Maximum brand temperature gun). I am worried that if I punch more holes in the tub I will lower my cool side ambient temperatures too much. I live in Northern Canada and the temperatures can get as cold as -40 outside in January-February. I already have a space heater in the snakes room. Furthermore, I am using aspen bedding with paper towel underneath and only one water dish. The substrate is never moist. I am wondering what the people here think of this humidity. Is low temperature a higher concern than high humidity? Can royals still thrive in this humidity if it occurs in the wild?

Any further thoughts, comments, questions, answers, or ridicule is more than welcome!

Thank you!

[SDA]

10 years ago you would have been told something else and 20 years ago would have been even different. The hobby gets into a rut with the acceptable ranges of care for ideal living situations until a few people come up with a new twist on care and slowly it starts to take hold. That's where we are today with the current humidity baselines.

That being said, these guides are not just arbitrarily setups that people pulled out of thin air. These are determined from years of improvements in understanding and care that have shown to provide a working guideline for the easiest means to provide a healthy environment.

That's why if you keep a non moist substrate in a 70% humid tub enclosure it is not going to be detrimental to your snake but for the wide range of care people give and to give people starting in this hobby a goal to hit, these ranges have been set.

Another way to think about it is that those ranges are the ones that thousands of man hours of trial and error have shown to keep a ball python healthy and happy.

[Zach_este93]

Thank you, I appreciate the response and the man hours that went into the guidelines. Do you think it is ok if my humidity fluctuates in those ranges? or should i be trying to lower it. As I said, my substrate is always dry. I am just very concerned about the temps getting too low if i add more holes due to my location.

[Starscream]

Your humidity sounds perfect; I wouldn't worry about trying to lower it. You're more likely to have perfect sheds when it's up in that range, and RIs are usually less likely with higher humidity.

[ckuhn003]

Thank you, I appreciate the response and the man hours that went into the guidelines. Do you think it is ok if my humidity fluctuates in those ranges? or should i be trying to lower it. As I said, my substrate is always dry. I am just very concerned about the temps getting too low if i add more holes due to my location.

For what it's worth....my humidity was pegged at 99% until I changed out my substrate (reptichip to newspaper). Now I have it down in the 80s. What's interesting is that I have two recognized digital hydrometer meters which show a ride range of levels. Both are situated in the same place of the enclosure.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermometers/TH-100/ shows mid 90s

and a digital Accurite which shows low 80s.

[Zach_este93]

So my humidity might not actually be as high as it says then if my meter is incorrect (it is digital, off hand I can't remember the brand). Well I am going to let the humidity levels stay put because I'm more scared of the lower temperatures. Thanks for the responses.