Not sure how important it is with snakes but if you don't have enough fresh air coming in with chicken eggs they will die from suffocation. I tried paper towels over the top of the shoe box then put the lid on, it was too much and the paper towels got soaked, some even started to mold by themselves without eggs in the box after a couple weeks. If water drips on the eggs they can die too. So I folded up paper towels into half and then half again and put them under the lid on each end. Works pretty good, but it seems I didn't have quite enough humidity so I added sphagnum moss (soaked and squeezed to dampness) in the box around the eggs (but not touching). Seems to be about perfect. I use a plastic grate with square holes on top of pearlite.
It seemed like the eggs in the rear most part of the egg box were dimpling a bit too soon, that's when I added the damp moss. I'd suggest adding water and letting is sit for a week or two, then you'll know how the humidity is in the box. I also have quite a bit of condensation around the glass door in front, I like to wipe that off when I check the eggs every day. Some people suggest checking twice a day, I like to check just once to keep most of the heat and humidity in there. When you check them be sure to wipe any condensation off of the top of the egg box under the lid. I also like to separate any that are molding or smell bad to isolate them and keep them from ruining other good eggs.
Here's another neat trick you can do, add the substrate and water to the proper level and then the eggs. Then weigh the whole box (excluding paper towels or anything you will replace as you go). Then after a few weeks you can weigh again and add the difference in additional water to keep it just right.
Good luck!!
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