BP has a red belly??

[Jonny2184]

I have a quick question and I think I know why it is happening...
I just moved houses and I'm having a horrible time getting my humidity up in the tank in the new house! I hooked up an automactic mister that goes off right niow every 3 hours for 30 seconds. This brings the humidity up to 40% on a good day, but sometimes I turn it up to spray every hour, but anyway, the questions is...

Why does my BP have a red belly now? Is this an early sign of belly rot or scale rot. I noticed he was really wet last night and I know that is not good for them to sit in water all day! But the mister creates a pool of water and I guess it has been running down under his hide!
Is this why he has the red belly?! Is was actually red'er then the palm of my hand, it was a deepish red. Hard to explain!

[LadyOhh]

Could be it, could be shed time, could be something else...

It's hard to diagnose this kind of problem without seeing everything, but it sounds like your option is the most likely one.

Dry him out for a while. Make sure he is healthy before worrying about the humidity as much.

AND, if you are that concerned, as always, take him to a vet.

[Jonny2184]

Yeah, I bet I am too! I'm having a harsh time getting the humidity right! I put the tin foil over the tank cover but that didn't do much I dont think! Ah well... I'll keep at it! He doesnt want to eat either because his temps are going up and down because when I'm home I turn the heat on and it goes up HIGH and when I leave for work I turn it down and it goes way down. (I have oil so i can't leave it on, but I want to get one of them little plug in heaters that can monitor the temp of the room)
I've also done insulation with styrofoam and that might have helped with the temps. He hasnt eaten in about a month now either so I think I need to take the weekend and figure this thing out once and for all!

When he sheds he turns pale, I've never seen him turn red during a shed, but you never know with BP's!

[Patrick Long]

well, if the mister is creating pools of water, i would assume that it just making it wet, not neccesarily humid. remember humidity doesnt equal wet.

[Jonny2184]

well, if the mister is creating pools of water, i would assume that it just making it wet, not neccesarily humid. remember humidity doesnt equal wet.

Yeah I've heard that before, but you need water to get humidity too! I think I just bought a weird machine. It's more like a sprayer, then a mister. But maybe I can buy a different tip and put it on?? I'll have to look into that too!
Cheers!

[littleindiangirl]

Why not purchase a cool mist humidifier for that room? Put it next to his tank. What substrate are you using? Have you tried cypress or coconut bark? Try something that will hold the humidity. How do you have the top sectioned off? layers of foil held down by foil tape is how we did it. we had to spray twice a day with the tank.

How high is the tank? Compared to how deep, the higher it is, the harder to keep temps stable. Do you have his UTH on a thermostat? the thermostat should be in a range of 1-2 degrees to keep the heat constant and steady. Also, how are you measuring the temps? Is it on the uth itself? That is the most accurite way to go most times.

Just some tips

[MelissaFlipski]

Why not purchase a cool mist humidifier for that room? Put it next to his tank. What substrate are you using? Have you tried cypress or coconut bark? Try something that will hold the humidity. How do you have the top sectioned off? layers of foil held down by foil tape is how we did it. we had to spray twice a day with the tank.

This is a great idea! We have one next to our BP's tank now and it does wonders for the humidity. Also, having the snake's enclosure in a smaller room helps, too. It will be easier for temps and humidity if you can control the room somewhat, too.

I think we gave our BP a URI by misting too much to make up for humidity drops. She's almost done her course of antibiotics now. But we won't make the same mistake again.

Yes, as Pat says, wet does not equal humidity. Like I said above.

If the belly doesn't get better within a day or so after drying him out, take him to a vet - or sooner if he seems to react when you touch/move him (like he's uncomfortable or in pain).

Good luck!

[Jonny2184]

Right now I use newspaper. I'd use that other stuff but it's hard to get out to the pet store all the time so I stick wiht the paper. Plus I'd probably go broke faster if I did that! Paper is just my thing I guess...
I only have ove layer of tin foil over the tank, maybe I should redo it and put a few over it eh!?! It does seems really thin so it probably isn't doing much!

My tank is probably almost 2 feet high, maybe not that high but close to it! I've had him in this tank for two years now and never had an issue like this so I don't really think it's all the fault of the tank! I use UTH, doesn't everybody? I use the digi stuff to meausure, and have them thermostats things too!
It's just that the room temperature changes so much that I have to constantly turn his thermostat up and down all the time. It's not one of them hardcore ones that can set the exact temp for you and keep it (Helix or whatever they are called). It's a cheapie! But it works! I just need to regulate the temps in the room itself. Then I should be OK. Maybe I could just buy a little humidifier and stick in the room closer to the tanks! That would help too with humidity eh! Instead of making puddles in the tank!
CHEERS

Why not purchase a cool mist humidifier for that room? Put it next to his tank. What substrate are you using? Have you tried cypress or coconut bark? Try something that will hold the humidity. How do you have the top sectioned off? layers of foil held down by foil tape is how we did it. we had to spray twice a day with the tank.

How high is the tank? Compared to how deep, the higher it is, the harder to keep temps stable. Do you have his UTH on a thermostat? the thermostat should be in a range of 1-2 degrees to keep the heat constant and steady. Also, how are you measuring the temps? Is it on the uth itself? That is the most accurite way to go most times.

Just some tips

[Jonny2184]

If the belly doesn't get better within a day or so after drying him out, take him to a vet - or sooner if he seems to react when you touch/move him (like he's uncomfortable or in pain).

Good luck!

Yeah Thanks! I didnt look at him last night because he isn't eating and I dont wanna bug him much (plus I was out at the horse races all night! WOO) but tonight I will take him out and see how he is doing! He's probably a little better because I changed the direction of the spray and I dont think he is sitting in it so much, but I will have to check and make sure tonight!
Thanks for all the tips and concerns!

[AzureN1ght]

I've also got to say--for holding humidity and heat, tubs are really good. Depending on what season it is, I have to move his waterbowl closer or further away from the hot side of his tub (or switch from a small waterbowl in the summer to a larger one in the winter)--but I'm easily able to manipulate the humidity.

I've never had to deal with a tank, but keeping temps/humidity stable seems to be a common problem.