Lowering Humidity

[starmom]

Agreed! Newspaper works too.

*Happy 2000 post Mckinsey!*

Wow
I didn't even notice that!!!
Very cool- thanks

[TanyaL]

I'd be more concerned about an RI cropping up that quickly. Also, you ought to always measure your temps under the substrate since you never know when your snake is going to burrow under!
How bout taking more of the wet substrate out and just doing with less substrate but not all the way to paper? Or, no this is better, doing paper with the aspen on top of it

I like the paper/aspen idea BUT, I don't have any more aspen. I used all I had and put it on top of the bark. I don't think I could get enough out to cover the newspaper.

What about if I put some of that new bark in the oven and dried it out a bit? Would that help? If so, what temp would I put it on and for how long? And, how long would it need to cool off?

It's funny to think that I'm going through this much trouble for a snake that I never wanted and was too afraid to have. Now that I have learned something about snakes, I will go to the same lengths as I would my dog or horse! Well, as a pet owner, that goes without saying but I'm just surprised how much I really care for this snake, and she is not even mine!

[dalvers63]

I don't have a way to check that my accurite is measuring the humidity correctly but I did verify the temps with a heat gun. So, I'm assuming that the accurite is working properly.

I went through this issue with a fella in our local herp club. What he found is that the Accurite's hydrometer sensor is on the BACK of the unit, at the bottom. When you are using something that allows for a flat bottom (newspaper, etc) it registers just fine.

If you use a particulate substrate, it's possible that the sensor hole can get blocked and cause a false reading. I'd check to make sure that nothing is blocking the hole and that you're getting a normal reading from it. Maybe place the unit on top of your hide box on the side it is now and see what it measures.

[missi182]

I like the paper/aspen idea BUT, I don't have any more aspen. I used all I had and put it on top of the bark. I don't think I could get enough out to cover the newspaper.

What about if I put some of that new bark in the oven and dried it out a bit? Would that help? If so, what temp would I put it on and for how long? And, how long would it need to cool off?

It's funny to think that I'm going through this much trouble for a snake that I never wanted and was too afraid to have. Now that I have learned something about snakes, I will go to the same lengths as I would my dog or horse! Well, as a pet owner, that goes without saying but I'm just surprised how much I really care for this snake, and she is not even mine!

I set my oven pretty low, around 150 F, and keep a close eye on it, about 10-15 minutes at that temp should dry it out. Lay it out on a flat cookie sheet.

[TanyaL]

I went through this issue with a fella in our local herp club. What he found is that the Accurite's hydrometer sensor is on the BACK of the unit, at the bottom. When you are using something that allows for a flat bottom (newspaper, etc) it registers just fine.

If you use a particulate substrate, it's possible that the sensor hole can get blocked and cause a false reading. I'd check to make sure that nothing is blocking the hole and that you're getting a normal reading from it. Maybe place the unit on top of your hide box on the side it is now and see what it measures.

What can you expect from a $15 unit right?

Because of the sweat spots where the water dish and the snake was laying, I don't doubt that the humidity is as high as the accurite reads.

We moved the probe just a few minutes ago and so far it's dropped to 78%. I wonder if maybe since the probe was in the substrate that gave the high reading. It wasn't buried but it wasn't laying on top either.

[TanyaL]

I set my oven pretty low, around 150 F, and keep a close eye on it, about 10-15 minutes at that temp should dry it out. Lay it out on a flat cookie sheet.

Thank you! I'll give it a try!

[SatanicIntention]

Humidity is nothing to worry about as long as the substrate isn't sopping wet. Excess humidity will not cause a respiratory infection, bacteria will.

For those of you who use wet towels on top of your screen tops, when air filters through that bacteria infested towel(that is already warm from the lamp or whatever you use), your snake is breathing that air in. That air contains lots of bacteria from the towel.. NASTY! Yay RI.

A dirty, wet cage will cause scale rot, whereas a wet, clean cage will not. If a snake spills a waterbowl and sits in it all night until you clean it, they will be fine. Ive let snakes soak overnight if they had a bad shed. They're fine.

[TanyaL]

Humidity is nothing to worry about as long as the substrate isn't sopping wet. Excess humidity will not cause a respiratory infection, bacteria will.

For those of you who use wet towels on top of your screen tops, when air filters through that bacteria infested towel(that is already warm from the lamp or whatever you use), your snake is breathing that air in. That air contains lots of bacteria from the towel.. NASTY! Yay RI.

A dirty, wet cage will cause scale rot, whereas a wet, clean cage will not. If a snake spills a waterbowl and sits in it all night until you clean it, they will be fine. Ive let snakes soak overnight if they had a bad shed. They're fine.

So are you saying that I shouldn't worry about it tonight? Should I still replace the substrate tomorrow or just let it dry out? It's not sopping wet by any menas but you can without a doubt feel the moisture.


Everybody has a different way of doing things that I'm confused as to what to do. What you are saying makes sense but I also agree with the others about not taking unnecessary chances. But, since I'm not educated enough in the care of snakes, I'm not sure of how much of a chance I'm taking.

Humidity is at 79%....up 1% since the last post. But, at least it's not in the high 80's like it was when I first noticed the problem.

[SatanicIntention]

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it's not "wet" wet, and only moist/humid/whatever, I honestly wouldn't change it. It will dry out over time. Africa has wet seasons too and Balls just stay in their burrows where it gets nice and soppy.

Your digital hygrometer is measuring that high because it's only an inch away from the substrate. I would place it about halfway up the tank wall so you can get what the humidity really is(you're aiming for ambient humidity and ambient temps for the cool side).

I've had some of my tubs get so much condensation on the inside that they fogged up completely. The newspaper remained dry though, so I didn't worry about it.

If you don't want to have to keep spending an inordinate amount of money on substrate from the pet store, go to Home Depot and get a bag of their cypress mulch. It's $2 here for a 2cu. ft. bag and it's good quality. I think the brand is called No Float. They also have Orchid Bark, which is the same thing as Reptibark only not dyed and not dusty. Aspen is always an option too and can be found in the small pet section(4cu ft bag for around $10). I use newspaper because when I clean a tub, it's truly clean, and there isn't any remaining bits of urate/feces or liquid urine hiding in the bottom under the substrate.

[TanyaL]

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as it's not "wet" wet, and only moist/humid/whatever, I honestly wouldn't change it. It will dry out over time. Africa has wet seasons too and Balls just stay in their burrows where it gets nice and soppy.

Thank you! You have given me some comfort. I'll still continue to keep an eye on it to see how it goes. While I'm out tomorrow, I'll get a new accurite as a back up and a new bag of substrate.