Need help with my cage setup my girl has RI :(

[bobbyd6929]

Hello,
I currently have a May 08, what I believe to be a female.(I watched and re-watched the 8-ball pythons popping vids and did my best to be gentle and found no hemipenes) I purchased this girl in september from her first owner that bought her from a local reptile show. she has never missed a meal for the first owner(a good friend of mine) and never for me. she has shed 3 times since i have had her and has grown remarkably since i have gotten her. I am worried tho because I currently am in college in Dekalb IL and our winter days are super cold so I have been struggling with humidity, and today I had her out of the tank and i heard a squeak.... I put her head close to my ear and after a few seconds another one, they are very faint and not every breathe but definitely noticable, i also noticed her in her humid hide with her head up against the side, clear sign of RI... So I made an appt. for thursday with the local exotic veterinarian and i am hoping I caught it early as there are no signs of mucus build up or bubbles on her nose or mouth.
I am sorry if this post seems wordy, I am just trying to do everything I can for my girl; Hope I can get some help

20g long tank


Cool side (sorry for glare just want to show the tank)

It is hard to make out but there are two hides on this side. One in the corner(cool hide) and one adjacent to it in the middle of the tank with a UTH underneath. I currently do not have a thermostat so i have a light dimmer setup with a digital thermometer ontop of the glass.(until i can afford a nice herpstat!) the snake loves both hides because they are small and has no problem switching inbetween the two.

Warm side

In the right corner i placed I small tupperware that is her Humid hide, it has a breathable lid and about 3/4inch of water in it. i changed the water everyday to everyother(as often as I can)

Top



Okay.. I have the Temp gradient set... cool side is 82-84 with a night time low of maybe 76-79... warm side temp is 90-92 but my humidity stays under and around 30% depending on the time of the day, i do have a digital hygrometer/thermometer and it is currently on the cool side reading 25%. I also spray the tank 1 or 2 times a day and several times when i notice she is going into shed, and that will bring it up between 60-70%. her last shed was perfect but now i question why she is wheezing? is it because of the constant low humidity?
As for a substrate I am currently using astro-turf with 2 layers of papertowel underneath. could this be the culprit? it made cleaning very easy for me because i can just replace it with a new sheet and thoroughly clean it. I had been told by my friend i got the snake from that the turf was okay and his older brother has used it for several of his snakes in the past without a problem, but now I am thinking that I need to switch to aspen or cypress or desert snow to maintain the humidity. Please help!!!

thank you.

[missi182]

The wheezing could be a bit of skin in the nostril. I vet check is always a great idea when you are unsure and think there could be a problem. As for your humidity issues, I personally think the best quick fix is a damp towel over the screen, changed daily. I would also avoid that drop below 80 at night if there is anyway you can get the heat up, that will not help an RI if that is indeed whats causing the weeze.

[bobbyd6929]

well her last shed was 1.7.09 and I do not recall hearing this squeak right after, I guess it could possibly be skin but I am taking her to the vet anyway just to be safe but and I also want to have sexed because I was told that she was a male but I have correctly popped her several times without revealing any hemipenes. but I would like to know if anyone thinks I should switch subtrates? what would help hold humidity most?

[nixer]

that top should be covered more and cover 3 sides.
id shoot a post in under bp husbandry

[missi182]

that top should be covered more and cover 3 sides.
id shoot a post in under bp husbandry

The top should NOT be covered more....what pictures are you looking at? The top of that tank is covered 90% if anything some of it should be uncovered. Circulation of air is essential, unless your cool with suffocating your snakes...

[missi182]

well her last shed was 1.7.09 and I do not recall hearing this squeak right after, I guess it could possibly be skin but I am taking her to the vet anyway just to be safe but and I also want to have sexed because I was told that she was a male but I have correctly popped her several times without revealing any hemipenes. but I would like to know if anyone thinks I should switch subtrates? what would help hold humidity most?

As I said, a vet trip is always a good idea when in doubt, and since you want to double check the sex its a good plan.

I personally don't use textured substrate just because its easier to keep cage liners clean (I use Scott Shop Towels) but when it comes to substrate that can hold humidity, cypress mulch or aspen will work well. If you do choose cypress mulch, just make sure you inspect it for little critters, gnats and other little buggies can live in it and even mites sometimes. When I used to use cypress, I'd throw the bag in the freezer for a few days to kill off anything in it.

[starmom]

Have you tried sphagnum moss? It is really good for getting humidity levels higher. You dampen it and put some into each hide and also a bowl of it under your heat lamp. It ought to help a lot.

Also, why do you have a night drop of temps? Cooler air holds less moisture than warmer air, so maybe you might think about keeping the warm side always around 92F to help hold in that humidity

[bobbyd6929]

Have you tried sphagnum moss? It is really good for getting humidity levels higher. You dampen it and put some into each hide and also a bowl of it under your heat lamp. It ought to help a lot.

Also, why do you have a night drop of temps? Cooler air holds less moisture than warmer air, so maybe you might think about keeping the warm side always around 92F to help hold in that humidity

I have used sphagnum moss, it just turned brown and I didnt get more, the only way there are nighttime drops is if someone opens a window before going to bed. I am going to try and go with the cypress substrate first and see where my humidity levels are after that.

[starmom]

Ewww... brown.
I get my sphagnum moss from this place: http://www.tropicalplantproducts.com...=2&selection=4. I get the long fibered Chilean moss and it is an awesome product! You can re-dampen it several times before needing to replace it. It is colorful, alive, and gorgeous!! Smells awesome!!!