Humidity and the Monsoon RS400

[AwesomeGuy376]

So I've been spraying a couple times a day and it keeps dropping to as low as 45%. I was wondering what yall would recommend, i was thinking about getting a Monsoon so that it can spray when I'm not home. Thoughts?

[dannybgoode]

I'd stop worrying about your humidity so much...

[jpsteele80]

Just my 2 cents but if you have to spray a cage a few times a day it's the wrong setup, a correct cage should hold humidity just fine

[AwesomeGuy376]

Just my 2 cents but if you have to spray a cage a few times a day it's the wrong setup, a correct cage should hold humidity just fine

Yea its glass.. its not the best, i kinda got screwed over at a reptile shop and got a pretty bad setup... m pretty sure its the lights evaporating the water.. I have a CHE on the way but it wont be here till monday :L

[jpsteele80]

Yea its glass.. its not the best, i kinda got screwed over at a reptile shop and got a pretty bad setup... m pretty sure its the lights evaporating the water.. I have a CHE on the way but it wont be here till monday :L

Yeah pet shops give the worst advice, there people are not even properly trained in the department's there in

[trailblazer295]

For a misting system a mistking is the best from my research. Also locally mistking is cheaper then a monsoon system. I would recommend that if you're looking at a misting system.

[Mad Max]

I bought one on Amazon for $80 that I've been using for the last few months now. It seems to be a reasonably well built unit and the controls are easy to dial in if you have a good hygrometer to keep track of the enclosure's humidity with. I also like that it is a complete and very tidy package.

[dannybgoode]

Seriously, you do not need a misting system for a boa imperator. You really are asking for trouble in terms of ri's etc as they will make the enclosure damp rather than humid.

Save the money towards a more suitable via instead.

Also, as I mentioned in other posts unless you're measuring the humidity at ground level with a probe attached to a good quality digital hygrometer or a good hygrometer sat at ground level (the reason I mention a prove is because a while unit sat at ground level is unsightly and gets knocked over) you don't really know what humidity the snakes is experiencing anyway.

Humidity is higher at ground level where you snake is most of the time (by a good few percent) than it is half way up the back wall of your viv.

[trailblazer295]

Seriously, you do not need a misting system for a boa imperator. You really are asking for trouble in terms of ri's etc as they will make the enclosure damp rather than humid.

Save the money towards a more suitable via instead.

Also, as I mentioned in other posts unless you're measuring the humidity at ground level with a probe attached to a good quality digital hygrometer or a good hygrometer sat at ground level (the reason I mention a prove is because a while unit sat at ground level is unsightly and gets knocked over) you don't really know what humidity the snakes is experiencing anyway.

Humidity is higher at ground level where you snake is most of the time (by a good few percent) than it is half way up the back wall of your viv.

I didn't know there was such a variance in such a small height. I'll have to reposition my probes.

[AwesomeGuy376]

I didn't know there was such a variance in such a small height. I'll have to reposition my probes.

yup, Same. Ill just spray twice a day and keep it at that

[Mad Max]

It doesn't matter whether the water comes from a bottle or a misting system. Either way you don't want the substrate to stay so damp that it gets moldy. The problem with a glass and screen tank is that that balance of proper air humidity to proper soil moisture isn't nearly as even as it is in more insulated enclosures.

[Zelg]

I started off my Ball in a glass tank bought from petsmart. My god, I look at those setups now and just want to smack myself and these companies that claim they are suitable, because in most cases they are less than ideal when it comes to being able to maintain any kind of habitat. It "worked" well enough for my Ball, but only because I had covered the whole top with cardboard and tin foil, minus 1/4 inch of space on the side of the screen for ventilation. I had a very hard time keeping my humidity over 50%. I was spraying multiple times per day and still struggled. Of course it made things damp as well. Not to mention it was horrible at retaining heat. It was just kind of a huge nightmare trying to have consistently stable temps and humidity. The lamps are terrible IMO and I'll likely never go back to a setup like that for anything more than a temp holding tank while I clean the main ones.

Having to use a monsoon is ludicrous. I had considered a fogger which I think would have been ok but still, i would have been constantly fogging the tank to get it to 50%. And my house humidity seems to be around 40-45%...trying to keep that extra 5% was just a friggin chore.

The other posters are correct, you need a proper cage. In the long run, you'll save a ton of money (monsoons arent THAT cheap and they have a reputation for failing after a short time..so ive heard). Get a pvc cage of build your own wooden one. Once I moved my Ball into his pvc cage, I dont have to worry about his temps or humidity. If I see his humidity drop, I spray real quick, and its good for a few days. Its heated by a RHP and it holds heat well.

I should state that I have a "snake room" but its only one snake. I have a space heater that keeps it at 75 degrees. I like to keep my house around 68 so having a heated room is an amazing advantage. Maybe something to consider if you can.

Basically though, research a proper cage. Dont listen to anyone at petsmart, petco, etc.

[AwesomeGuy376]

Yea.. Cant really afford a PVC but m making due with what i have.. Whats crazy is that i got all this info from a reptile shop. Its crazy man... not petco, but an actual reptile shop that specializes in snakes.. I got a CHE which solved a lot of my problems, but im not gonna go as far as wasting so much more money on a new cage when this one is working fine now that the CHE is in. When i get another snake though, ill go plastic. But im not gonna throw away another $300 just for a tank, it'd be a $600 loss.

[Albert Clark]

Yea.. Cant really afford a PVC but m making due with what i have.. Whats crazy is that i got all this info from a reptile shop. Its crazy man... not petco, but an actual reptile shop that specializes in snakes.. I got a CHE which solved a lot of my problems, but im not gonna go as far as wasting so much more money on a new cage when this one is working fine now that the CHE is in. When i get another snake though, ill go plastic. But im not gonna throw away another $300 just for a tank, it'd be a $600 loss.
Hey AG, most of my ball pythons were raised in glass enclosures and have done pretty well. Your humidity issues can be readily solved by purchasing a "versa top" for your glass enclosures. They fit perfectly into the top of the enclosure and are sized based on the gallon capacity. They are glass tops that are fitted into a hard plastic centerpiece. A fitted plastic end piece is included and can be attached on one end of the glass. You make ventilation holes in that piece. Versa tops will raise your humidity percentages and can help with ambient temperatures. Another remedy would be to buy some "New England sphagnum moss". Cut a appropriate sized piece, moisten it with water and squeeze out the excess. New England moss doesn't mold like most other sphagnum mosses. Holds moisture well. Just monitor the humidity and tweak it as necessary.