Humidity requirements for my BCI?

[Them and Us]

what should be the humidity for my young BCI? and what is the best way to keep the humidity up? any advice would be spectacular. thats all. thanks boys and girls.

[C.Marshell]

B.c.i are extremely tolerent animals,and dont really seem to suffer any real ill effects with low humidity,however just because they can tolerate it doesn't mean they should be kept that way.
All of my adults are kept anywhere from 55%-65% humidity,but sometimes as juveniles they can suffer sheding dificulties if kept to low.I keep all my babies at or arround 65% and during a sheding cycle i simply mist a couple of times a day,wich is usually adaquate,and i have never had a problem this way.
Raising the humidity can be done by simply puting the water bowl over the heat source,to cause quicker evaporation and or by simply misting a couple times a day with a spray bottle.

Also if you are using a aquarium with a screen top you may want to cover at least half of the top with a towel or something,to keep the humidity in.

Hope this helps you a little.

[Lisa]

Our BCI's are getting 50-70% and have perfect sheds every time. it's a good idea to get a humidity meter (you can get one as cheap as $6 for an analog one or $50+for a digital) so you can actually see if the humidity needs changing.

Now if only our BP's could shed as nice.

[Them and Us]

i just bought a humidity meter a few weeks ago . analog. its been around 40 % since i bought themeter. I will try to bring it up. do have a screen top but its all covered with plexiglass up to the heat lamp.I have a grand 4 cage rack in the works now. I have had perfect sheds as well so far but I want to make sure conditions are optimal. thanks both of you.

[Edwin]

My humidity is around 55-65%, and I raise it up to the mid 70s when the snake is in shed. So far I have had perfect sheds.

[ls1grrrl]

Originally posted by Lisa
you can get one as cheap as $6 for an analog one or $50+for a digital

Where do you buy your thermometers and hygometers?? :)

K-mart and Wal-mart carry digital dual-zone thermometers with hygrometers for $20. If you have either of those shopping meccas near you then I highly recommend checking them out! We use them in all of our snakes enclosures. Our larger enclosures have a couple strategically placed and its nice to be able to easily monitor 3-4 locations in the cage.

We keep our BCIs humidity in the range of 60-70%. As long as their enclosures have a good temp gradient the slightly higher humidity works well. We have perfect sheds every time, and very healthy snakes.

[J.Monaghen]

Is there any Negative's to having it too humid all the time. My enclosure has sustained a 72-80% humidity level at all times. Will this adversely affect her? She is going into her first shed since I got her(little over a month ago). And she has seemed to enjoy the temp/humidity levels in her enclosure.

Joe

[Edwin]

If it is too humid, she could get a respiratory infection. Also, a damp environment is a breeding ground for bacteria.

Hope this helps.

[J.Monaghen]

Hot side of tank: 90° & 70% humidity
Cool side of tank: 80° & 75% humidty

Substrate is dry to the touch. Large container of fresh water(changed daily), and dry hide boxes on both sides.

Is anything in the above cause for concern? She is about to shed, and appears very healthy. Eats very well. Is handled for an average of 1-1.5 hours per day, and never has been snippy.

joe

[ls1grrrl]

J,

I don't think it sounds like you have anything to worry about with your setup. We've kept one of our BCIs in a very similar temp and humidity setup and she's had nothing but the best health. Alot of people do keep their BCIs with humidity in the 70s with no problem, and just as many keep them with humidity between 50-65% (as we do with our other BCI), again with no problem. As long as you're keeping an eye on things, cleaning regularly and thoroughly then you should be fine.

There is no absolute perfect setup (though some people may insist that if you vary from their setup then you'll fail miserably - totally untrue). There is an optimal range, but beyond that, each snake is an individual and you just have to find what works for you in keeping a snake that eats well, poops regularly, has good sheds and is stressed as little as possible.

If you are worried about the humidity being so high constantly, you can do what we did with one of our cages. We wired up a small (CPU) fan and put it on a timer (digital 14 setting programmable timer - about $20 at Home Depot), then mounted it to a vent in one of our BCI's enclosures. It kicks on every couple of hours for 30 minutes. The circulation drops the humidity into the low 60s. When the fan goes off, it has 2 hours or so to build the humidity back up. It usually reaches about 70% just around the time the fan kicks back on. At night, we let the fan run more often to simulate the nightly drop in humidity as the temps change.

Regards,

[J.Monaghen]

Thanks for the help! Nice to see another Floridian on the board. Orlando to boot.

joe