Humidity?

Kaianuanu · 07-30-13, 08:50 PM

My first carpet, which happens to be a baby coastal, will be here in the morning. And I want to make sure all is right. I got my cage set up and my temps right, however I want to make sure my humidity is okay. I live in Florida and in the warm months, which is like spring through fall, and half of winter, my house is at 80 degrees. And the ambient humidity in my reptile / fish room is about 45%. In the tank I have set up for him, the humidity is only reading 46% despite me covering 2/3 of the top with foam board, and filling up the big water bowl in there. BTW, it's a 10 gallon with Repti-carpet as the substrate. Also, I can mist the cage during sheds, but I want to know if 46% is good enough for the rest of the time.

Mikoh4792 · 07-30-13, 09:05 PM

This is a caresheet for carpets in general
Carpet Python Care

Quote:

Myth 2 - Carpet pythons need high humidity.
There's no subtle way to put it...this one's more or less BS.

I cringe when I see keepers telling people to keep their carpets at a consistent 70% relative humidity. As a rule of thumb, 40-60% is good - anything higher and you need to clean all the time to make sure "life" doesn't start growing in the cage. :-)

Too much humidity will promote bacterial and fungal growth, which can cause a myriad of health problems. With that being the case, I'd rather keep them a little too dry than a little too wet...but again, this really just boils down to what works for you. Someone in Florida might have a different experience than someone in Missouri. Since I stopped cooling my pythons for breeding season (2010), I have noticed that my carpet cages do need to be misted during the winter. This is because we leave the heat on, and heat tends obviously dries the air out. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say a reading in the 45-60% range would be optimal. When humidity dips below the 50% mark, lightly mist the cage and then the humidity will spike to 70% or so for a few hours before getting back down to a more reasonable range. Then you let the cage become almost dry before repeating. Twice a week seems to work well for me. -ac reptiles

46% should be fine, I would just mist it for a few seconds a day not for humidity, but because I notice my snakes drink the droplets every time I spray them.

I would not use repti-carpet as a substrate. It's been known to harbor a lot bacteria.

Kaianuanu · 07-30-13, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

This is a caresheet for carpets in general
Carpet Python Care

46% should be fine, I would just mist it for a few seconds a day not for humidity, but because I notice my snakes drink the droplets every time I spray them.

I would not use repti-carpet as a substrate. It's been known to harbor a lot bacteria.

Hmm, if he needs it daily, maybe I'll hook him up to my Aquazamp that I have on my chameleon's cage, with some type of separate timed valve so I don't flood the little tank. Also, is the repticarpet still an issue when you consider that I do, clean them regularly with unscented detergent?

smy_749 · 07-30-13, 09:38 PM

I don't understand the carpet really. Its not as convenient as other substrates and the ability to just scoop out substrate from the infected area. It doesn't hold any humidity or provide any added security and it looks cheap and lame.

That being said, If your not using a high wattage bulb, ambient humidity in most peoples houses is sufficient. Something between 40 and 60 % and you shouldn't have issues. I wouldn't hook up a fogger though, when you start getting too high you may experience issues.

Kaianuanu · 07-30-13, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smy_749

I don't understand the carpet really. Its not as convenient as other substrates and the ability to just scoop out substrate from the infected area. It doesn't hold any humidity or provide any added security and it looks cheap and lame.

That being said, If your not using a high wattage bulb, ambient humidity in most peoples houses is sufficient. Something between 40 and 60 % and you shouldn't have issues. I wouldn't hook up a fogger though, when you start getting too high you may experience issues.

I like it because it is a solid liner like paper towells or newspaper, and is more visually appealing IMO. I also already had it on hand. Also, the Aquazamp is an automatic misting system, not a fogger. It's great for chameleons because they only drink from leaves.

smy_749 · 07-30-13, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaianuanu

I like it because it is a solid liner like paper towells or newspaper, and is more visually appealing IMO. I also already had it on hand. Also, the Aquazamp is an automatic misting system, not a fogger. It's great for chameleons because they only drink from leaves.

I still don't think its really necessary, and misting will still increase humidity to levels you probably don't want. I understand the whole solid liner convenience, but paper towel and newspaper are convenient because you just crumple them up and chuck em in the garbage. Just give the carpet a water bowl and the occasional misting, doesn't have to be everyday either

Mikoh4792 · 07-30-13, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaianuanu

I like it because it is a solid liner like paper towells or newspaper, and is more visually appealing IMO. I also already had it on hand. Also, the Aquazamp is an automatic misting system, not a fogger. It's great for chameleons because they only drink from leaves.

I don't know if it would be practical to use a misting system. I meant to just spray them for a few seconds just to form a few droplets for them to drink. A misting system would raise the ambient humidity too high.

Mikoh4792 · 07-30-13, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaianuanu

Hmm, if he needs it daily, maybe I'll hook him up to my Aquazamp that I have on my chameleon's cage, with some type of separate timed valve so I don't flood the little tank. Also, is the repticarpet still an issue when you consider that I do, clean them regularly with unscented detergent?

What do you mean by regularly?