quick question about spraying a tank

DeesBalls · 06-15-09, 12:46 PM

so im going to get a spray bottle to start spraying down my BP's cage. shes about to shed and i want to make sure he get it all good! couple questions:

1.) do i just spray everything?
2.) do i use hot/warm water, or does it matter?
3.) with everything being moist, do i have to worry about mold?

thanks in advance!

Will0W783 · 06-15-09, 05:28 PM

You shouldn't soak the cage down, and don't mist it more than once a day. It is best to mist every other day or so. Tepid water(lukewarm) is fine, don't use hot hot or icy cold. IMO, it is even better to soak the snake, and then return it to its cage. But misting a few times a week is fine for balls-just be careful not to keep it constantly moist or to mist too often as they can get RIs from dampness. I would mist a few times a week and soak the snake every other day for 10 minutes until it sheds. Put 85 degree water in the bathtub or a plastic container or bucket, enough so it comes just above halfway up the snake's sides at its thickest point- you don't want the poor thing to be floating and have to exhaust itself trying to swim. Again, just my opinion, but I worry about mine getting RI.

DeesBalls · 06-15-09, 09:29 PM

ok thanks... i misted the tank today a lil bit ( like 3-4 squirts ) and then i sprayed one on him. he seemed to enjoy that. but hes been laying in his water bowl all night any way, thanks! lol

siz · 06-16-09, 06:54 AM

Humidity is moisture in the air, different from a damp cage that can grow mould.
I mist my BP daily, sometimes twice if the humidity has dropped very low, but I allow the enclosure to dry out in between mistings. I disagree with Willow that you should soak your snake, I think overall humidity is the way to go. I'm not a big 'lizard bath' person. lol.
If your enclosure is too damp RIs are possible (as willoe said) so do keep that in mind. I use very hot water to mist, because when you mist the water droplets are too small to retain all the heat and the mist is warm-ish. Your humidity for balls should be 'round 60% normally but this is not constant, it can drop, and when in shed, raise it to 100% or close to.

Will0W783 · 06-16-09, 07:52 AM

Mhmm- if he's hanging in his water dish it might not be necessary to soak him as much. Mine refuses to soak himself in his dish, so I have to put him in the tub. Just try to keep it at around 60% like Jess said but be careful of mold and dampness.

DeesBalls · 06-16-09, 10:55 AM

ok since yesterday was my 1st time, i sprayed him twice... a total for about 5-6 sprays OVER THE DAY!. plus i got her/him a new light so i got the temp up to 95 on the hot side and hes been out laying on top of his hide. his eyes are soooooo blue and cloudy though, a shed is in the future!

Will0W783 · 06-16-09, 01:31 PM

Oh yes, when they cloud up like that they WILL shed. They'll usually cloud up for a week or so, then they will clear up really well, and a few days (usually 3-4) after that they will shed. The goal is for the snake to get the shed off in one piece- that usually means it is in ideal conditions. I have a GTP, however, that has a terrible time shedding every single time, even though I keep her temps right (hot top 84-88 and cool lower regions about 78 with a drop to 76 overall at night) and humidity 70-80% during the day and 55-60% at night. She flakes the skin off and I always have to soak her and spray her with Shed-Aid and gently massage stuck pieces off. I don't know why she has such a hard time. I've played with temps and humidity and nothing seems to make a difference.
So just keep your humidity up during the shed, watch for clearing, and when your snake has shed, check the eyes to make sure the eye caps came off- they can cause problems if they pile up.

citysnakes · 06-16-09, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiL_Boa

i sprayed him twice... a total for about 5-6 sprays OVER THE DAY!.

i think you should try other methods of increasing your humidity because 5-6 mistings a day is excessive for most if not all snake species and will eventually result in illness.

some suggestions: switch to a substrate that retains some moisture, increase the diameter of your water bowl and if your using a tank with a screen lid, make sure to cover up most of the screen with plastic wrap. you will still need to mist once daily or every other day and youll have a humid tank not a wet one.

hope this helps.

Willow, not to sound like an a$$ but if your GTP is consistently shedding badly then there is an environmental factor causing it. you may be reading 70-80% humidity on a hygrometer but hygrometers are not accurate. you should keep working on it until the GTP starts shedding in one piece for you. how are you keeping it?

DeesBalls · 06-17-09, 11:50 AM

thanks! right now i have a towl laying over the opposite end of the heat light. and i only misted him prolly 4 times a total not 5-6.

the last time she shed for me it came off in two peices and everything was good ( i didnt mist him at all ) i think i will get a bigger water dish so he can lay in it.

Will0W783 · 06-17-09, 01:32 PM

Julian, you're not being as a$$ at all. This is a puzzling problem for me. I brought her out last night to soak her and got the last few bits of shed off of her. Her skin was moist and the shed pieces just fell off. I have her in the Exo-Terra arboreal large cage: 18"x18"x24"tall. It has a screen top and vents in the sides about a quarter of the way from the bottom to facilitate air flow. She has coconut bedding and a water dish that takes up a third of the floor; I always keep the dish full so it can evaporate and add to the humidity. My fiance had a heat lamp on her, but as it is 84-87 degrees F in the room during the day (what with all the snakes' lamps and the A/C shut off in that room) it was reaching 98 in her basking spot. I took out the bulb the last two weeks, and I noticed it was staying more humid in there, and still at 87 in the cage. I would like to establish another better thermal gradient- do you think I should put the bulb back in there, or switch to a fluorescent that won't give off as much heat, or go with no bulb and just the light cycle in the room? I know you're one of the senior members here and well-respected. I welcome your advice.

Will0W783 · 06-17-09, 01:33 PM

I will start a new thread on my GTP's shedding problems so as not to take over Lil Boa's thread here.

DeesBalls · 06-20-09, 07:41 PM

actually, mine shed last night and everything came out great! few lil peices but 1 big piece for the most part!!!

2 great sheds so far!

so if people are comming here for your GTP's prob, you can just keep it lol dont matter to me