Terrarium Moss for moisture?

[frost]

Hi Folks, i just saw some guy putting Terrarium Moss in a plastic container as part of the cage set-up to increase moisture... what do you think about this?

also i live in the Philippines, do i still need a heating pad (or any heating source?)? the temp here runs around 27-30 degrees Celsius..

[Lankyrob]

30c is only 86f according to the online converter i just used. You want to be looking at 91f for the hottest spot in the viv.

I use Sphagnum Moss in hides for added humidity and shedding help, not sure if that is the same thing as you mentioned tho.

[edens]

rob---are you talking about one of those rock type hides that seperate in the middle, and has a small hole on top? i have seen some of these, and when i got Pandora was interested in this as one of her hides but was told could lead to fungus or mushrooms? is this accurate info? would it help retain humidity? also i had a waterfall in her tank, up against a corner, and she loved to hide inbetween it and the wall....but i had to change her bedding a few times until i took it out because it spilled out....can i hear some thoughts of waterfalls please? what do all of you use for humidity control? thanks!
right now i have pexiglass covering about 3/4 of the top from the edge of cool going towards the heat side where i have a ceramic light. I spray the sides of the aquarium until dripping 2 times a day. and i have the largest water bowl on the heated side directly over the heating pad (the heating pas is fixed under the tank). Does this seem fine to everyone?
thanks!

[belovedboas]

Originally Posted by edens

rob---are you talking about one of those rock type hides that seperate in the middle, and has a small hole on top? i have seen some of these, and when i got Pandora was interested in this as one of her hides but was told could lead to fungus or mushrooms? is this accurate info? would it help retain humidity? also i had a waterfall in her tank, up against a corner, and she loved to hide inbetween it and the wall....but i had to change her bedding a few times until i took it out because it spilled out....can i hear some thoughts of waterfalls please? what do all of you use for humidity control? thanks!
right now i have pexiglass covering about 3/4 of the top from the edge of cool going towards the heat side where i have a ceramic light. I spray the sides of the aquarium until dripping 2 times a day. and i have the largest water bowl on the heated side directly over the heating pad (the heating pas is fixed under the tank). Does this seem fine to everyone?
thanks!

Do you have a humidity guage??and humid hides are pretty much a hide with an enclosed bottom....the kind you mean with the lift off top are commercial style that you buy at pet stores, alot of keepers (including myself) will just take a small container ( one that the snake feels snug in) and cut a hole in the top for the snake to get in and out and put some dampened moss or papertowel in it...I would change the moss every couple of days or once a week!! If you don't have one, you should get a humidity guage to tell you how high or low the humidity is in your viv!!! Eliminates guessing

[Damion930]

Thing about waterfalls is they can be hard to clean and sanitize but id say if u are diligent about it and understand u have to clean them inside and out u would be ok but most stear away from them because they become a hassle

[frost]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

30c is only 86f according to the online converter i just used. You want to be looking at 91f for the hottest spot in the viv.

I use Sphagnum Moss in hides for added humidity and shedding help, not sure if that is the same thing as you mentioned tho.

yeah you are right... i think it is the same thing... he placed it in a small plastic containier and put some water for moisture... doesn't this risk the snake for infection like fungus and other stuff?

[Lankyrob]

I use a cave style hide with no bottom, that way when yoj spray the moss any excess water runsinto the substrate and is abosrbed that way. With regard to spillages of water, using reptibark means that the water is absorbed and evaporates from there so no worries about spillages.

I wet the moss about twice a week or so, eventually the moss does "die" but then i just take it out and replace it with freesh.

Everyone of my snakes bar the jcp and gtp will choose the sphagnum moss hide over any other hiding place available in their vivs

[edens]

Originally Posted by belovedboas

Do you have a humidity guage??and humid hides are pretty much a hide with an enclosed bottom....the kind you mean with the lift off top are commercial style that you buy at pet stores, alot of keepers (including myself) will just take a small container ( one that the snake feels snug in) and cut a hole in the top for the snake to get in and out and put some dampened moss or papertowel in it...I would change the moss every couple of days or once a week!! If you don't have one, you should get a humidity guage to tell you how high or low the humidity is in your viv!!! Eliminates guessing

i have 2 therm and 1 hydr but at the beginning i had a really hard time keeping the humidity up, since i got the pexiglass much much better! i spray normally twice a day, once in morning and in evening. however, some days i come home from work and the humidty is low again....so i am looking for some solutions to that when i had my waterfall up and running the humidity was mostly ok. i have plenty of moss in the house though because of magali (our tarantula), we need to cover her water or she doesnt drink. so if i take a topperware and make a hole on top she will go in it?

[edens]

Originally Posted by Damion930

Thing about waterfalls is they can be hard to clean and sanitize but id say if u are diligent about it and understand u have to clean them inside and out u would be ok but most stear away from them because they become a hassle

well....now you have me worried!!!! lol i wash all i can inside and out with a toothbrush and left it soaking in bleachwater, then rinsed it and rinsed it and rinsed it some more, then soaked it in water and then rinsed it one more time and let it airdry because it had been used before and this is what i was told to do....

should i continue doing this often if i wish to use it? should i just buy a new one? how often should i clean it?

[edens]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

I use a cave style hide with no bottom, that way when yoj spray the moss any excess water runsinto the substrate and is abosrbed that way. With regard to spillages of water, using reptibark means that the water is absorbed and evaporates from there so no worries about spillages.

I wet the moss about twice a week or so, eventually the moss does "die" but then i just take it out and replace it with freesh.

Everyone of my snakes bar the jcp and gtp will choose the sphagnum moss hide over any other hiding place available in their vivs

cave style hide is the faux rock right? i have that now....but i am using aspen bedding.... is it the same principal as for the tarantula? rinse the moss out every week, throw away when brown? squeeze out water so it doesnt drip, but leave it wet...?

[Lankyrob]

that sounds about right - i DONT squeeze the moss out but my snakes are on reptibark so any excess water gets absorbed. If i was using aspen then i would ensure there was no excess water as the risk of mould is much higher.

[edens]

do you think maybe i should put it in the cave but on a tupperware cover? and btw....is your cave on the hot or cold side? because mine is on the cold.....but i could switch them so that the cave is on the hot side :-)
and how much moss should i put?

[Lankyrob]

I have a hot side hide, a cold side hide and then the humid hide somewhere in the middle.