Ideal humidity for Thayer's kingsnake

[KarenL]

I'm planning to build a bioactive setup for my Thayer's king RA, but I am concerned that the moisture in the substrate required to support the microfauna may raise the humidity to high for him. The info I've found online says most kings thrive in normal humidity (40-60%) which should be fine, but I believe that Thayer's originate from more arid areas so I wanted to check if say 50% humidity might put him at risk of RI before I invest in everything I will need to create a bioactive habitat for him. Does anyone here have any advice or experience of this?

[Deva]

I have had my Thayers since September. I try to keep the humidity around 40%. Sometimes it has been above 50%, but only for a few days. I have mine on topsoil and some bark. I must pour water into the soil or at least mist about twice a week. I have central air conditioning and an overhead light so with even a partially screened in top, it sucks the humidity right out.

Sometimes my snake hides and doesn't eat for two or three weeks. That means he is going to shed.

[KarenL]

Originally Posted by Deva

I have had my Thayers since September. I try to keep the humidity around 40%. Sometimes it has been above 50%, but only for a few days. I have mine on topsoil and some bark. I must pour water into the soil or at least mist about twice a week. I have central air conditioning and an overhead light so with even a partially screened in top, it sucks the humidity right out.

Sometimes my snake hides and doesn't eat for two or three weeks. That means he is going to shed.

Thank you Deva - it's good to know that its working well for you! Did you use a layer of gravel on the bottom for drainage or just use soil? What microfauna did you add? I would also be interested to know what plants you've used.

I've got hold of a copy of the Art of Keeping Snakes and they suggest either sandy soil or bioactive substrate, so I am going to try the BSS recipe in the book but I would welcome some planting suggestions.

[Deva]

Thanks Karen. I don't use drainage. The screen top and light dries everything out, even though I covered half the screen top with foil.

I don't have any plants in the snake's terrarium, but I have plants in some of my other salamander terrariums. I have had success with small bromeliads, arrowhead plant, anthurium and pothos. I have never added mincrofauna, but in my oldest terrarium (over 4 years), I see very tiny whitish bugs. I do periodically replace some of the soil, but not all. The top soil is a type without fertilizer, and there a bit of cocoanut fibre/moss mixed in. I have kept the bromeliads in their pots, and the others I have planted directly into the soil. They only grow very slowly. I put stems of cut arrowhead plant into my half land/half water frog terrarium and they have grown very well.

[KarenL]

Thanks Deva. I've used a low growing sanseviaria, pothos, cryptanthus, dwarf mondo grass and irish moss in my cornsnake's terrarium and they seem to be working out. I'm not sure if the pothos or irish moss will cope with the drier conditions but the others probably will. The whitish bugs sound like springtails - I plan to introduce them to my tanks too.