I need humidity help!!

Flybit · 12-22-14, 07:38 PM

I have a new ball python that is going through his first shed. I use aspen in his tank and I need advice on how to boost up the humidity; he is having a terrible shed and looks dehydrated. I've had snakes in the past and never had issues like this. I am very worried. He does have a screen top tank which i've covered half with plastic in order to try to trap some humidity. Is aspen safe to mist? Will it grow mold?

IW17 · 12-24-14, 09:29 PM

Aspen can grow mold. I'd use eco earth, Coco husk, or Cypress to aid in humidity levels. With these you can literally pour water onto the substrate. Just make sure it's not soaked. Just enough to keep it moist. Also lose the screen top and buy an under tank heater with a thermostat. Heat bulbs suck the moisture out of the air. There OK if it's inside of an enclosure that closed in but even when only a small portion of the screen top is open, a lot of heat and humidity is lost. If you could, post a picture of your setup so people can give you some constructive criticism and help you get things squared away.

Kuamata · 12-24-14, 10:10 PM

IW17 is absolutely right. Screen tops are huge enemies, and unless you have a tight seal around your light fixtures and mist extremely frequently, you're still going to be losing a lot of the humidity on behalf of the bulbs and air flow coming in and out of the enclosure. If the screen top must stay, definitely switch out for a UTH and thermostat so it can self-regulate the temps, then make sure to cover the screen top entirely with a towel or something. Something that will still allow some air in, but not excessive amounts. Just like you would with light fixtures, keep an eye on the water levels. UTH's will cause the water in bowls to evaporate into the environment, as well, just not as fast a pace as bulbs will(which is what creates that unwanted dry environment, it saps the water and air moisture far too quickly). I also used to place a warm damp towel over top of the screen, that really helped boost the levels, but you really don't want humidity levels too terribly high, either. I wouldn't go over 60%. The warm damp towel method was used for a BRB, which is a higher humidity snake than a BP.

Flybit · 12-26-14, 10:12 PM

It will range from 50-70% humidity. This is his first shed since I've owned him and he is having a hard time and it's got me thinking I'm doing something wrong. He still eats quite a bit which is good. This is the setup so far..

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Kuamata · 12-26-14, 10:38 PM

Well, if the humidity is staying now, then may want to take some warm damp cloths, stick them in a pillow case, and stick him in the pillow case. You could also try a nice soaking. When my old BRB was having trouble I would take a tupperware container with a hole cut out, burned the edges so there was nothing sharp, and then stuck some sphagnum moss in there, misting liberally with warm water, and stuck him in there. He had a means of leaving the container if he wanted, and it was super humid in there. Worked like a charm. I ended up keeping that little container in there when he needed it, kept it under a heat source so the water would evaporate in the container, keeping the humidity up inside.

I do really recommend you switch out the aspen for something more humidity friendly, though, it you intend to keep it around 60 - 70%. Don't want nasty mold in there with him.

Cmwells90 · 12-27-14, 11:49 AM

I would recomend getting a digital humidity guage. The analog ones can be crazy inaccurate. If you get a digital one with a probe you can move it around to make sure the humidity is consistant.

Flybit · 01-08-15, 08:20 PM

OK so I got the coconut bark substrate and more moss. Does this look like a more favorable environment for her? I also got a 100w basking bulb as my daytime light wasn't keeping the heat levels during this winter cold! I think we are all set to go now. I sure hope her next shed goes smooth.
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