Ball Python Enclosure and Humidity

[Dev_Man]

Hey everyone, I'm having a bit of a problem with setting up my Ball Python enclosure. I can't seem to keep the humidity up, its a 20 gal aquarium as i'm getting a hatchling, with a screen cover, now i have a few options, should i try a substrate such as Cypress Mulch? another thought was adding a humid hide with moss, would just a humid hide with humidity in the 70's suffice? I really want to get this all sorted out before i bring him home on thursday.

Thanks for the help

[Jeff_Favelle]

The screen cover is your problem. Its like trying to bake a cake and leaving the oven door open.

[asphyxia]

I put a towel over his top and have a hide as you mentioned and Monty has been fine for the last 3 years (Click on the camera)

But alas he is getting a new set up as soon as I get the glass cut...pics soon

P.S. also try the coconut substrate it really holds the moisture

It is good to see you getting set up in advance and i am sure he will be fine

Brian

[Quervo]

Yup .. like Jeff said, the screen is your problem. Any tricks you use to get the humidity up won't work well until you cover part of that screen.

[Dev_Man]

Alrighty, Thanks for the help guys, i'll try the towel trick:thumbsup: untill i build him an enclosure, but that won't be for a while. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh By the way Monty looks great!

[Them and Us]

towl or even tape a plastic bag over most of the screen lid. i eventualy went and bought a piece of plexi to put over my screen cover . works well. but alas this enclosure is still too large for my bci and he is going to be moved into a rubbermaid that i saw at k-mart. actually its a three tier rubbermaid with castors (spelling?) which means two more young herps i could add woo hoo.

[royal]

Asphyxia

How do you give your snake a cool area in such a small tank using a spot lamp like you do? Does the lamp not heat pretty much all of the tank?
I was going to add a light like yours, but figured it would heat up too much of the tank. Im just curious, not trying to question your techniques.

[stormyva]

I have setup for my ball python identical to what is being described in this thread. I use a 60 Watt Bulb "Nocturnal" spot type bulb for heating and Cypress Mulch for substrate. The ambient temps in my snake room are around 80° and the 60 Watt bulb brings the temps to around 88° in the basking area with a average temp of 83° on the cool side of the tank. I keep the humidity hide under the heat lamp and another "rock" hide on teh cool side. A towel over half of the screen top and a light misting once a day is necessary to keep the humidity at the proper levels.

[Lisa]

Cypress mulch does wonders, also not using a light for heat helps too, the only source of heat for most of our snakes are the undertank heaters as the flourecents don't provide heat. Overhead heat dry's things out faster.

[V.aw]

Whenever i use cypress mulch i run into mites. and they are sons of b1tches to get rid of!! So i stopped using it. (maybe it was just from where i was purchasing it? who knows.)

I personally like using organic soil for our snakes. We cover half of the Screen lid with plastic wrap, and poke small holes in it.. Then put a small heat pad on the other end when using small tanks.

[asphyxia]

Hey Royal,

No problem I might be lucky with the distance between the light and the subtrate and where the light falls and the wattage of the bulb, The left hand side is the coolest on top of the hide is warmest and in his hide is the mid point, I check it with a probe type thermometer

Brian

P.S. every one is welcome to question your techniques that how I learn.

[stormyva]

Lisa.... you are right on the bulbs killing humidity.
I am in the process of converting all of my tanks to heat pads and UTH's. They are more efficient and do not dry out the cage as much as the bulbs do. I am doing them one at a time so that I can closely monitor the day/night temps and humidity level changes. Two cages down and three to go though.... the ball python is one of the ones that has not been done yet.
V.aw...... When you were using the Cypress Mulch did you try spraying it with anything first? I always spray it down with Black Knight and let it sit for a couple of hours before putting a snake on it. (Other people have used Provent-a-mite and Sawyers Tick Spray)

[*Spike*]

What i do if any of my tanks aren't the humidity in all i use is a towel or a cloth i find it works great and i was wondering what type of heat source are you useing?Cause that could be the problem to .....

take care hope everything works out

kelly