I own a Ball Python, a tropical snake, and I live in a desert. Not a great combination! I have been able to maintain humidity levels thus far, but this is my first winter with my girl, and it is getting very dry here. I spray the cage 3x daily. I could spray it every hour and it would still be too dry! I have plexi-glass over most of the top and a large soak bowl underneath the heat source (CHE). And I use aspen, which holds no humidity. Since I have no worries about mold formations or anything of the sort, I have decided to save my extra aspen for Spring when it isn't so dry, and use something like EcoEarth that holds water better. I will probably end up getting EcoEarth, but I'd like to hear about some other brands that may hold humidity better or that are cheaper.
Ok for one ball pyhtons are not evan close to tropical, they are African savanna, so semi dry. BPs do well with 50% humidity. so on to the question try Cypress mulch. it holds humidity well and is fairly mold and decay resistant. from there after you have a good humidity holding substrate than use the techniques you described above to keep the humidity about 50-60%.
They are from Western Africa, but out of all of my research (an entire year; I know, I'm crazy, but it took a year to save up the money), I got an average of around 60-70%, and higher while in shed. Not that I don't believe you, I know there is no right or wrong answer and everybody has their own opinion, I'm just saying I believe differently after taking the average of all the things I've read. Well, anyways, it drops under 50%, sometimes down to 30%, and I'm feeling really guilty. Thanks for the reccommendation!
Been looking at prices for Eco Earth and similar things on ReptileSupply.com, and it says that Eco Earth is coconut fiber. I am only getting worried about this because I have read a million times that coconut fiber is bad for Bearded Dragons. But it's ok for snakes, right?
Do what you think is best, but be care full with extended humidity of over 70% for very long. I have had personal experience with mouth rot and ball pyhton with too high of humidity. I only use 70% for about a two day durning shedding, that been working for me for 18 years. check this link out and go down to the humidity section. they are spot on, http://www.newenglandreptile.com/CareBall.html as far as the coconut fiber, I use it only for my newly hatched snakes and have never had any problems. Suspossedly the digestive jucies of snakes are potent enough of digest the coconut fibers... as far as determining what the humidity should be... start at the recomnded 50-60% (that what every one of my ball python care sheets ad book say) and see of your snake has 100% full sheds, or if its in pieces(ripping the skin on a rock.stick dosent count), ie chunks of skin left on the snake that are difficult to remove. if so than bump the humidity up by 5-10% and see what happens durnign the next shed. if the snake is shedding in one nice piece than the humidity is fine. Ball pythons are hardy snakes and can handle low than optimal humidity for a long time.
For her whole time with me, she's has nearly perfect sheds, coming off in 2 strips at worst, until her most recent shed (a few months ago). It was awful; I bathed her every day for an entire week before I could get all the extra bits off.
move your water bowl to the warm end of your cage problem solved whats your cage/setup like? hides, tank size, water bowl?
The water bowl is on the warm side, right under the CHE, so some of it evaporates into the air. She's in a 40 gallon glass, screen top, plexiglass over most of the top, aspen substrate, 100w CHE, heat pad, warm hide, cool hide, climbing sticks. http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk93/im...nt=100_1819.jpg http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk93/im...nt=100_1818.jpg
that set up is fine, depending on where you live, moving the water bowl over the under tank heater will do very little. If you only need to bump up the humidity a bit then that work well. you will have better luck placing a plastic bag over part of the screen to hold in the humidity. Right now I have 1 humidifyer going full blast all the water bowls are over the heat and I have plastic over the screen lids and the humidity is reading 45% in our snake room. it freakn' dry right now, Some people live in humid climate some in dry climates.
