humidity

[azlenny]

how do i get the humidity up in the tank to a higher level i cant get it above 20% for 55 gallon and 15% in the 20 gallon please help

[LORI]

Re: humidity

Really all depends on EXACTLY what your set up is. Give us more information on the COMPLETE set ups so that we can make some suggestions to get the humidity up some in them.
What we need is this basically>>>
What are the heating sources for the cages ?
What are the temps at ? high and low and basking ?
What type of cover is on the cage ?
What is the substrate that is being used in the cages ?
Any other info that you could provide will also help us to help you with this issue also.

[azlenny]

Re: humidity

ok on the basking side 80-82 all the time with a cave over the under tank heater with pine substrate i also have a heat rock on the cool end but it is never on just for looks cool end 70 at night 75 in the day screen top on it with something covering up 90 % of the opening all the time this is for the 55 gal
the 20 gal is pine substrate heat rock and the whole tank stays at 72-75 no matter what i do same top but i have tried to leave it open to see if that would help but nothing all help is greatly appreciated by baby and juliet 55 gal ball python in sheding stage and this is my first shed with a snake 20 gal red tail boa 7 weeks old thanx very much

[LORI]

Re: humidity

??? ??? Oh my ! .. I think I have recovered from that massive stroke and heart attack that you just gave me just now ...
  ???    :-/ LOL


First off... There are also some husbandry changes that you REALLY need to make ASAP for the snakes you have.

1. Get rid of them heat rocks ! Toss em completely or cut the cords on them. The only good use for them with a cord is as a coffee cup warmer. They are known for causing thermal burns on reptiles. I have even seen / treated MANY cases for this in rescue/rehab myself. I know.. The pet store reccomended and/or told you that heat rocks were needed for your snakes ..Right ? Am I far off here at all on why you have them ? If you'd like more information in regards to these things and/or what happens with them and/or what happens to a reptile with a thermal burn..Just ask and I'll answer for ya np also. PLEASE do your snakes a favor for their safety and health and get rid of the heat rocks asap. Oh ..Ya can use the cordless heat rocks as ornamentals in the cage also..Just so that they don't go to a complete waste that is..Unless you decide to use them as a coffee cup warmer that is . LOL

2. LOSE that pine substrate ASAP !!! Pine is NOT something that you can use for snakes at all for a substrate. The pine emits a TOXIC substance to the snakes. The affect can be anything from allergic reaction on up through the death of your snakes from this. Pine also FYI does NOT hold humidity at all very well either. So this may be where your humidity problem is coming from and/or is contributing to such also. The following are types of substrate that can be used safely with your snakes :
**Aspen shavings. these look just like pine , but are NOT toxic to your snakes at all.
**Cypress .. Holds humidity well and also looks nice too. FYI... Don't bother to get the repti-bark from a pet store..MANY people have found that it usually harbors mites. NOT something you want for your snakes I am sure. Most of us work to keep the lil buggers from getting into our collections. So I wouldn't think that you'd want to be adding them into yours at all. You can buy the cypress at a garden shop for like $5 a HUGE bag and just bake it at 250 degrees F for like 2 hours to make sure there is nothing "living" on/in it before placing it into your snake's cage. With only two snakes, this size bag will last you a looong time also.
**Newspaper...cheap and always available. BUT it isn't very appealing to look at. Also could get too damp and cause scale rot if your trying to get the humidity up in the cages possibly and have to mist it quite a bit doing such.
**Paper towels...eh. They do the job, same draw backs as the newspaper though and cost more than it also.

FYI... BOTH Pine and CEDAR are TOXIC to your snakes. NEVER use either of these products for substrate and also NOT for caging usually. There are ways to seal them for use in caging..but I am not going into all of that here either atm.

3. Your temps are not at the right area for the snakes really just yet.

55 gallon/ Ball Python :
The Ball python needs to have a temp in like the range of ..
90high...82/85 low. This shouldn't be too hard to hit with this size cage at all IMO either. The basking can be set at like 90/92 np also. [ This is not a baby ball right ? If it is , then just go with no higher than like the hot side temp really for the snake.]
Nite temp drops can be slight like 5 degrees across or as much as 10 degrees as long as the warmest part of the cage does not go below like 82/80 degrees. ALL degrees I give are in fahrenheit also FYI. I am NOT into that metric stuff at all..UGH.

20 gallon/Redtail Boa : [ I am assuming that this is a BCI and NOT a BCC. Am I correct  with this at all ? If not I need to change the info for you slightly.] ...
The BCI Boa needs to be kept at the following temps basically :
85/89 high...78/82 low..basking spot like 90/92.

Just an FYI in regards to the humidity also here...
The Ball Python should be kept at like a 60-65% basic humidity all the time. This will help the snake when it is in shed also. Try giving this snake a humid hide box also. A plastic container with a lid and hole cut ointo the side for the snake to climb in/out of works fine for this. Just place paper towels layered into the bottom of it and moisten them with water on a regular basis. The snake will go in/out of it as needed if provided to it to utilize also. When snake is in shed..you will note that it will spend more time in this humidity box also.

    The RTB/BCI Boa should be kept at a basic humidity of like 55-60% normally and raise that to about 65-70% when it goes into a shed cycle.


Try adjustiong those items for your snakes husbandry and see if doing that changes the humidity problem also. It might just help out with it and nothing else will be needed for raising the humidity. Also ..try misting the cages a few times each day and cover the screen covers with either newspaper or something and keep adjusting how open you leave it to try and get correct humidity for the snakes.
 For heating use a UTH, heating lamp, CHE, RHP, human heating pad. Any of those can work just fine for what you need for your snakes. Sometimes it is neccessary to use more than one type to get the required temps also.

CHE = Ceramic heat Emitor [ or however that is spelled lol]
UTH = Under tank heater
RHP= Radiant Heat panel [ allthough use in tanks might not be a great thing at all]

Hope that helps ya some. Let us know how it works out after you make the changes also.