I know this is a topic that gets covered all the time, but I haven’t been able to find a good answer to this question. You may remember me making a post several months ago asking for help improving the enclosure I inherited with my ball python. It’s come a long way (a big thank you here to everyone who offered advice!), but I’m still battling with the humidity in our tank. I’ve finally managed to get the humidity to consistently be in the proper range, but now my warm-side hide is holding too much moisture. As in, it’s actually wet enough that the snake would be wet after spending time inside. Nothing I’ve tried seems to work - either the enclosure is at the right humidity, or the hide is dry enough that I’m not worried about scale rot. What can I do here???
Also, there has been some discussion about infection with the increased humidity. We all know moisture + heat = the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. My research tells me that respiratory infections are common from low humidity. Are there other types of bacterial infections that I need to be concerned about, especially with this being a snake that is handled semi-frequently?
So, we were having a similar issue with our ball python’s bioactive. The dirt, after a day when we water the plants, is a bit more wet than I feel comfortable with her sitting on for prolonged period.
My wife came up with the clever solution of putting an extra-thick layer of reptibark just under her hides. It provides a barrier between her and the wet dirt, and as long as you don’t wet the reptibark itself it stays nice and dry and aerated.
I’ve kept ball pythons for well over a decade at 40-50% humidity and never had any issues with shedding or respiratory. They don’t need to be super humid.
I read your old post and comments to not be redundant here, but could you update us on the current setup if it’s not too much trouble?
You were having issues increasing humidity, received recommendations to change the enclosure lid or replace the entire enclosure with a new front-opening enclosure, and presumably also replaced the aspen substrate with coco husk or Repti-chip at the same time. So, there were a lot of factors to balance but you’re doing a good job figuring this out!
When setting up a new enclosure, make sure the substrate is thoroughly drained before placing it inside. After soaking, squeeze out excess water so the substrate is damp but not dripping. Then, break up any clumps by shaking or mixing it in a clean bucket to ensure even consistency before adding it to the enclosure. In new setups, especially with freshly moistened substrate, it’s common for humidity to temporarily spike—particularly on the warm side—due to increased evaporation from the heat source. This moisture can become trapped and condense under the hide, especially if the hide is positioned directly beneath the heat source, open on the bottom, and in direct contact with the substrate, as is typical with most reptile hides.
To address this, try one solution at a time to avoid overcorrecting and creating new issues. You might:
Increase airflow if feasible.
Place a slate tile under the hide to separate it from the moist substrate and reduce condensation inside the hide. You should still include a layer of moist substrate on top of the tile and underneath the hide to maintain proper humidity for a moist hide. The tile’s purpose is simply to help stem the flow of moisture evaporating and collecting from the enclosure’s substrate directly into the hide. Your heat source/lamp is also critical to consider, as it will increase the temperature of the slate tile, which can provide beneficial warmth, or become too hot if the bulb is too powerful or the lamp is too close to the tile.
Add a dry layer of the same substrate beneath the hide to absorb excess humidity and condensation arising from the enclosure substrate. If all else is good in the enclosure, and the only issue is the humidity inside of the moist hide, then you should try to address the hide without drastic changes to anything else, if possible.