Is it ok to use a humidifier for a ball python?

Hi there!

Sasha here @midas_morphs Hope everyone is doing well!
I have a question to the more experienced community about using humidifiers for a terrarium glass tank set up. Keeping in mind that these are my pets (no rack system. Im not a big time breeder. Yet!)

I was wondering If using a humidifier for a glass terrarium set up was safe/ok for the snake?
I use a 24hr clock timer that turns on the humidifier for 15min every Hour and Fifteen minutes. So the digital hydrometer in the tank reads anywhere between 80% and 50% between those Hour and Fifteen minutes between its automatic cycle 15min cycle.

Now, I’ve only had this snake for a few weeks, and I can’t recall hearing any kind of wheezing in his breathing since I first got him. He finally took his first meal with me about a week ago, and just now when handling him I could hear very obvious wheezing!
I had preemptively already scheduled an appointment with a reptile specialist vet in my area way before this issue started, just because I knew it was right to get my snake looked at by a professional and to accommodate myself with the vet Id need to go to if i did have any issues!
So that’s already taken care of itself as far as getting him checked out by a vet.

But my question for the community is,
Are humidifiers safe for these animals?
And do you guys think that using a humidifier might have caused the wheezing?

Humidity over 65% for long periods of time can cause RIs to form. You need to stop using the humidifier. The only time the humidity needs to be more than 50-65% is when the snake is shedding. Also, what kind of bedding are you using?

Thanks so much for the responce.
It is a coconut husk bedding that I’m using!

UPDATE:

I took my snake to the vet, and they heard the whistle in his breathing…
they checked the inside of his mouth, and pretty much gave a full examination!
She said that from what she saw as of right now there was no concern, because sometimes
if a snake is getting ready to shed they can breath like that.

Now every where I have looked up and researched says that if you hear your snake breathing it is a sign of a RI?
Has anyone else heard their snake whistle breathing before they shed?

I had a male that always used to whistle before he shed, I also took him to the vet thinking it was a RI and pretty much got the same answer. The vet told me that before they go into shed, sometimes a scale/bit of skin starts to peel up near their nostrils and causes a whistling noise. Sure enough, it would always go away after he shed.

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Thanks so much for sharing!
It puts me at ease, but ill still watch him for any signs of it worsening?

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Might be a bit late to post but! I have a small humidifier in my girl’s large tank and when humidity is to low I run it once a day on a 6 hour cycle (it turns off automatically). Don’t really use it during this time of the year but during the dryer winter months it’s a must. But again, like I said, once a day on a 6 hour cycle.

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