Hello everyone I have a 4/3 year old normal ball python I use a spray bottle for humidity Im just wondering on what everyones opinion is on humidity
I have been seeing alot people on reddit for ball python humidity they are pouring water in the corners of the tank to keep the humidity up I’m worried about molding since the corners are getting constantly wet for long periods of time and they say spraying is not good since it causes scale rot and respiratory infections is this true or not
The reason why I’m asking is because one day I’m planning on making my own enclosure and dyi misting system so I wanna know the best way to keep humidity in
I live in the desert. Ambient humidity is 40-50% in the house. What I do is stuff a warm hide box with clean, damp rags. The rags are smell inspected any time I am in the enclosure. Wash/replace as needed. No corner dumping. No misting. Balls, bloods, Dumerils boas, white lips. For arboreals, (gtp, atb,)I put cat litter pans with @2 inches of soil, add plant cuttings and top it with coco fibre. Water as necessary.
Not much different than just dumping water in the corners but contained. So, easily removed if it starts molding or smelling.
One thing I do, for the wlps, is place the water bowl near the heat.
Always great sheds for all species.
For the arboreals, I have 2" cpu fans wired to a humidistat so that if humidity goes over 70% the fan blows it down to 60% then shuts off. I use 12 volt fans wired for 6 volts so there is no cold incoming breeze.
Constant wetness in the substrate will cause scale rot if not cleaned out regularly.
Humidity that is too high can and does cause respiratory infections.
I also bathe my snakes weekly just to be sure there is nothing lurking on their skin and I can inspect them for any issues like poop smears,cuts and scratches(you never know) or mites. Plus, I give a listen for any breathing anomalies.
I’ve found pouring water in to be the most effective of the two methods, as long as your bedding is deep enough the surface stays fairly dry. Misting only raises humidity for such a temporary amount of time that I haven’t ever found it to be worth the effort, and if you’re doing it continually or using a misting system then the surface of everything is damp all the time
As gabonica was explaining…The thing to really watch out for is having water sitting for too long. It can lead to bacterial or fungal growth. So be sure to stir up the substrate sometimes and not just keep pouring. Make sure it stays clean.
The other concern is that even misting systems can be an issue if not properly cared for. You can end up with bacterial blooms in the canister or tubing and that will become aerosolized for your reptiles to inhale. So do make sure to set up a regular cleaning cycle. I used to keep a second system so swapping and cleaning was easier. Hard water can also be an issue so my maintenance was for calcium buildup and sterilizing.
I pour water for the most part. I live in a dry climate, and misting is just not efficient for me. I pour water over the substrate (coco husk) and then mix it up. For my spiders, I drip water down the corners of their enclosure.
But I let it dry out pretty well in between, and I ensure that I’m using enclosures with good cross ventilation. And if I see even a hint of mold, I do a total substrate change and scrub down the enclosure.
Regardless of how you add the water, you’re going to have issues if you keep the substrate perpetually wet, lack proper ventilation, or don’t stay on top of cleaning. I think how you add the water matters a lot less than how you manage the other aspects of your husbandry.
I agree with everyone else, i keep mine on a nice thick layer of coco-husk bedding that i pour water into, and it keeps humidity up quite well. About once a month I’ll take out all the decor, take out a couple of handfuls of dry bedding for later, and then pour water into the rest of the bedding and give it a good mix. Then i place the aforementioned dry bedding underneath where his hides are gonna be, and then i put everything back in the tank
Yeah I’m planning on one day to go bioactive for my BP so I can get springtails and maybe earthworms to clean up the mold, poop ect the atm I do spot clean and spray the tank since mine is a secondhand wooden tank that isn’t sealed
That’s really cool apparently bathing stress them out apparently I’m just curious in what is the best method because apparently now ball pythons need 80% humidity at all times and the temps of 88-91f with the mister I’m planning on not having it on all the time and to make a drainage layer and to make sure bacteria doesn’t build up idk if an alge reptile safe killer may help with the bacteria if built up
I don’t know where you read/heard this because this is totally incorrect. Ball pythons need between 50 and 60% humidity unless there is a problem with a shed, in which case the humidity can be raised a bit……
Now you know you dont need as much as 80% humidity, wont bigger water bowls get you to the 50-65% humidity?.
That way you can just wet the tank during shedding and avoid long term high humidity and avoid the mold your worried about.
Algae and bacteria are different issues. There shouldn’t be an algae problem unless the water storage is exposed to light. Bacteria can still grow regardless if the water is contaminated somehow.
I would run the spare unit with a cycle of bleach water thru it and then flush it with bottled water to make it ready to reuse.
A side note for bioactive. Ball pythons will still require regular spot cleaning regardless . They generally do poop in too large of an amount for the clean up crew to deal with. And obviously you’re still going to need to pluck out the urates. They are also heavy bodied and like to bulldoze a lot of flora, so make sure to use some sturdy plants. I haven’t run one myself, this is just from following other people’s info on things.
Bathing the youngsters causes them a bit of stress but the older animals seem to look forward to it. I don’t bathe them like children just a few minutes in water as I clean. The larger bloods and balls will turn their head and neck as I go around corners to the wash area and will crawl out of my hands and settle into the tub. They know the routine. If I leave the lid off, the balls will put their head on the rim whereas the bloods flatten out on the bottom and resist being moved back to their enclosures. Quite often, when pulling them out, they will try to go back into the tub.
Dumerils boas I don’t bathe. I just wipe them if they have poop smears. White lips, I place a tub in their cage and they use it on their own. They are so tightly wound I only handle when necessary. I don’t handle them even when cleaning. I just herd them out into the room and herd them back when I’m done.
For babies, of any species, I usually just dip and wrap in a towel while I clean.
I live in the desert- rocky mountains, driest part of the usa, ambient humidity outside is 5-25 % most of the time. In my house is an archival 35% and inside the Ball Python enclosure is 50-60%. He has coco chunk for substrate, which sometimes gets a little misting and mixing, but much of the time the air humidity in his enclosure is due to a large water bowl keeping it comfy and balmy in there. We want Balmy but not Muggy. 80% is only when I know he is In Blue and working on a shed. Then I will pour in some water and spray in there to boost it. it works- he’s had great sheds.
(Heheh 60% is what I grew up in at home in San Diego CA so I am a big fan of it myself. Wish I could have the house humidifier set that way.)
Apparently 60%and below causes resptory infections and now the new requirements for humidity is 80%in the day this is coming from the ball python subreddit who is giving this advice out to ball python owners there is alot of information so it’s confusing to know who is telling the truth vs who is giving bad advice
Yeah apparently bathing stress out no matter if babies or not it’s really confusing me and many people I only got this advice from the ball python subreddit to not bath the snakes to not use under heaters to jot mist and to only use overhead heating and to have humidity at 80% though out the day so I just trying to gather all the information I can get from everyone
I got it from the ball python subreddit community who is giving the advice out to everyone that owns a ball python and I got told 60% will cause resptory infections due to the mucus drying out
