humidity in ball python tank?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nik F
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Nik F

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im having a hard time keeping my tank at a proper humidity, it is a 75 gallon aquariun,i have put foil on part of the screen lid, and i seem to be constantly misting, lucky im a stay at home mom. i have seen foggers on line, has anyone ever used one of these that can tell me how well it works.
 
To keep in humidity in my tanks, I use a coconut substrate, I keep live plants in my tanks, and I place a towel over 3/4 of the screen top. Plants are a very nice way of keeping the humidity levels up, and if you have a nice vining plant, like a pothos, gives your python something else to hide in, yet you can make them out a bit.
 
how high are you trying to get it!? Ball pythons should only be above 40-50% humidity when they are in shed. A large bowl of water in the tank that they can soak in plus your normal atmospheric humidity should keep them perfectly comfortable. If your humidity has dropped below 30% then check your temps becuase they may be too high.

If you are having trouble keeping it at 30-40% humidity a damp papertowel in a cool hide will be welcome for the python.

foggers work great for tropical terrariums, however, a ball python is not tropical so I would not spend the $40+ bucks to get one.

edit: this link will tell you about the temperate habitat needs. This author likes between 60-65% humidity if the python is having issues shedding which is on par with what my reptile vet has told me in the past. http://www.anapsid.org/ball.html
 
Try putting a damp towel on the mesh screen instead. We've recently done this with our ball python tank, and it's kept the humidity up towards 60 since then.
 
Tanks don't usually hold humidity very well, unfortunately. It's one of the reasons I've switched over to a rack system and keep most of my snakes in Sterilite bins on heated shelves.

What kind of bedding are you using? If it's not holding humidity well, you might consider switching to a different type. I use red cypress mulch with my balls and haven't had any problems. Cypress holds humidity very well and is naturally resistant to mold.

How are you heating the tank? Heat lamps will literally zap moisture out of the air. If you're using lamps, you might consider switching to an undertank heater. This won't dry out the air and will remain warm for 24 hours without having 24 hours of light. If you use a heat pad, though, I would recommend using a reptile thermostat in conjunction with it just to prevent any possible overheating issues.
 
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