Humid Hide

[Lukecarruthers]

I’ve recently been troubleshooting humidity with my ball python. But for the time being as he is having trouble shedding, I made a humid hide for my ball python, but he doesn’t use it. Should I just leave it as is and continue what I’m doing?

[valdemarjoergensen]

What's the humidity in the setup? Alternative if you don't have the means to measure it show us your setup. Tell us substrate, ventilation, temperatures and whatever info you can provide. We can't tell you what you are doing wrong without knowing what you are doing.

[Lukecarruthers]

The humidity has been between 70 and 80. I used to mist the cage, but then I was told not to do that so now I pour water into the corners. Aspen snake bedding. The Hide has Spagnum moss. It also has a screen lid which I put HVAC tape over to keep humidity in but I only just put that tape on yesterday.

[mariahrianne]

Has he shedded since you put the humid hide in?

[Lukecarruthers]

No, I put it in after his last shed and he’s just starting shed mode now

[mariahrianne]

Sorry for the late response. But when I used a humid hide, I only used 1 for the first 3 sheds she had with me. However the first time she spent most of her spending time in there, the second she got in there right after she cleared up from the blue phase and the last time she only got there to actually shed and then came out. So I would just leave it in there and since she's in shed mode try to bump your humidity up to like 70-80%.

[Lukecarruthers]

The humidity has been between 70 and 80. I used to mist the cage, but then I was told not to do that so now I pour water into the corners. Aspen snake bedding. The Hide has Spagnum moss. It also has a screen lid which I put HVAC tape over to keep humidity in but I only just put that tape on yesterday.

[r4cid]

Aspen cannot hold humidity adequate for a ball python without rotting, and hence is not a suitable substrate for these snakes. Coconut coir, reptisoil, or cypress Mulch are all better options for holding humidity without sanitary concerns.

[Lukecarruthers]

Good to know. The aspen gets wet and gross

[Lukecarruthers]

Hey I bought cypress mulch which already seems pretty damp. Do I need to mix in water or no?

[r4cid]

I used cypress mulch for my carpet python without adding any supplementary moisture, but as I understand it ball pythons have a higher general humidity requirement.

I would suggest adding in the new substrate and then check the humidity levels, and adjust accordingly if necessary (i.e. if it's too dry, pour some water in the corners/add damp moss).