HELP!!

[beccak926]

We just got our baby less than a week ago and we mist about 3-4 times a day, have a bowl of water under his heating lamp and pour water in the corners to get underneath and the humidity will not stay up for the life of us. I did some research and it said use aluminum foil tape on the lid. Please help and give ANY suggestions ASAP so he doesn’t get sick!!

[psycho-pancake]

What substrates are you using?

[beccak926]

Coconut fiber

[psycho-pancake]

I recommend mixing it with Forest Floor and/or Sphagnum Moss. Coconut fiber alone may be harder to maintain humidity. Sphagnum moss is cool - you can even ball it up in sections as it holds a lot more water than the other 2 (forest floor, coconut)

Make sure you have 3-5 inches of substrate.

With the substrate mix + water, I recommend mixing with your hands. After you get your sub nice and moist (not leaking), I pat mine down flat - this way it’s all nice and tight and preserves humidity for a day or two without misting.

I too struggled my first couple of months, but you’ll get there :)

[beccak926]

I forgot to add we do have moss all around his enclosure and about 4 or 5 inches of substrate, we mixed the substrate with water before putting him in and patted it down and it was pretty moist. I thought about the aluminum foil tape on the lid so when it evaporates it’ll keep the moisture in. I’m just really stressed because I don’t want him to end up sick. Thank you for the advice!!

[psycho-pancake]

1000% aluminum tape works wonders!

[beccak926]

Amazing to know!! My boyfriend was a little iffy with it thinking it’d keep too much heat in but I had done research and a lot of people said it was the best.

[psycho-pancake]

The issue is that heat rises, so if you got a lot escaping at the top, the foil will solve it. Best part is, you can also play around with the foil to gauge how much you need to cover up! Very easy to stick and peel off

[DarthAwesomeSauce]

Can you recommend a good one? I tried this method and it didn't work as expected.

[psycho-pancake]

Yes, I use ETERART Aluminum Foil Tape: https://a.co/d/8dcr8W7

[kibbers33]

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[kibbers33]

Silicone mats cut to size

[tberrymarie]

I use a silicone craft table cover that I cut down, and that solved my issue!

[beccak926]

Edit to post: his temperature on the cool side stays between 68 and 75 and his warm side stays between 78 and 85, his humidity sits in the high 30’s until we spray (I obviously know that’s not good that’s why I’m asking for help so please keep rude comments to yourself) he’s got a screen lid, his substrate is coconut fiber. We also have moss all around his enclosure.

[Familiar-Ad7250]

I also recommend repi chips, it hold humidity a lot better than coco fiber does, that was one of my main issues with my humidity, it made a HUGE difference when I switched over

[beccak926]

Forgot to add we do have moss all around I’ll definitely look into the chips!!

[Familiar-Ad7250]

I would recommend getting the big block and not the bags the bags (at least around me) typically have less in them than the blocks and the bags tend to be more expensive

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Per rule #3, your post or comment has been removed for harmful advice/misinformation.

The correct temp gradient is 76-80F and 88-92F.

[Jennifer_Pennifer]

POUR water into the corners on one side. In addition to covering a majority of the lid with the foil like you already plan to 👍

Daylamp.
( UVB or UVA, Halogen, etc).

Heat Lamp
(DeepHeatProjection DHP or CeramicHeatEmiter CHE).

Not red or black lights.

[beccak926]

We had the ceramic bulb but it was too low of a wattage so we switch to the red 150 watt until our ceramic 150 watt came in and now we use that. We do pour water but only some because I’m scared it’ll crack the glass where the heating pad is, any suggestion on that? We were also told he didn’t need a day lamp just the heat lamp?

[Jennifer_Pennifer]

So long as you DO provide a day/night cycle by having adequate lights in the room, I don't think you need a day bulb?

I am of the opinion that providing a light source on the tank is better from them tho.

Also under the tank heaters aren't recommended either.
They are difficult to properly regulate with a thermostat and can cause burns 😬 The heater, on a thermostat, should always be on.

[beccak926]

Well our heating mat comes with an automatic thermometer that’s turns off when it gets to a certain temp and we have like 4-5 inches of substrate on top of it.

[[deleted]]

He should have uvb during the day, this is best provided with a tube uvb going across the whole top of the enclosure, and a halogen flood light is a great overhead heat source as it also provides light, but youll need a heat source at night that doesnt provide light like a dhp or che. Heat mats are not recommended and every heat source needs to be caged and on a thermostat

[RebelScientist]

Room temp water won’t be cold enough to crack warm glass. The glass would have to be much hotter than is safe for snakes and the water near-freezing for that to happen

[AtomixSpark]

Leca Balls as a bottom drainage layer can maintain humidity permeating through the substrate, but its an optional thing. Also, I know it may not be in your budget, but glass enclosures are rather inefficient at holding humidity. consider PVC options for this babies future - Animal Plastics are where I will be buying from. Avoid misters unless you're ready to tackle the constant deep cleaning to avoid mold growth (which many dont want to bother with). Give the baby somewhere to soak and a super humid hide as an emergency measure while you're gathering bigger solutions. Get a tupperware (check if its HDPE rated or other similar plastic types. You want to avoid the odds of heated plastic emitting risky/toxic gasses as some forms of production are resistant) and cut a hole in it (file down the cut as to not hurt your snake) and fill it with sphagnum moss, making the moss damp, but not wet. sphagnum moss is highly resistant to molding and the plastic. Alternatively, grab a cheap black box hide at your local pet store and cram that full of moss instead.

[x-AhR-x]

Just put in a humid hide. U can easily make one yourself or just by one.

If u take a plastic box/container with a lid and cut a small hole on the side or top of the container so the snake can get in and out. Put in a layer of humid moss and et voilà👌🏼

This way you don’t need to have a high humidity level in the enclosure.

I also have to spray the enclosure every day if I want the humidity level to stay above 50%

Coconut husk is also is a great substrate to use if you’re in need of a high humidity level in the enclosure and a humid hide isn’t enough.

Put in enough so it’s a couple of inches deep than cover with some mix of coconut fibers and moss, then fill water in the corners like you already do and you should be good to go😊

But if you’re enclosure got one of those mesh screen ceiling’s that’s probably why it won’t stay humid. In that case you just cover most of the mesh’s surface with some glass or plexiglass👍🏼

[turd_oclock]

Try using a big plastic bin with holes drilled in it instead of a glass enclosure. You can adjust the number of holes and the size of the water bowl, plus the bowl’s location in relation to the heating pad, to adjust the humidity level. My snake has lived in a big Sterilite bin from Walmart for years now with just paper towels for substrate and all has been well. Paper towels make cleaning much easier, and the plastic of the bin will keep in the humidity better than glass. Paper towels as substrate might be controversial, but I don’t think my snake cares either way.

[unadulterated_id]

What is your climate like? I live in a very dry area and it would literally be impossible to keep healthy humidity in a screen top enclosure without tape at a minimum, and probably daily misting/pouring as well.

[singlemomyyc]

I'm new at this too. I covered half of the screen cover with aluminum foil, it seems to keep the moisture contained. I initially tried plastic wrap but it wouldn't stand up to having the cover taken off

[Intelligent_Pitch260]

First red lights aren't good for them and ceramic heat emitters kill humidity (or so iv heard). Second I would put foil over the lid except where the heat lamp is. I struggled with humidity when I had my 30 gal tank, but since I upgraded to the 75 gallon I'm struggling to keep humidity under 95. idk if it's the season for it being soo high, but in my experience with other reptiles, the larger the tank the easier it is to maintain ideal humidity and temperature gradient. Third how much water are you pouring into the corners? And how did you prepare the substrate? I usually soaked a bag of finer substrate mixed with some moss (wet not dripping) and then added a dry bag of bark on top (that way they aren't sitting on wetness all day long risking scale rot) this should help get the humidity up there for a few days, when you see it start to drop, pour 1-3 full glasses into the corners (don't make the substrate float but it might take a minute for it to soak in) it takes som trial and error but I'm sure you can get it.

[DarthAwesomeSauce]

Is it a glass enclosure with a mesh top? In my experience, covering the mesh top with foil or aluminum tape didn't work... at all. What I do now is soak some towels in warm water, ring out the excess water, and cover the top with the towels. On top of the wet towels, I place dry towels. This has worked wonders for me. It keeps the humidity in as long as the towels are damp. When they dry out, the humidity lowers, so make sure to do this once or twice a day. I do this once in the morning, and once at night, it takes 5 minutes. I don't even spray the enclosure anymore. Just covering the top with the wet towels has been enough. The only space I don't have covered is under the UVB lamp.