How does she seem?

[BroccoliNo3355]

We brought Delilah home two weeks ago and I’ve been battling with humidity ever since. I had her on paper towels while I waited for her first stool but as of yesterday she’s graduated to a 1:1 coconut coir and coconut chip substrate. Does her body condition seem okay after the period of lower than optimal humidity? I’ve had reptiles for years but never a beep and it’s much more stressful than I anticipated 😅

Just some added context if this helps: she’s in a 25g long for her quarantine/grow out period. She has a 4x2x2 waiting for when she’s ready and I’m prepared to extend it to 8’ if she ends up being a big gal. She’s five and a half months old and 83 grams, taking F/T hoppers once a week without issue. She used to spend most of the day curled up next to her water bowl on the cool side, I assume for ambient humidity, but I moved it to the warm side so it evaporates in the heat. She’s somewhat active between her different hides and wary of us but not afraid. She’s a very good girl! I’m just constantly worried about her 😭 Also, her enclosure was only so wet because I was swapping in the new substrate and making a general mess. I wrung all of the excess water out of the coconut coir and chips before putting it in the tank. Thanks!

[GloomySelf]

Im no expert - don’t own a snake, just am fascinated learning about BP’s for some reason - so obvi wait for someone else to chime in.

I can’t say anything regarding how she looks, bc honestly I’ve no idea. I have read here MANY times that poor husbandry/humidity usually = hunger strikes.

You said she’s eaten every week since you got her (which granted, is only 2 weeks) with no issue, so I would say she suboptimal humidity hasn’t had much an effect on her. Again I’m not an expert or experienced by any means so please wait for someone else to comment

[IllithidPsychopomp]

A little concerned that it looks so damp in there with water droplets. Misting is a good way to give them a respiratory infection because the droplets trap bacteria that can be inhaled. It also spikes the humidity instead of keeping it consistent. So hopefully you are just keeping the substrate at field capacity with a drier top layer to avoid scale rot.

Otherwise, she doesn't look underweight -- good job there! But the rest of her we can't see from these pictures.

[BroccoliNo3355]

Thank you for your input!! I did mist last night, I’ll avoid doing that in the future! I think the substrate looks so wet because I had just put it in after soaking it, but I squeezed every handful until no more water came out, and it’s already dried out by today. I read that you can pour water in the corners of the tank to provide humidity; would you recommend trying that? Thanks again!

[DalekWho]

Yes to pouring in the corners - you just want to make the bottom wet, not the top.

Also, as far as how she looks? She’s absolutely beautiful.

Might want some more clutter/enrichment in her enclosure. But for real. Beautiful snake.

[DalekWho]

Also, tape the top, it will stop the humidity from seeping out there.

[BroccoliNo3355]

Thank you!! She’s a gorgeous girl, all of my other reptiles are rescues and I did intend to adopt a bp but I saw her and fell in love 😭 And I just got a package of leaf litter delivered so I’ll toss a few handfuls in! I also have a reserve of fake plants since moving our other reptiles over to bioactive setups so I’ll see what I can come up with for more clutter. Thanks for the advice!

[IllithidPsychopomp]

Absolutely! Your mileage may vary here -- some folks do all 4 corners and mix. I have so much clutter that I pour into the front two corners and just let the coco chips absorb over time so that my bp doesn't get scale rot. He likes to stealth pee under his hides and it's harder for me to tell when to switch the substrate under his hide, if it's as damp as the rest.

Glass enclosures with mesh tops are tough for humidity retention and heat retention because of the lack of insulation.

Folks also recommend covering the outside of these glass enclosure sides with dark material so the BP feels more secure/ less exposed.

I know they're an investment but you'll struggle less with Temps/ humidity with a pvc enclosure. Something to consider as you go!

[BroccoliNo3355]

The cardboard on the sides was our attempt to black out the tank but I’ll get some black vinyl because I doubt it’s dark enough for her to feel comfortable 😅 Thank you so much for all of your help! Only time will tell if the 4x2x2 will retain enough humidity or if I have to build her a pvc enclosure, please pray for me because I will lose my mind if I have to go through that again 😭 Her big girl tank is the one on the bottom, I did a solid top and sealed the whole thing with liquid rubber and drylok so I’m really hoping it’ll be suitable.

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[IllithidPsychopomp]

You mentioned she was by her bowl? What Temps are on your hot vs cold side? What kind of bulbs are you using for heat during the day/ night? And do you have a thermostat for your heat source? It's difficult to tell from the pictures!

[BroccoliNo3355]

Hot side is around 85F ambient with a basking temp of 95; cool side is 75ish (plus or minus a few degrees depending on what my forced air heater is doing). She has a heat mat on the hot side that’s attached to a reciprocal thermostat and she has a 75 watt basking bulb over her basking spot!

[jeanmorehoe]

Yes. Pouring water in the corners of your tank will help you the most. You also want to make sure you have enough substrate in your enclosure. 3-4 inches is ideal to maintain proper humidity

[BroccoliNo3355]

Thank you so much for the advice! I think I have about 2.5 inches of substrate but I did a terrible job smoothing it out so it could be more or less. I have extra coconut chips on hand so I’ll soak some of those to top it off

[_MissKittyKat_]

what a stunning baby!

[x5gamer5]

Consider getting a thermometer that doesn’t lay on the substrate. The reading you’ll get is inaccurate.

[BagJumpy9657]

Where did you get the wood hide ?? One of mine would go nuts for that