Posted by:
Terry Cox
at Fri Oct 22 04:57:51 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Terry Cox ]
Terry, nice response.
I like your idea of misting. I believe all ratsnakes like it when it rains, or they get misted. Most ratsnakes like fairly high humidity, noteable exceptions being the rats of the Southwest. But, remember, we did discuss the Baird's as having a different microhabitat and habits than the others. They are more like obsoleta in those ways. I would point out that misting also stimulates the feeding response. I keep all my rats in fairly dry environments, but occasionally mist, especially before feeding and shedding, then let the cage dry over several days. I always have a water jug in the cage and clean it often. With problem shedders, like Mandarin rats, I put a moist nest box in the cage once they go in the blue. They love the increased humidity and warmer temps at that time.
TC
>>Maybe not an expert, but I'll share my experiences and thoughts. I don't just raise the humidity on snakes that come from dry and/or arrid type enviroments. I am more of a "mist my snakes" type hobbyist. Someone posted the other day about how I keep the humidity up in my spilotes cage since it is so open. I don't really. I mist my snakes. High humid or wet type environmnets may cause reguring in snakes like baja rat snakes, spilotes, bairds, transpecos and snakes that come from dry or arrivd areas. The species and/or subspecies may not experience this as a whole, but some of the indivdual snakes may experience regurging or shedding difficulties. We keep our captive snakes in artificial environments. I think misting your bairds every few days and especially when they go into blue eye and keeping the humidity down is one of the ways I make up for my captive environment that I keep them in. There are most likely several other ways to do it. This is the way I do it. Placing larger water bowls will raise the humidity in the tank or enclosure without having to do anything else, but it raises the humidity 24/7 which certain snakes don't fare well in. Mist your snake that fares better in low humidity if it experiences shed problems. Of course, shed problems can be the result of dehydration. Most bairds fare good in corn snake environments, but a few will experience either regurging and/or shed problems. If your bairds is experiencing either try keeping the humidity down and mist your snake every few days and when they go into blue eye. I don't mean wet the whole tank down. Just give it a few quick sprays. My spilotes seem to love it.
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>>Terry Parks
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Ratsnake Haven: Calico and albino Chinese stripe-tailed ratsnakes, Mandarin ratsnakes, Chinese twin-spotted ratsnakes, South Korean Dione's ratsnake, Great Plains ratsnakes and corns 
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RE: Humidity concerns with Mexican Baird's Ratsnake - Terry Cox, Fri Oct 22 04:57:51 2004