Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK well Here is my setup I just want opinions on it...MY female boa is 3' and feeding on small rats weekly.....Shes in a 29 gallon tank with aspen bedding and a hide on each side.....There is a large water dish in the cage also and a rock tyo aid shedding.....There is a screen top on top with a 10" dome heat lamp with a 150w red bulb....the top is covered mostl;y...that brings the hot side at around 90 and cool side around 77.....Humidity is only about 40% but I ttried and theres no way to raise it misting molds the apsen...and water dish cant go higher......And its too cold without the heat lamp...anyway I was wondering if my setup is ok?? Aslo Would shedding be ok if like 3 days aftyer the blue eyes go away I soaked her in warm water or after I seen her start to shed and then put her back in her cage would she be able to shed good in one peice??

Aslo when shes around 4' shell be in a 6'x3' closet......cement floors , plywood walls....heated with 2 heat lamps out of reACH at the top of the closet to provide ambient temps and a large heat mat for basking temps all this with aspen bedding...so Hows all tghis sound thanks alot
Mike

kinda funny... I have a very similar set up (and was planning to move her to my closet once she grows haha!) and I am having the same humidity issues. I do have cypress substrate and haven't had any problems with mold yet (I have an air purifier that kills mold). I also have an humidity pump going into the cage as well. My guess is that our problem is in the screen top. I'm planning to get some plexi-glass from Home Depot to entirely cover the screen. I'll drill a couple of holes and see if that holds the humidity any better.

Anybody else see where we're failing??? Thanks

(Oh and it should be noted, that a ceramic heat element provides my hot spot.)

sealing up your screen top will take care of your problem. I was having a similar problem and I just sealed the lid with a/c tape. The humidity is now 70% up from 40%

Loose the overhead light sources(their for lizards) as they are the humidity killers.Use duct tape to seal off all but a 2-3" strip along the back edge of your screen top.Loose the mister its also a lizard appliance Get a heat source(flexwatt and dimmer) and heat from the bottom of the cage.Get a reliable Humidity guage/device ......... mist with a spray bottle as often as needed to achieve desired levels (50-55%)is fine for BCI.
Ever read a Caresheet ? None of which you descibe is listed on any I have ever read ?

M/

Screen tops are a little more difficult when it comes to getting the humidity right but it's not impossible, nor is it rocket science.

I've used the cardboard box that a case of cokes comes in because it has a bit of a wax facing/protective layer. This keeps the humidity from being absorbed by the cardboard, itself.

Cut out a hole a little bit larger than the dome that holds your heatsource (This should be on one end of the tank). Cut the cardboard aprox. 1 1/2" short of the opposite end of the tank and let this gap run the full width of the tank. This will create a natural air flow with the heat pulling in air & pushing it out the gapped end.

Place the water bowl directly under (inline with) the heatsource. Check humidity level and spray/mist the bedding area under the heatsource if/as needed. Don't saturate the bedding, all you need is a good dew-like covering.

With the natural flow of air this creates you shouldn't have any problems with aspen molding unless you keep it saturated.

If you use an above heat source and decide to use plexiglass, lexan, etc..., to help retain humidity, your heat source will need to be placed inside the cage to keep from blocking most of its heat. This is a good idea as long as you use a guard of some sort on the heatsoucre to keep your snake from getting burned. This method is easier to maintain humidity levels.

Another option, besides getting a good snake cage, is to get some of the insulation board, either with the foil backing or just the plain blue with plastic backing, and cut it to fit the inside of the screen top. When cutting it to fit, keep in mind that the lid is bigger than the tank opening. You want to cut the insulation board just slightly smaller than the tank opening.

Cut the insulation board the same way I said to cut the cardboard (Instead of cutting it 1 1/2" short, you could poke several rows of holes on that end with a large nail, ice pick, etc...). I've used silicone to hold the insulation board to the screen top. Just make several sporadic piles of silicone on the insulation board and push it onto the screen top so the silicone squeezes through the screen and holds it in place. You need to wait aprox. 24 hrs. for the silicone to cure before you can use the top to avoid hazardous fumes in the tank.

Both the cardboard & insulation board modifications worked good for me and I'm sure you'd be satisfied with the results if you're looking for a quick, cheap fix. They're not as complicated as they may seem.

As for humidity for a shedding snake, in your case, once they eyes cloud up, spray/mist the snake, itself, at least once a day, every day, until it sheds.

Have a good one!
Mike
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