Rob made some excellent points and I definitely agree with his comments. As he said, try to balance the ambient and substrate temps across the gradient. Under standard conditions, for burmese, bloods, retics, etc., I also try for a substrate gradient temp across the cage of from low 80's cool end to low 90's warm side. His other critical point was on humidity. This turns into more of a juggling act when you start raising temps to assist RI treatment, especially with low room humidity in the winter. Warm cage interiors rapidly drive humidity out into the low humidity room.
Because the amount of water vapor the air can hold increases rapidly with temperature, the relative humidity actually decreases with increasing temperature, unless the evaporation potential can be met. This means that unless the rate of evaporation can keep up with the demand for moisture brought on by the rising air temperature, there will be an increasing net loss in relative humidity. A water bowl has one of the slowest rates of evaporation of almost any setup, as the surface tension of the water inhibits rapid evaporation. Cages with temps in the 80’s range usually do not have huge problems with humidity. However, when raising cage temps into the 90’s, the rate of evaporation from a water bowl alone will never reach anywhere near its potential, and the humidity within the cage can easily drop below 50%. Frequent misting, wick system substrates, or evaporation dishes with saturated cloth, paper towel, or aspen shavings have more rapid evaporation potentials and will produce much higher humidity levels than even a large water bowl alone.
I always end up battling low humidity levels in the winter, especially with the blood pythons. I really believe that as many winter RI episodes with boids are caused by low humidity, as are caused by low cage temps. When raising the temps for RI treatment, make sure to closely monitor the humidity, and as Rob stated, try to maintain the percentage in the 80’s range. Sometimes, the appearance of initial RI symptoms are caused by lung irritation due to low humidity, and many times can be resolved before progressing into an actual RI by raising the cage humidity. However, observe closely so the appropriate action can be taken if the problem progresses. Let us know how things turn out.
Kelly
