Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been keeping my Macklots python in the environment that the caresheets say it should be in but he often seeks out colder areas. I've even seen him go to areas that are in the 70's. I'm also not too sure about the 60% humidity that all the caresheets copy paiste, what if the data's wrong?

As long as you have it in a tank big enough so it can move from the warm side in the high 80's, and to the cooler side in the 70's to self-thermoregulate, things should be fine.

They are naturally found in very humid areas around water too, so 60% humidity sounds good too.

The important thing is to have a temp gradient available for the snake to choose from. Under tank heating(UTH) is better than above heat lamps, because it allows them to hide out of the light more naturally, plus UTH won't dry the humidity out of the cage and the animals skin like an above heat lamp does.

regards, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

ah thanks, yea, it seems like when I let the humdity down, after a few days his skin seemed to get tiny wrinkles, Im not sure if that's what it was from though.

Macklots get dehydrated pretty easily in low humidity - moreso with the young ones.

When you live in an area with low ambient humidity, it is a battle. The easiest mthods to increase humidity are to use a plastic storage box filled with damp sphagnum moss (partially over/under the heat source) and to decrease ventilation in the cage during seasonal low ambient relative humidity.

Regarding undercage vs overhead heat - here is what I have found:
When I use undercage heat, the air retains better humidity but the substrate (and therefore snake) dries quickly. In that case a substrate that holds moisture plus a hide box helps. This is where the humidity box works well.

When I use overhead heat (radiant heat panel or ceramic heat emitter), the moisture in the air dries out quickly but the substrate holds moisture longer. A humidity box also works well here too. I don't use a lid. I use a cat litter box filled to the brim with the moss. Moisten as needed.
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Mark

I c, is the tiny wrinkles in the scales a sign of dehydration?

Definitely. That snake needs to be soaked in very shallow water for a good 5-10 minutes. I mean like 1/2 inch deep or so depending on the size of the snake of course - you don't need much to do the job. Macklots skin is pretty thin in comparison to snakes like burms and such. Thin skin loses moisture rapidly. Where these things come from, there is no shortage of moisture and there is ample opportunity to escape dessication.
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Mark