Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Our banded cali. kings humidity levels keep at only 30%! I mist the cage regularly and it still drops almost immediately after misting. I don't know what i can do to make it more humid! I rinse out and replace the water in his dish daily, his dish is the same size as the one he had in the pet store but his cage is a lot bigger.. is that maybe the issue? that his water dish is too small? The little guy is only about the girth of my pinky and almost 18 inches in length, i didn't want to put a water dish too big in there because i didn't want him to drown. Is the bedding sucking the humidity out? We use aspen bedding chips. All answers appreciated!

You don't have to worry about the snake drowning in the water bowl if there is no lid on it.

Small hatchlings do much better in small cages so they feel more secluded and hidden anyway. Simply cover most of the lid with something except for a small enough portion for decent ventilation. You can also make a humid-hide out of a small plastic container, cut a hole in the lid, fill it with some moist fluffy sphagnum moss, and this will be all that is needed.

This must be done to avoid bad shedding issues, especially this time of year when the ambient air is much dryer.

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

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

well i am not worried about shedding just yet because he just shed before we bought him, however i was concerned for the snakes health. I didn't know if 30% was bad. And if it is i would like to know how to correct it. Thank you for the advice i definitely plan on putting a moisture hide in there for him when his next shed comes along

Listen to Doug he definitely knows what he's doing. Well at least he puts on a good front. LOL

I suggest getting a moist hide in there now and don't wait until shed time. Another thing to try besides just covering part of the lid. Place your water bowl in a disposable aluminum pie pan or something similar. Place moist sphagnum moss or orchid fiber in the pan. This helps contain spilling and adds additional humidity.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
0.3 P. c. sayi Kingsville X Stillwater red bulls
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 D. corais Yellowtail Cribos
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards

Agreed! You shouldn't wait till he looks like he needs to shed to give him a moist hide. This is the answer you are looking for. A moist hide gives the snake a choice. Most homes have heaters running this time of year, which can suck all the moisture out of the iar. The substrate also absorbes moisture, so the moist hide is the best solution. Covering part of the top if is a top open cage, is also a very good idea. You are not gonna raise the humidity very much with the water bowl.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Now is the time to offer the snake humidity choices, not just when it comes to shedding time. This is what snakes do in nature, hide in moist areas when it is dry to conserve body moisture and make them very content with their environment instead of them constantly wondering around searching for the "right" area(s) to hide in.

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

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Zola and her partner have a Glad container of moist sphagnum moss under their cardboard hide, also a stack of terra cotta saucers right over the UTH for that essential warm hide. The cardboard flat over the other amenities gives the snakes more cover. Even in a big cage, if a little snake has ample cover, it will feel at ease.

Use orchid moss, or long fibered moss which you can get at garden centers. Be sure to check the moss hides for enough moisture and for poops about once a week. Add water then squeeze out the excess and pack it into the container.


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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

currently in there we have 2 reptile cork round hides and a mock-tree hide. Wouldn't the cork rounds mildew or something if i turned one of them into a moist hide? Should i replace one with a proper moist hide?

I don't feel the cork hides will work very well as moist hides. Take a look at the photos above that Bob posted. The gladware type containers make great moist hides. They aren't pretty but pretty isn't always the answer when caring for reptiles, practicality is. In other words what is most important is what is best for your snake.

Hope this helps,
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
0.3 P. c. sayi Kingsville X Stillwater red bulls
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 D. corais Yellowtail Cribos
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards

I don't feel the cork hides will work very well as moist hides. Take a look at the photos above that Bob posted. The gladware type containers make great moist hides. They aren't pretty but pretty isn't always the answer when caring for reptiles, practicality is. In other words what is most important is what is best for your snake.

Thanks for the vote of confidence on my moss hides. BigTattoo!

One could maybe use other objects as moss hides, like ceramic planters. These come in pretty colors.

Put it upside down on another saucer. The snake can enter through the drain hole, which would then be on top. Since I generally just cover the whole moss hide affair with a cardboard soda flat, I suppose if one were to emulate that it would be worthwhile to decorate i.e. camouflage the box somehow.

A set up for baby snakes. I spray painted the cottage cheese container so it would not look so ugly, since in the baby tubs and 10 gallon tanks there is no room for the soda flat to hide it.

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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

No problem Bob. I stole your moist hides idea and my snakes love them.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
0.3 P. c. sayi Kingsville X Stillwater red bulls
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 D. corais Yellowtail Cribos
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards