Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my baby ball python about 2 months ago and since then I have never seen him soaking in his water hide. Also, I can never get the humidity up to 60% - any tips? I'd think that if the humidity was low my snake would soak more, and yet he does just the opposite. He went through a bad shed about 2 weeks ago and I had to soak him everyday to help the skin come off. I'm concerned about his health and would appreciate any advice. thank you, Lauren

what kind of cage? you might want to get a seperate hide during shedding. Put damp terrarium moss in it. humidity will be thru the roof for your snake. put the hide with moss on the hot side of the tank

I have never seen my snake soaking and I've had it for about 9 months. It seems to be an individual choice. I keep my enclosure at about 60%. When it starts to shed I add an additional water bowl and it gets to about 80%. If you're having problems with humidity try adding an extra water bowl or as the previous post said by making a humid hide. If you're using a glass tank you may need to cover some of the screen top to help it hold moisture. Another post I've read in the past says to put a damp towel or washcloth in the tank. Don't worry about your snake not soaking since some do and some don't. Work on increasing the tanks humidity. Good luck.

Not all BPs soak. Mine never has. I'm guessing you have a tank as a cage and that's why your humidity is a prob. It's a problem that comes with using tanks - but fixable. Just have to find the solution that works for you.

Try a humid hide.

Move or add a water dish over your UTH.

cover most of the top with duct tape or damp towels.

Mist daily.

I tried all of the above on my tank and it took all of the above to get my humidity up. For some it takes less work. I didn't mind, but wanted something easier. My fix was to purchase a Tropic-Aire humidifier with air pump. Since then - perfect shed. here's a link to a discussion about what I (and another guy) did:

http://ballpython.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49&start=15
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1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer "Kira"