Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've recently added a young hogg island boa to my animal collection. The only other snake I own is a gopher snake, so I've never worried about humidity before. From my research, I realize that the boa is going to need much higher humidity. The gauge I have in her cage right now is registering between 30-40%, despite frequent mistings from a spray-bottle. So...
1) can anyone tell me a precise humidity level I should be aiming for? (care sheets I've found only say 'high humidity')
2) as far as electronic devices, would a fogger or a mister be preferable? I was considering the fogger to reduce moisture on the bedding; I don't know how well aspen holds up to moisture? 3) Would another substrate be better? I used aspen because I had it on hand from the gopher snake.

Any help would be appreciated. If it makes a difference to responses, I have a wood/plexiglass cage with a screened top, aspen bedding, and an overhead head lamp.

you should be aiming for i think 65%-75%, ask on the boa forum. Dont use foggers and misters as they can make the substrate wet. use a cypress mulch or humidity holding substrate*(lizard litter). and that should raise your humidity. Also add another water bowl.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Can I find cypress mulch at a petstore, or would I have to look at a home & garden type of place?

you can find cypress mulch at homedepot's and places like that in the garden section i believe. You can also find it at walmarts with a garden section. I dont believe any pet store would carry cypress mulch, although they do carry a thing called repti bark which is the same thing but more expensive. Most garden places would have them to.
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 normal ball python (felix)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Around 60% should be fine. But first, what type of enclosure are you using? Anything with a screen top or big vents will let the humidity and heat escape, so the first thing to do is address that.

What do you have the boa in?

Bill

The enclosure is primarily wood, with screens in the top and a plexiglass window in front. There are two screened pieces on top; should I seal off the one that doesn't have the heat lamp over it? What would be the best way to do that?

Hi Alyssa.

Yes, seal up the area that doesn't have the heat lamp over it. Some people place folded damp towels on top of the screen (which is supposed to help the cage humidity). Others lay a piece of shower curtain over the opening, draping it over the edges as well. Just be sure that whatever you use to close the area does not touch the heat lamp.

You'll still lose humidity through the open/heat area, like a chimney effect, but it might not be as dry in the cage. using a large water dish may help also. Some folks use a humid hide container -- half filled with clean, damp sphagnum moss or cypress mulch.

Basically, humid air has a higher pressure than dry air. The humid cage air will always seek to equalize with the dry room air if there are openings in the cage for the humid air to escape through. That's why you need to routinely mist a cage with an open top or large vents.

I'm using three cages right now for small snakes (including a baby bci) -- these are BARR'S 24w x 12d x 12h with solid tops and vented backs, heated by a 6" x 12" radiant heat panel mounted on the inside cage ceiling at one end. This setup holds humidity well, using just a 5" water crock and no misting, since the vent holes are quite small.

Regards,

Bill