Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have seen all kinds of foggers/humidifiers for various reptiles, and I have read a couple places that say rat snakes need to be kept fairly humid, while others have no mention of using one. when I was asking for help to set up the tank, nobody mentioned one...so is this just an unnecessary item, or is it more of a logical thing that i should know i need?
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

IT reall depends on the species you chose. For the most commonly available American species it is a waste.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

It also depends on where you're located. Here on the East coast- it's currently 80% humidity. If I didn't run the AC, the walls would be dripping. Black rats are pretty hardy and live in such a wide range of habitats that they don't have very specific humidity requirements (unlike tropical rainforest snakes). Most of them will soak if they need to during shedding. If you notice your snake having a patchy shed, the easiest things to do are mist the cage, dampen the substrate slightly, put the water bowel near the heat source to increase evaporation, or add a damp hide box (you can put damp moss or paper towels in it) for the snake to use.
Lora

currently I have a licorice stick (white sided) black rat snake. i've also purchased but not recieved delivery yet on a black rat snake, due to my lack of space at the moment. They'll be in 2 tanks, one in a 29, one in a 20 long. Pensacola, FL is very humid, but we run the a/c like crazy. I'd say in the apartment the temp averages 70 degrees, however I don't know what the humidity is.
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The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -Unknown

Black rat snakes are very hardy snakes. Since you live in Florida I can only assume the humidity is roughly 80 - 100%. I seriously doubt you need one of those misters. If your snake is not having any shed problems you should be ok. During a shed(when the eyes turn blue)might I suggest a humidity box. This is as simple as a deli cup/tubberware container with a hole cut in the side big enough for the snake to slither into. Use damp,not wet,paper towel or moss. You could even leave this in there all the time if you wish but I only use it for my snakes during a shed. I am up in PA and the humidity is around 80% right now.

Also the misters would require you to chage the subtrate more often as a wet cage is bad for snakes. Overly damp/wet cages = blister disease. This is very common for captive snakes to get,especially in a damp area. Always keep the cage dry(for almost ALL snakes!) I have been told this by people who have had snakes for 25 years.