Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Well, winter is upon us (here in NH anyway) bringing with it not only cold, but terrible dryness. Last winter I was using a top-heated cage, so the humidity stayed up if I just moved the water bowl closer to the heater. This winter I've got a new caging system, with the heat source coming from one side of the enclosure on each enclosure I'm using. My poor Burm just suffered a bad shed because I'm having such a hard time keeping the humidity up in her cage and the cage above her, my bigger blood. I tried adding a second water bowl, frequent misting, and giving her moist paper towels, but the humidity was always back down to 55% in both their cages.

What do other people use in their cages to keep up humidity during the winter? My baby bloods haven't been having problems, thank God, but I'm worried about my bigger blood since he's the next snake due to shed. Should I just buy a humidifier for the snake room? I'm really starting to get frustrated. >

Sorry for the long post; thanks for any help or suggestions.
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Kitt

s
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
0.1 Red blood python (Rhianon)
0.0.1 ball pythons (FELIX!!!!!)
2.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, Bear, and Tony)

"scientia est vox"

Kitt,

A humid hide with a little damp spogham (sp?) moss would help as well and a damp towel helps kick it up a little more for sheds. I tend to have trouble keeping the humidity down any time of the year down here in GA, but I usually switch in a bigger water bowl right when they start going into blue and a damp towel when its nearer to shedding time. If all of your herps need the same humidity a humidifier might be the easiest tho. Make sure you keep em warm too!

J
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"It's my snake, I trained it, so I'm going to eat it!" - Mad Max, The Road Warrior

I firmly believe that 55% humidity as a baseline is probably fine for established bloods. Just up the humidity during shed times.

If you are using newspaper substrate, just tip a fair bit of water when you notice them going into shed. Soaking wet substrate would be a long-term no-no, but for four or five days it will push your humidity way up, and is easy to rectify post-shed.

I feel your pain--last winter I was heating the room generally, as well as the individual cages, and in my reptile room the humidity dropped to the low teens. However, using the above in conjunction with humid hide boxes my snakes all shed fine. For my PTS I had to purchase a misting system, but I think thats wholly unnecessary for any terrestrial boid.

I think I will try the towel thing, and I may try sphagnum moss as well. Although I think I'm also going to go with a humidifier, as I think the room is getting to dry for its mammillian inhabitants as well (namely, myself and my hamsters!)

Thanks again,
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Kitt