Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello.. I am using orchid bark as a substrate in my python's cage and misting it almost 4 times a day but the humidity level will not rise. It's staying in the 40-50% humidity range. Is there a better bedding for raising the humidity? Any tips for this maybe? TIA

I should probably tell some more info. hehe

The cage is one of those screen-top "critter cages" it's all glass (excluding the top) and I am currently using a zoo-med ceramic heat emitter, heat pad, and exo-terra infered light bulb for heat.

the problem is your screen top.
You need to cover most of it up..that should fix your problem

The screen top will make it difficult to keep the humidity in, but the bulb and the ceramic heater and the UTH are a lot of heat sources are all three really needed? You might be able to control temp & humidity with UTH and the ceramic heater. The bulbs especially tend to dry things out (at least they did for me). Another option is to add a moss box to your set up- this creates a very humid hide the snake goes in & out of- I have a lot of success with that! good luck!

I don't know what kind of python you have. Pythons fill many niches in nature, from deserts to tropical jungles. Most pythons that require high humidity aren't in the hands of folks who wouldn't already know how to solve that problem. So here's a couple of easy solutions...

Give the snake a hide box made of plastic that he can crawl down into. Put some damp substrate in there like peat moss or cypress mulch or whatever. This little hide will create a dark and humid place for the snake to relax. This will give him a humid micro-climate and he'll be fine.

Get rid of the screen top and get the snake in a cage designed for snakes. These usually restrict most of the airflow and allow for higher humidity in the cages.

Place a really large water dish in the cage. Something the snake can crawl into and move around. This will also raise the humidity.

Good luck.

Doug T