Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have read that bloods need moderate humidity and I've heard/read they need high humidity. I've heard RI's develop when the humidity is too low, AS WELL AS TOO HIGH. I tend too err on the high side though. I've had my blood in a sweaterbox for a little over 2 months now, and he's doing fine. His breathing isn't labored or audible either. He's eating well/consistently. He also shed in one piece with no problems. Forgive me, I don't have a hygrometer, but I don't think I need one. There's visible precipitation on the sides of the sweaterbox; you can't see inside. I assume, therefore, that the humidity is at least 70% or higher. (I know it's high enough.) BLOODS COME FROM HIGH HUMIDITY(90%-100%) ENVIRONMENTS, SO IT STANDS TO REASON THAT HIGH HUMIDITY IN CAPTIVITY WILL BE FINE-EVEN RECOMMENDED. What do you think? -Life Is Learning-

You need to take into consideration that ventilation ( fresh air flow ) in captivity is a complete 180 compared to out in the wild. Sumatra may have 70-95%RH most of the year, but the air flow is constant. In captivity, high humidity with little air flow = all sorts of problems for the keeper and the animal being kept. Mainly mold and bacteria, but I've seen mushrooms growing in some peoples enclosures? I've never seen any evidence of a Blood having a URI from low humidity. I kept all my Bloods at 50-55% RH and never had a problem. I did however change thier water every day ( see below post about hydration ) to keep them hydrated. The key to success with Blood pythons in captivity is keeping them hydrated, but not keeping them in a moist enclosure. Give the animal options. Don't just keep it at 80%RH and expect it to do well. Give it humidity and temperature options and you shouldn't have any problems

i agree i always err on the low side.A moist damp cage can also cause skin problems as well as ri.Ive been keeping strickly bloods for 3 years now and have had only a few minor problems with them and i rarely have any condensation on the wall.I think if you have a good size water dish and a humid hide box with a dry enclosure you will have your best success but thats just my humble opinion shaun t

Thanks for the replies guys. My sweaterbox is well ventilated. There are holes all around the top of the enclosure. The enclosure isn't soggy and it isn't bone dry. There's condensation on the sides but the substrate(cypress mulch)isn't saturated. Also, I'd say the lower the humidity, the higher the risk of RI. I say this considering the humidity in their natural environment is NEVER 50-55%. However, if your keeping your snakes at that level and having no problems, more power to you. I would rather supply a high humidity environment with good ventilation than a have the humidity borderline, though. 5% or 10% lower than 50% humidity and I'd say the snake's in trouble. However, I'm relatively new at keeping bloods and I'm sure I still have a lot to learn. I just haven't had any problems so far. Thanx for the speedy replies guys. -Life Is Learning-

Honestly how good are the shedds on the snakes when its time to shed.I bet a lot of stuck sheds.

i dont have any problems but when they are getting ready to shed i put a damp towel in the cage shaun t

Thats cool just wanted people to know that you just don't keep it around 50% and didn't do anything else when its time to shed.
Was curoius myself what you did.

I dont do anything with mine. They dump there water tub over and saturate the cage anyways. I never get complete sheds becuase they trash their skins everytime and always snag somewhere on their backs. The smaller ones no problem the big ones just get lazy and rip everything up.
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I changed from cypress mulch ot corrugated paper in my blood tubs. I have mixed feelings about the results. on the cypress (in an 84' temp controlled room), I felt the humidity got too high. A couple of my bloods got a little hissier (a touch on the raspy side) than usual, but no real problems. I changed for 2 reasons - cleanup was something of a hassle, and I couldn't easily tell when the bloods had urinated. I ended up popping each box every morning to do a sniff test (eeeww!!). On the corrugated paper, clean up is a breeze & it is easy to tell at a glance if I need to do it. The problem is it is drier than I want it. poor sheds? check, gottem (never on cypress). With the advent of winter, I find myself considering going back to cypress for better humidity control.
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