How do I increase the humidity in my snake cage?

Question

I looked it up and found that my snake eyes are dented because it's a little bit dehydrated. And it doesnt shed in a full piece, because of lack of humidity. It says it should be around 60, and mine is 42.7. HOW CAN I BRING IT UP!!!!!!!! =[] Thank you!

Answer 1

i had the same problem with my cage. the water dish wasn't enough, so i bought natural sponges, soaked them with water,and placed them around the cage. now, the humidity is up and my snake is shedding much easier. just be sure not to put the sponges on the bedding, put them on top of cage furniture. i do not recommend misting, it can cause respiratory infections.

hope this helps

Answer 2

I would never mist a snake directly. It may cause scale rot, blisters and other stuff that ain't pretty to look at.

If you are using a glass tank with a mesh screen, place a damp towel (damp, not wet or dripping!) over the screen on the hot side of your cage. You may want to try covering some of the ventilation with aluminum foil or cling wrap so that the moisture does not escape. You can also try placing a corner (1/3 or so) of your water dish over the heat mat if you are using an UTH.

If this doesn't bring up the humidity where it should be, mist your cage with warm water. Water inside the mister should NOT be cold, when you mist, it actually gets colder, so warm it up. Do not mist your snake, if you are going to mist, do it from a bit of a distance so the water distributes evenly in a fine mist.

Since you mentioned your snake is dehydrated, make sure your waterdish if big enough for it to lay inside and provide fresh water.

Answer 3

I have a snake that likes high humidity (white lipped python) I don't recommend restricting air flow to up the humidity, I don't think that is healthy for the snake.

I've not met a snake that likes misting, mine all hated it, so I don't recommend that either,.

If you have a snake that only needs high humidity for shedding, a humid hide box is an easy answer. Get a plastic storage box, drill some air holes, cut a door, and put damp towels or moss in there, the snake will enter when it needs to.

For a snake that needs the humidity high all the time, put 3 or 4 inches of coco fiber substrate in there. Then, you can pour water right onto the substrate in the corner (it will spread by itself) to keep the humidity up.

I use this method and it allows the air circulation to stay high, the humidity high and no pestering the snake, or worrying about misting 4 times a day.

I probably add about a pint of water every two days to the fiber in a 40 gal enclosure...but this will vary with your home, the temps, the type of heat source you use etc.

Do NOT put a heat pad under the coco fiber, it is too thick for the heat to penetrate, I use a heat panel along the side of the tank that gives off long infra red rays. It doesn't heat the air so much, but it heats the snake and cage furnishings.

This system has been working really well for us.

Answer 4

For a short-term fix, I would take the cage in the bath room, run a hot shower for awhile, and leave it in there with the door closed.  That will help it shed this skin.

In general, you can increase humidity by decreasing air flow (cover all or part of the lid with a towel, for example) and adding moisture (damp moss or sponges, large water bowls, or spraying with a water bottle a few times a day).  For a cool effect, you can buy an ultrasonic fogger (I have found them for about $20 on eBay), which you set in a water bowl and it puts off mist.

Remember that your central air works largely by removing moisture from the air, so if you can locate the cage in a room with the vents closed, that will help a lot.

Answer 5

I would spray him with water once in a while just till you figure out your issue

Answer 6

if you have little plants that are under your heat source, you should mist them with water from a sprayer. i don't know much about snakes, but i'm pretty sure that you could use a shedding box like i do with lizards. use a coolwhip container and cut a hole big enough for the snake to go in. fill it halfway with peat moss or you can use wet paper towels. mist it everyday. there is also shedding spray you can purchase at the pet store.

Answer 7

If you have a tank with an open screen top, try covering most of it with a piece of plastic dropcloth.  Use a cheap pump sprayer (find it in most hygiene sections where hair care stuff is) to moisten (not drench) the substrate in the tank on a regular basis.  Take a plastic rubbermaid tub and place upside down on its lid in a corner of the tank (obviously make sure you've cut an entrance hole in it).  Place a damp towel (folded) on the bottom.  This will serve as an inexpensive humidity box for your snake.

Answer 8

1: get a  spray bottle

2: get a heating pad get on for humans they last longer and heat more evenly and place it under the tank put it on low otherwise it will cook it lol not good

3: do you have a heat lamp?? if not get one a 60 watt balb will work great

4: your tank is 42.7 lol where do you live the north pole hey for one take it out of the frig lol they don't like the cold lol ok i'm done lol :D srry :D

5: hey get a wet spung and a plastic tuperwear dish big enough for your snake and cut a big enough hole in the side so it can get in and out put the spung in there so it can slither on the spung in the dish it will help it shed

Answer 9

Hello; first off, what kind of substrate do you use, and what kind of terrarium do you have your snake in?

I have found that even when misting several times per day, the wrong kind of substrate and having a screen top cage will seriously lower a high humidity snake's chances of having a good shed and your chances of keeping humidity up. :(

If you are considering getting a new snake cage, may I suggest getting something front-opening with no screen lid? They tend to be more expensive, but they hold humidity much better than regular glass tanks. If that isn’t practical, try covering most of the top with a towel or a sheet of plastic to keep humidity in, and also try to make sure your snake has a  large water bowl filled with fresh, clean water at all times, not just for drinking but to up cage humidity. :)

I actually can very much sympathize with you on this one. I have a 12 year old male Ball python, Apophis; that had shedding issues for years. I had him in a screen top cage  and tried using dozens of different substrates, anything from cypress, aspen, paper towels, regular towels, repti-bark, etc. Nothing was working, and no matter how many times daily I misted his terrarium, he still had bad sheds and seemed dehydrated. I finally switched him to a solid construction, front opening terrarium with small screens on the sides for ventilation, and he seemed less dehydrated, but he was still having issues shedding. Finally I was talking to my best friend (a Ball python, Redtail boa, and Leopard Gecko breeder), and she recommended trying Eco-Earth by Zoo-Med, which is a compressed coconut dirt substrate that she said worked wonderfully for high-humidity species, is attractive looking, relatively cheap, didn’t need to be misted anywhere near as often as most bedding, and seemed to be mold resistant. I was skeptical, but I wanted to give it a try.

Sure enough, after I started using Eco-Earth, Apophis has been very healthy, completely hydrated, has been eating perfectly, and hasn’t had a bad shed since I started using it more than a year ago. I only want the best for my pets, and so it takes a lot for me to recommend a product, but Eco-Earth is something that I highly recommend to anyone having humidity or shedding issues with their reptiles or anyone who is looking for a new substrate. :)

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject; please feel free to message me and I will be happy to assist you.

Good luck with your snake!

Answer 10

yea thats kinda low cover the lid  with a towel but make sure there lil bit air i have a 30 gallon tank i cover it half way and my humidty is around 80s

Answer 11

Make sure there is a full water bowl in the cage at all times and mist the cage at least once a day. Mist it more often to get the humidity up then once a day will usually do it. If it is still really low, try covering up some of the ventilation, not to much you still need it but you probably have to much ventilation. Also when the snake is getting ready to shed make sure you mist the snake itself to help hydrate it. You can tell it is going to shed when the eyes get a milky white color to them.

Answer 12

Try misting the entire tank with a spray bottle with lukewarm water, not wet but damp enough to get the humidity up.

Make sure your snakes water bowl is large enough for him to submerge himself in. If the top on your tank is the screen kind you'll need to get a full cover to keep the moisture in better. If the heat source you're using is a lamp, put your snake's water bowl under the most direct light and make sure there's always water in it. If you use one of those sticky pads that goes on the bottom outside of the tank, move the water bowl directly over the heat source.

As for the shedding, even with the correct temp. and humidity my snake had a little trouble with shedding. Best trick for this is to get a container large enough for your snake to curl up in, with a top (air holes in it) put about an inch of lukewarm water in it (more or less depending on your snake's size but no more than 3/4 of it's body width) and let your snake sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes (keep an eye on him so he doesn't tire and drown). Your snake's dead skin should be moist enough to carefully pull off by hand or let him back in his tank to let him attempt to do it on his own. If it still isn't moist enough try again. Hope this helps and best of luck =)