my humidity just wont stay up
Hello,
Most of the time, when I hear this question I follow up with "Is your ball python in an enclosure which was specifically designed for ball pythons", but this time I'll avoid that question since I think I know the answer. The short term solution is to either add a hide with damp moss, or cover your aquarium with a damp towel. The long term solution is to purchase an enclosure which has been designed for ball pythons.
I had the same problem with my ball python. He got dehydrated. I did some research and i found a few things i could do to keep the humidity up. You want a large water dish near the light source. If you gave a cage with a screen top, you can cover the screen with a towel with only a little bit of the screen open. Also if you have central heating and air, you try to put the snake in a room with no vents (the heater and air conditioner is designed to remove humidity). The best thing i found though was a substrate called eco earth made by Zoo Med. Its a coconut fiber substrate that is made to retain moisture. It is also doesn't mold easily so you can keep it damp. The best part is that it is cheep . I also made a humidity box for my ball python. Its very easy, you can just take a simple rubbermade tupperware container, cut a hole in the side and put it over a damp towel in his cage. I would get that eco earth substrate though. I have had it for a few months now and my ball hasn't been dehydrated since. I hope this helps
As the other person said, they don't need high humidity. If need be you can get a shoe box or other hide and put some moss in there, keep it damp not wet, and with the heat it will create enough humidity to help with sheds.
Move the water bowl closer to the heat source or mist it more. Ball Pythons don't need very much humidity though. Like 50-60%.
