questions about my ball python aquarium?

Question

I have my baby ball in a 10 gallon tank for the time being and i have been wondering about the humidity level. i have a cheap thermometer and hygromometer or whatever they're called and i've noticed last night that the humidity level shot up to around 70 %. Is this too high for ball pythons and how should i get it down a little to make it better for the little guy.

Also, is it a good idea to get a red or blue light for the day time and a ceramic heat bulb and at night turn the actual light off and put the ceramic light in becuase in my dorm room his cage is dropping to around 70-75 without his basking light and i read that no heat change is desirable for them if it's possible to avoid it. he does have an undertank heater so is this enough or should i find a way to get the heat up during the night?

right now i have repti-barkin his aquarium...actually the humidity is going down right now. last night i tried putting a towl on top of his cage(yeah i know bad idea) to try to keep heat in and the humidity shot up so i took it off and the humidity was still around 70% when i woke up at 6 this morning now it's closer 60% since i've turned on his light. but i still think i'm going to get rid of the white light and go grab a red one here when the pet store opens...thanks for you're help and any future suggestions!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Humidity and temperature can be a tough one as people say different things! I looked at so many websites which all said something slightly different! I had the same trouble and got all my info from the breeder I bought my ball from.

70% humidity is probably the highest you want it to go. I make sure mine is within 50-65% and higher during shedding periods. You can put less water in his water bowl or get a smaller water bowl or try adding a few more ventilation holes above the water bowl to allow the moisture to escape (but not too many as you don't want the temperature going down too much!). Also, what substrate do you use? Wood/bark chips tend to hold moisture so you could try putting in a little less or using newspaper instead or underneath the substrate to absorb water.

It's OK for the tempertaure to go down at night slightly. I use an under tank heating pad which stays on all the time. Sometimes a thermometre in a cage gives a false reading. The way undertank heating pads work is they provide 'belly heat' by warming up the substrate which the snake then lays on and absorbs the heat so it doesn't heat up the overall air temperature so the thermometre might be slightly inaccurate. I don't use a bulb at the moment, the heating pad is enough.

You should be looking at a basking tempertaure of between 82-88. At night between 72-78 is OK.

Good luck, I hope this helps x

Answer 2

http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/

is an excellent page on care/heat/humidity. 60% is about right. The heat mat is good, and a basking light is ok. Just make sure they are on one side of the tank and the other side is cool. Put a hiding place on both ends. It's ok to not have a heat lamp on at night as long as you have an UTH mat on all the time. A cool down period at night is actually good for reptiles. You only want the basking spot to be about 90F, so get a digital probe thermometer to accurately measure. The heat mat temp should be about 82-85F--you may need dimmer switches to adjust mat or bulb temps.

Answer 3

hi there
humidity level between 45 and 60 percent. Humidity levels that are too low promote respiratory stress, while levels that are too high can lead to skin infections. Water bowls often provide sufficient humidity in a glass tank. However humidity levels can be increased by misting the tank occasionally, but are should be taken to avoid over-misting. A hygrometer should be used to measure humidity levels. It is especially important to maintain adequate humidity during shedding periods.
what type of substrate do u have? ...Newspaper and aspen make excellent substrate even though it is not very attractive. It is easy to clean and is excellent to use when acclimating new ball pythons to their enclosure. Aspen shavings are usually an excellent choice if using wood shavings. Do not not use ceder toxic vapors .
If a regular photo period is provided it is recommended to use fluorescent bulbs in order to minimize the extra heat generated by incandescent bulbs. When providing heat, do NOT use hot rocks. Red basking bulbs or ceramic emitters can be used to generate basking spots. Under the tank heating pads can also be used to help raise the ambient temperature of the enclosure.
hope this helps...

Answer 4

I think these other people have answered your heat and humidity questions already.
Ive kept snakes for 32 years now and ive learned that they need day and night also.
Theyre called photoperiods.
Its important to keep The Ball warm and its tank humid at night.
Its also important that its dark.
The ceramic heater is a good idea at night ( along with an under tank heat pad ) because you should be turning out its lights completely.