# Help with humidity please



## Arlene (Apr 22, 2010)

Ok I need help cause I'm fighting a losing battle here.. I have a 3foot wooden vivarium hot end is 84.2 cold end is around 77 with a middle of around 80.5 .. all seems OK to me. The top of her hide which is directly under the che sometimes get to 95. But I keep an eye on this with a temp gun. However, I cannot get her humidity up. Right now it is sitting at 51% .. if I mist the viv it goes up to about 65% for a short period.. yesterday I stripped it, replaced her flooring with forest floor, soaked it added it, then put some repti bark on top, I have added wet live spagnum moss and a huge bowl of water. She is trying to shed and looks so dry. Today I will give her a humid box Spa.. but this isn't going to help me keep the humidity up.. what is going on? 😪 Here is a pic of her set up, I know the humidity is reading 41 it was only cause I had opened the viv, it will go back to 45% x


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

Well, first, humidity depends on what climate you live in, and the humidity of your house. If you want to try to improve humidity more, try putting live plants in the tank (I know your snake will trample them, so try putting them somewhere that the snake can’t get them)


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Somebody said:


> Well, first, humidity depends on what climate you live in, and the humidity of your house. If you want to try to improve humidity more, try putting live plants in the tank (I know your snake will trample them, so try putting them somewhere that the snake can’t get them)


Do you keep snakes?


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## Jibbajabba (Jan 31, 2011)

Somebody said:


> Well, first, humidity depends on what climate you live in, and the humidity of your house. If you want to try to improve humidity more, try putting live plants in the tank (I know your snake will trample them, so try putting them somewhere that the snake can’t get them)


Err what ? 



Arlene said:


> Ok I need help cause I'm fighting a losing battle here.. I have a 3foot wooden vivarium hot end is 84.2 cold end is around 77 with a middle of around 80.5 .. all seems OK to me. The top of her hide which is directly under the che sometimes get to 95. But I keep an eye on this with a temp gun. However, I cannot get her humidity up. Right now it is sitting at 51% .. if I mist the viv it goes up to about 65% for a short period.. yesterday I stripped it, replaced her flooring with forest floor, soaked it added it, then put some repti bark on top, I have added wet live spagnum moss and a huge bowl of water. She is trying to shed and looks so dry. Today I will give her a humid box Spa.. but this isn't going to help me keep the humidity up.. what is going on? 😪 Here is a pic of her set up, I know the humidity is reading 41 it was only cause I had opened the viv, it will go back to 45% x


You can boost it a bit by putting the water under the hot side to encourage evaporating. What snake is it anyway ?


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## Arlene (Apr 22, 2010)

I think the room is around 42% . I have added tubs of water on top of the radiator to try and lift this.

































































































































































































































































Jibbajabba said:


> Err what ?
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Sorry

















Jibbajabba said:


> Err what ?
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> 
> 
> ...





Jibbajabba said:


> Err what ?
> 
> 
> 
> You can boost it a bit by putting the water under the hot side to encourage evaporating. What snake is it anyway ?


Hi, I have a huge water bowl filled with water right under the che.. if you look at the pic it's the Halloween bowl. Sorry should have stated its a ball


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## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

How many vents are there?
I ended up covering 2 of the 4 in my viv, but mine is a big viv. 
I have a water bowl at both ends, branches and a paving slab, bricks and slate, plus fake plants. Once a day spray is keeping it in the 50's.
I also provide a large, damp moss box and my Royal decided to stay in it during its recent shed (first since movinginto the bigger viv). The moss box is always in the viv.
Central heating can dry the air in houses. A wet towel on the radiator can help.


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## LiasisUK (Sep 30, 2019)

Humidity of 40 to 60% is fine for Royals. 

Adding a humid hide will be enough. I wouldn't worry.


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

Shellsfeathers&fur said:


> Do you keep snakes?


No, but I know a lot about them and I’ve seen a lot of people keeping snakes


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Somebody said:


> No, but I know a lot about them and I’ve seen a lot of people keeping snakes


If you don't have first hand personal experience then please STOP trying to give advice!! You are extremely new, have asked advice on why the anole you have had for one day isn't active, yet have been posting husbandry "advice" all over the place.
Use this forum to expand your own knowledge. And get some actual first hand experience before trying to tell others how to keep their animals.


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

ian14 said:


> If you don't have first hand personal experience then please STOP trying to give advice!! You are extremely new, have asked advice on why the anole you have had for one day isn't active, yet have been posting husbandry "advice" all over the place.
> Use this forum to expand your own knowledge. And get some actual first hand experience before trying to tell others how to keep their animals.


I’m not telling them how to keep their snake, I’m telling them how to improve humidity, I have experience and knowledge about how to keep humidity up, since I keep tropical species. I do have experience keeping lizards and I have researched a lot of things, I wouldn‘t be giving advice if I didn’t have any experience. I’ve been keeping reptiles way before I joined the forum, too.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Somebody said:


> I’m not telling them how to keep their snake, I’m telling them how to improve humidity, I have experience and knowledge about how to keep humidity up, since I keep tropical species. I do have experience keeping lizards and I have researched a lot of things, I wouldn‘t be giving advice if I didn’t have any experience. I’ve been keeping reptiles way before I joined the forum, too.


You've openly stated you have never kept snakes so you are in no position to tell an actual keeper how to keep their snake!! I'm also very dubious as to your experience with lizards as your opening post on this forum is asking for help with an anole you've had for one day as it hadn't moved. Hardly the question a experienced lizard keeper would be asking!!


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

OMG we have the blind leading the blind now..... @Somebody You've stated you have no experience of keeping snakes, in particular Royals. So please reframe from advising people, especially new keepers when you lack first hand experience. Turning a setup into even a semi-naturalistic one using living plants is not the answer !

@Arlene the first thing that I noticed is you state the hot spot is 84F which is 28C That's too low for a Royal. You need a hot spot of around 32-33c. Cool side doesn't matter as the snake will thermoregulate. It looks like you have a Coconut husk substrate, so misting this lightly would increase humidity, and it will retain the moisture. You don't mention the heating method. Whilst you can use heat mats, a warm air environment is preferable. Have a read of the sticky posts at the top of the snake section for some guidance. However 50-60% humidity is fine for a Royal. The only times this should be increased by misting with warm water is when the snake is coming out of the blue phase of a shedding cycle.

One thing is important.... stop fretting of the numbers. Royals are quite hardy. They can take drops in temperatures and fluctuating humidity. If you're house is centrally heated then the ambient humidity will also be dry, so naturally this will also affect the humidity in the enclosure to a degree. Provided the snake has access to a 32ish C hotspot large enough so it can warm its body, and Humidity is not really arid or like a true rainforest then your Royal will be fine


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Somebody said:


> No, but I know a lot about them and I’ve seen a lot of people keeping snakes


I've seen a lot of people fly aeroplanes, that doesn't mean I am in a position to tell someone else how to fly !


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

Malc said:


> OMG we have the blind leading the blind now..... @Somebody You've stated you have no experience of keeping snakes, in particular Royals. So please reframe from advising people, especially new keepers when you lack first hand experience. Turning a setup into even a semi-naturalistic one using living plants is not the answer !
> 
> @Arlene the first thing that I noticed is you state the hot spot is 84F which is 28C That's too low for a Royal. You need a hot spot of around 32-33c. Cool side doesn't matter as the snake will thermoregulate. It looks like you have a Coconut husk substrate, so misting this lightly would increase humidity, and it will retain the moisture. You don't mention the heating method. Whilst you can use heat mats, a warm air environment is preferable. Have a read of the sticky posts at the top of the snake section for some guidance. However 50-60% humidity is fine for a Royal. The only times this should be increased by misting with warm water is when the snake is coming out of the blue phase of a shedding cycle.
> 
> One thing is important.... stop fretting of the numbers. Royals are quite hardy. They can take drops in temperatures and fluctuating humidity. If you're house is centrally heated then the ambient humidity will also be dry, so naturally this will also affect the humidity in the enclosure to a degree. Provided the snake has access to a 32ish C hotspot large enough so it can warm its body, and Humidity is not really arid or like a true rainforest then your Royal will be fine


Live plants help with humidity


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

Malc said:


> I've seen a lot of people fly aeroplanes, that doesn't mean I am in a position to tell someone else how to fly !


What I meant is I’ve seen a lot of people explaining how you keep snakes, I do research on all kinds of reptiles.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Somebody said:


> Live plants help with humidity


No, they don't. Incorrectly used they can lead to mould, excessively high humidity, and many plants can also be toxic.
Please, stop trying to act like the oracle of herpetology when you had to ask for help on an anole you've had for a day.


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## Somebody (1 mo ago)

ian14 said:


> No, they don't. Incorrectly used they can lead to mould, excessively high humidity, and many plants can also be toxic.
> Please, stop trying to act like the oracle of herpetology when you had to ask for help on an anole you've had for a day.


I am not the oracle of herpetology, I’ve had experience with anoles for way longer than that, and I’m not telling them to make their tank a jungle, I’m just saying to add a plant or two, and if they have proper ventilation then the plants won’t get moldy


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## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

Love to see how long a live plant lasted in a Royal's viv. Even fake ones get trashed. My Royal has managed to pull all the ones that were stuck with safe glue off the walls of the viv. 
More branches, hides and safe rocks work well.


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## LiasisUK (Sep 30, 2019)

Stick to asking questions, not answering them. Plenty more to learn before you can give out answers, the first lesson being that keeping an anole is nothing like keeping a Royal Python.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Somebody said:


> What I meant is I’ve seen a lot of people explaining how you keep snakes, I do research on all kinds of reptiles.


But repeating incorrect information what based on what you heard someone else say, who may also have no clue on husbandry of a particular snake is not conducive.


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## Spades (3 mo ago)

Humidity is often a game of trial and error. I've found that a layer of coco fibre topped with husk is a good mix, but it does depend. Deeper substrate = slower release which keeps humidity up for longer. Make it as deep as you can with a humid substrate. ReptiBark is fine, but I haven't found it to be the best. It's normal to have to rehydrate the substrate regularly however, so don't be concerned about having to pour in a cup of water and mix it around every few days, especially in smaller vivariums (I've actually found it easier to maintain humidity in larger vivariums, where the substrate barrier is higher so you can create deeper substrate).

Is the viv sealed? If not, you're probably leaking humidity from the joints. You can also try partially covering a vent, but make sure you still have adequate airflow or it'll promote mould.

50% humidity on its own isn't likely to cause issues, but higher humidity can be a good thing if managed properly. Adding a humid hide is a good temporary solution to ensure the snake can shed properly.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

I must admit I find it strange that we judge a snake health on how well it sheds, with the "logic" that if the shed is in bits rather than whole then there is a problem. Whilst it's very common for most species to shed a complete skin in one piece, Boa's and pythons often, due to the smaller scales, shed it bits as the skin has more points of weakness between scales that there is a higher chance of it splitting between scales. I've seen several wildlife programs where even in tropical rainforest conditions a snake featured had bits of stuck shed, or in the process of shedding it came off in bits, even though humidity was probably 90% or more. On most occasions any stick shed will come off over time or when the snake sheds next cycle. 

I still feel we get too hung up on the numbers. People panic if the hot spot for a Royal is a degree below or above this magical 32c point. They fret of a drop in humidity, which is a natural occurrence as in the wild no two days are exactly identical. Sometimes having too dry an environment can be more detrimental and snake is just as likely to develop an RI in a dry dusty environment as they would in one that was too wet or humid. (And yes I'm speaking from experience).

For any environment there is a three way balance between ventilation, insulation and temperature. If you change one it can affect the others, and even if you get the balance right one day it will be affected by external environment conditions causing a change. Conditions outside are 12.4c and 70% relative humidity. I've had the house shut down for the past 24 hours (ie no windows or doors open) and its 19C and 73% humidity in the lounge. Humidity in my Royals vivs are within a percentage of this, ie between the outdoor and indoor values. On a wet day the values in the vivs change without any intervention, because the external values influences them. The humidity in the Boa's viv that uses a high value CHE is a few percentage lower than that of the lounge where the viv is located, but not to the point where I need to introduce misting or other ways to increase humidity.

Also, like us, the snakes are all individuals. I have a couple of Royals that will happily sit on the hot side for 22hours even if that is 33c or 35c, whilst others actively thermoregulate, or prefer the cool side. Under these examples those new to the hobby will think that there is something wrong when in reality it's just the behaviour of the individual snake who hasn't read the care sheet or text book that states a Royal will thermoregulate at 32c.


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