humidity

[paulsreef]

I keep a large male Ball in a under the bed rubbermaid which is in a rack. The hotspot is 93 degrees, the cool side is 80-85 degrees. The water bowl is on the cool side. Paper towel is the substrate. I have many holes drilled around the entire perimeter of the rubbermaid, the rubbermaid also has two 1/4" recessions along the sides aiding circulation. Now, the Ball loves to travel through his water bowl getting the paper towel wet at the cool end. When he does this, the humidity rises to 78%. His water bowl is 8" in diameter. The humidity in the room is 30%. What do you suggest is the best way to lower the humidity.
Thanks, Paul.

[HetForHuman]

Is he knocking the water bowl over, or is he just getting himself wet? If he is knocking it over, maybe try for a heavier bowl, and if he is just getting himself wet and then cruising after getting the paper towel wet, i would just get a smaller bowl..

[paulsreef]

The bowl is one of those heavy pottery types. He cruises through it, getting the paper towel wet.

[mykee]

The paper towel isn't going to stay wet forever, and won't cause any problems either (other than mold, keep an eye on that) aside from that possible issue, don't worry about it. Wet paper towel is not a concern.

[Spirit]

I agree. You can always drill more airholes if you feel the need. What does the humidity sit at when he doesn't do this?

Edit: And for how long does it stay at 78% (before returning to normal)?

[bloodbeard]

mabey paper towles isnt the best substrate for you then, there are other alternatives that deal with moisture better. how offten is the paper towles changed?

on the subject of humidity, my royal (ball) python bleeds a little from the arse when it sheds, i've been told its fairly common in young royal pythons (she is 6-7 months) and upping the humidity would help. ive already moved the water bowl to the other side of the vivarium but it aint helping much. is there anything other then misting i could do. Or could the bleeding be from another problem posibly

[mykee]

Every ball I have (30+) bleed a little when they shed. They've been doing it for years, and I'm not in the least bit concerned about it. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Bristen]

I keep my room humidity at about 55% - 60% and all my ball pythons shed perfectly without the need for misting (which I may do occasionally anyways, but not required). If the humidity is 78% for short periods of time and is not the constant humidity level, I'm not sure there's anything to worry about. Make sure the animal has a constant supply of water however... if the bowl is being flipped, then another bowl may be required as there may not be water in the bowl when the animals needs it.

Bristen.

[paulsreef]

I'm thinking that if he is hanging around the water bowl frequently at the cool end, then maybe I should drop the temp. down a few degrees. It's around 93 at the warm end; I'll try 90 and see what happens. I want to get this all straightened out before my pastel arrives.
paul.

[mykee]

There really is nothing to "straighten out". Snakes WILL climb through their water bowls on occasion, there is absolutely nothing you can do about that, and lowering the temps isn;t going to solve your problems, it might even create a few more.

[paulsreef]

When he spreads his water around the humidity stays in the 70% level or higher for the entire day. It feels like a sauna. Is that acceptable? I went ahead and drilled more holes anyways. What are your humidity levels at ? Mykee, he's not going through his water bowl on occassion, he is spending the majority of his time cruising around the water bowl; therefore I concluded that it's too warm for him at the other end. I was going to lower it to 90 from 93. Would that create more problems?