humidity

urd · 02-01-04, 09:47 AM

ihi all, i have a new common boa and as it is the first boid i have kept i was wondering at what humidity level i should keep it at. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated, Thanx

Big_V · 02-01-04, 11:03 AM

I believe it shoud be kept around 60-65% humidity if my memory serves me right.

urd · 02-01-04, 11:19 AM

thanx

Invictus · 02-01-04, 01:57 PM

Boa Constrictors do not require ambient humidity above normal room levels in order to thrive in captivity. It's a good idea to increase humidity during shed time, but other than that, they will do just fine without humidity. Their native habitat ranges from bone dry to rainforest, so putting any effort into raising the humidity, although the can live with it, is a waste of time in my opinion.

JDouglas · 02-02-04, 09:38 AM

Invictus,
I somewhat disagree. The humidity in my room is only 20% during winter so I have to provide large water bowls and sometimes daily misitng to provide 60-70% humidity in my enclosures. I realize you did say "normal room humidity" but 20% is normal for winter time is Iowa. What's humidity like for you in winter?

Derrick · 02-02-04, 09:59 AM

JDouglas its exactly the same here in alberta where me and Invictus are. I find with a large(surface area) water dishin my enclosures I can get about 55%.

for shedding I put a margerine container filled with water and holes in the lid on the hot side. I use the lid so I dont have to worrie about bacteria build up and the snake getting into it.

Invictus · 02-02-04, 02:07 PM

The humidity in my herp room is usually around the 20% mark, and all of the boas in it are fine. They do have large water dishes, so it's possible that the humidity is higher within their enclosures, but as I said, in their native habitat, they are sometimes found in bone dry areas of Colombia, where they do quite well without humidity.

JimmyDavid · 02-02-04, 02:33 PM

I guess it depends on the place you have your snake. Here in Portugal humidity is high all the time, so i never have to care much for it. All boas i've had did great.
All in all, nobody really knows just how important humidity is for a snake (the snakes don't tell us). Good heating, plenty of exercise and food - stick to those.

snakey · 02-02-04, 09:51 PM

I try not to let the humidity drop below 60%. I have a guage in every cage. I have a big plastic tub wich holds about 5 U.S. gallons and a surface area of about 2 square feet in her cage, and a humidifier in the room wich runs non stop this thime of year. Before I did these two things I had shedding problems. Durring the last couple of days before shed ,[when the eyes go back to clear], I spray her and her cage with water. I'd say youre true guage of what humidity should be inside the cage is how easy and complete the shed is. In other words, if the skin comes off with no tears,or rips, and it all comes off in one peice like abig condom, youve got it right. But don't make the mistake of keeping it super high all the time as this will cause mold and bacterial build up in the cage and is not good.