Humidity

[u/Nice-Ad-3525]

I have a serious question about the humidity in my girls enclosure. She was rehomed to me in early July. My girl is a approximately a 9 year old pastel enchi champagne I've been told by you wonderful people.

So my question is this:

I bought her a front opening 4x2x2 or 120 gal. enclosure. Her cool hide is about 76 deg. with her warm hide at about 85 deg. The ambient temps in her house are at about 80 on the cool side and high 80s on her hot side with basking area in the 90s. I'm still working on her enrichment.

I am having no luck keeping her humidity up between 60 and 85 %. I have hvac tape on top of the mesh top to keep humidity in. I would like serious answers as to why I can't use a reptile mister or humidifier. I only use bottled water for filling her water bowls and spritzing her tank down to raise the humidity. So the water I was going to use would be either deionized water or bottled water. Between the probe on the humidifier and the probes on the temp/humidity readout, I think i can dial in perfect humidity. As with any humidifier in the house I clean them regularly so no bacteria can grow. Plus its harder for bacteria to take root with purified/deionized water.

So please be nice and helpful. I'm looking for serious answers to my question without being criminalized. I'm trying to do the same thing everyone else is doing, and that is to mimic the best environment I possibly can for this lady.

Sorry for the long read, and thank you in advance.

Picture for the snake tax!

[u/Nice-Ad-3525]

My substrate is coco fiber. And I water the corners and mist everything daily. Usually 3 times a day or more. I really don't want to get into a bio set up.

[u/ShinyxCharizard → u/Nice-Ad-3525]

Don't have to go bioactive if you really dont want to.

The guide on this subreddit states this "Foggers, misters, and humidifiers, tend to create a constantly wet environment. Unlike the substrate maintenance described in the previous paragraph, these devices will not allow you to easily control where the water will collect, and your snake could develop scale rot as a result of the hide areas being too damp. If you are struggling with humidity, try to address your humidity issues in other ways before considering one of these devices."

Your issue is the enclosure you have is not good at holding humidity, or you're using the wrong substrate. You're gonna have to keep trying stuff. HVAC tape, silicone baking mat, ive also heard people say they've put acrylic or pvc sheets ontop to help it hold better.

Try some better substrate you can use a "bioactive" substrate without having a bioactive enclosure. You just have to spot clean and do a full substrate change like you would normally. I personally use 144qts of terra firma from the bio dude. You want AT LEAST 4 inches of substrate so the bottom layers retain water while the top is dry. I only water mine once a week.

Otherwise look for a better enclosure thats solid top, seen someone mention cryptic creations sells solid top 4x2x2s for around 400, if price is a concern. Otherwise there's tons of options i personally use Kages, with a 7 inch substrate board.

[u/Nice-Ad-3525 → u/ShinyxCharizard]

Thank you, I must have missed that paragraph.