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I have an idea for raising the humidity

C

corsara

New member
My corn has been with us for a month and a half already, she's doing fine, eating regularly, etc. Seems healthy, lively, poops on time, all good with her! However, she hasn't shed yet for this month and a half. I was just playing with her, and although we haven't noticed cloudy eyes yet, her colors seem to have faded quite a bit.

Which brings me to the point: it's winter here and the humidity is really low. It's about 25% in her viv, and I struggle very hard misting with a spray bottle almost every day and putting paper towels on top of the mesh screen. Although this brings the humidity up to about 40%, it's for a very short time.

I should probably leave an extra water bow on the hot side to get some more water to evaporate, but how about this:

If I puncture a spring water bottle, like make multiple tiny holes in the upper part, and leave the bottle on the warm side, is this going to work? Kinda like a whole bottle can probably last more than a few days without refilling? What do you think?
 
I would think an extra water bowl on the warm side would be much more effective than the spring water bottle idea, but you could try it. I just wet a towel with warm water, wring it out, and lay it over most of the screen top. Brings the humidity up to like 80%.
 
Teatime said:
I would think an extra water bowl on the warm side would be much more effective than the spring water bottle idea, but you could try it. I just wet a towel with warm water, wring it out, and lay it over most of the screen top. Brings the humidity up to like 80%.
Click to expand...

I like your towel idea very much!!!
 
Yeah, letting water pool up in an enclosure with no drain is never a good idea. Damp sphagnum, even the towel, etc. can do the job in a pinch. You usually won't have shedding problems with a decent sized water bowl.
 
"putting paper towels on top of the mesh screen" I assume you mean damp towels, not dry, correct?

Since it doesn't last long try a regular dish towel that is wet and wrung out, that should last longer than paper towels.

Great idea!
 
I'd personally avoid the chance of any spilled water on the hot side of your viv. If it pools on the glass right above the UTH it can cause some problems.
 
You could buy a Habba-Mist. Automatic misting machine. I have one and have used it from time to time but it is very bulky and takes up alot of room in the viv.
 
Surely your corn's enclosure isn't so dry as to need a mister or fogger?
 
What IS the optimal humidity in a viv? I am doing the wet cloth towel thing but even folded over it is totally dry within 24 hours. The towel brings the humidity to 80% but when it dries it is 20%.

We live in Phoenix and even with all the rain we have gotten in the last week it is still dry inside. We have big humidifiers but even those can't keep up.
 
smigon said:
What IS the optimal humidity in a viv?
Click to expand...

Great question! How often does a 1.5yr old corn shed, on average? We've had our '11 corn that hasn't shed since we've had her also ( About a month). I figured I didn't have to worry about humidity? She has a huge water bowl, but the air is definitely dry. Should I be putting a damp cloth over her screen ASAP?
 
They only need humidity for the week or so that they're in shed. You'll know if you see them get dull and their eyes turn blue. After that they clear up and a few days to a week later, you'll find their shed skin (or see them shed in person if you're lucky!)
 
yeah I second the moist Spagnum moss, the first shed that my snake had was a bad shed (tail cap still attached, and it was torn in half sadly :() I got his tail cap off and he was fine though. :)
but for his 2nd shed I went out and got him some Sphagnum moss, and a plastic bowle with a lid, total was 13 dollars for both things; very cheap! :eek: - I cut a small door into it and poked an air hole in the top, moistened the moss added it and closed the lid.

and when I added it to his RUB he istanly came over, smelt it, stuck his head in and out once for good mesure and then crawled right in and made himself at home:eek: and his next shed was full, with tail cap and all! :D

he loves his moss hide, although I only use it when he's about to shed.
-but it does work wornders!

I hope this helps!
 
Great, thank you! I'll look into the moss hide. But I'm still curious how often I should expect a shed at this age? Every week I expect to see her in blue, but going on a month now and 3 successful meals, and there's still no sign. Should I put a moss hide in her viv to give her a head start or is this unnecessary?
 
80% humidity is way to high for a corn it should be 20-40% max because they aren't a tropical species. The humidity in our home hovers between 30-40 on its own and we have yet to have any shed problems.
 
yojoe05 said:
80% humidity is way to high for a corn it should be 20-40% max because they aren't a tropical species. The humidity in our home hovers between 30-40 on its own and we have yet to have any shed problems.
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, I like to see up around 40-50% relative humidity or so to ensure no shedding issues. Florida and many other states that corns are indigenous to are rarely exposed to 20-30% unless it is winter time with cold fronts influencing the weather. Or of course the air is being heated artificially in the building making it excessively dry. If I had 20% or so humidity where I am in Florida probably everything I have in my entire collection would start having shedding issues.

In any case though, snakes will naturally seek forms of soil/leaf litter environments to help conserve body moisture rather than choose to be in 20%-30% most of the time if they had a choice. But of course this can change depending on what they are doing at any given time too. I'm sure they wouldn't want to stay for any prolonged periods in 20-30% if they could choose higher humidity.


cheers, ~Doug
 
Teatime said:
I would think an extra water bowl on the warm side would be much more effective than the spring water bottle idea, but you could try it. I just wet a towel with warm water, wring it out, and lay it over most of the screen top. Brings the humidity up to like 80%.
Click to expand...

That makes my lids rust :'(. For Rosco the finicky BP, I'm stuck with filling his hide with damp moss as soon as he clears. I wish there were an easier way. Still works for me though
 
I have 2 baby corns and I track eating (when, size of feeder, if offered food and didn't eat), as well as when they shed. They are 7 and 9 months old, and they shed reliably every 4-6 weeks. I was also having difficulty keeping the humidity up enough, even with frequent misting. The Reptifogger worked well for about a month before it died. Jasper (anery) seemed less bothered by the low humidity than Bella (normal motley). She seemed miserable before a shed and spent most of the time in her water dish. I tried a hide with spaghum moss, but as far as I could tell, she only went in it once.

Then I switched the substrate from aspen bedding to ZooMed Eco Earth. It holds moisture much better than aspen. It still gets dry (humidity below 20%) if I don't mist; however, I need to mist MUCH less often. She also seems much more comfortable and I haven't seen her in her water dish since.

I house them separately, and switched both vivs to the Eco Earth. They also seem to really enjoy burrowing in it.

Casey
 
So because our air here is incredibly dry, especially with our gas fireplace going...I'm worried about humidity in our corn's viv. I've done the moist cloths over the screen for the past few days, but is this necessary? She's approx. 65grams, we've had her a month and she has mowed down rat pinkies once a week. I expected her to at least be in blue by now. I dont spray the viv because I thought moisture retention was a no no, but now I'm completely lost. Do I need to bring up the humidity to kickstart her shed cycle?
I really like the idea of the Eco Earth. I love the natural look, but I also like the idea it may benefit drier climates? Any advise is greatly appreciated!
 
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