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Waterspots in the viv

ShelbyScott

ShelbyScott

Owned by Paisley
So every time I go to clean my viv, there are terrible waterspots on the walls from where I have to mist the tank. They are VERY resistant to cleaning. I feel like I've tried everything. Does anyone know of any "tricks" to removing the waterspots? Thanks!
 
I use distilled water for misting my crested gecko and never get spots. You should try that! Or just boil the water first.
 
You'll need to remove your snake from the tank. Then vinegar should soften the deposits so they can be scrubbed off or scrapped off with a razor.

Mari is correct, steam distilled water from the grocery store will not leave mineral deposits.
 
Why are you having to mist the tank? I am down in Phoenix and it is rarely too dry to have to raise the humidity, but if you have to I would just place a very damp dishtowel over the top of the tank (providing you have a mesh lid). Misting can cause mold to grow on your substrate, so unless totally necessary I wouldn't mist.
 
I cleaned the tank yesterday. I tried using vinegar. It got about a third of the spots off. The rest are extremely stubborn and I didn't have access to a razor blade. I will definitely be buying some distilled water in the future. My tank has a screen top and it becomes bone dry fairly quickly so I have to mist several times a day to keep ANY humidity in there. Plus, Paisley was shedding a few days ago, so I was spraying even more for her.
 
I have a screen top & I usually put a wet paper towel on top of the tank and then keep 1 or 2 moist hides during shedding periods, and I've had perfect sheds every time. How dry are we talking? o:
 
I'm talking 0% humidity. Ugh. If I sprayed the viv at 10 in the morning, there's 0% humidity by 4 o'clock at night.
 
That's crazy! Are you sure your humidity gauge is functioning right? I mean, I live in south FL so sometimes I have to... dehumidify, but 0 is crazy. o_o
 
Yeah, to have 0% is not at all normal. Especially in the midwest you have to have SOME humidity, as I said, even here in the desert I am at about 30%, plus your water bowl will give off some humidity, so something isn't right. Try the wet towel approach, that will ensure the substrate stays dry, and I would get a new gauge. Misting several times a day is way too much.

Are you having bad sheds? Is that the reason for the misting? Like Mari said, at shedding time make a moist hide or two with sphagnum moss to help with the sheds. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about the humidity, only if the sheds are bad.

Another idea, if it really is that dry and you are still worried, get an inexpensive humidifier from Walmart. That will help raise the humidity in the whole room including the viv, and you won't have to mist.
 
I don't think any climate for a corn snake would require misting several times a day. I don't even mist my ball pythons that often. It seems nearly impossible for you to be at 0% humidity, especially with a water bowl. I don't use humidity gauges with my corn snakes, but if where you live is extremely dry, you should invest in a quality one. Good hygrometers are hard to find and can be expensive, though.
 
So far Paisley has shed twice, and they were both perfect. I kept the humidity up the whole time she was blue. I will definitely try the wet towel and moist hides!
 
I found a great hygrometer/thermometer combo for about 30$ and its amazing.. its made by Temp minder and it reads my humidity and the ambiant air temp of my room.

so not ALL good hygrometers are exspensive. ;)
 
What brand is your hygrometer?
If it's reptile-specific, like zoo-med or exoterra, chuck it. Those things are crap(I had an exoterra digital probe thermo/hygro and it was off by 50%)

I suggest going to walmart and spending $12 on this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/896347

I've never had a problem with accurite products.


I live in the dessert and have never needed to do any spraying for my corn, don't even have a hygrometer in there.
I have my gopher snake in a 29gal with plastic wrap over 60% of the top and the humidity is a consistent 45%. You could try that, along with a larger water bowl(I have a small cat bowl)
 
Digital hygrometer. But, hygrometer that's not digital, there is a way to set them proper. Take a damp cloth. Wrap it around And leave for six hours. Take the cloth off. Humidity should read 95 percent. If not, your should have access to a dial in the back somewhere to set it.
 
Kat_Dog I'll be going to Walmart soon! The one I have now is Zilla. I've had A LOT of problems with their lighting domes, so I wouldn't be surprised if the brand was the problem.
 
I'd be willing to be it's a problem with your hydrometer, but also, cypress mulch is a substrate that I prefer, and it holds humidity better than most others. Good luck.
 
the brand I use is Temp Minder, it's not designed for reptiles but for home use or indoor gardening

cost me 12-15$ can't remember right now and it works like a charm.
I just have mine set on top of one of my tanks, and it tells me my ambiant air temp aswell as humidity,
in the tanks I have a digital probe thermometer in each, and I use a infrared laser gun. so I can actually get the surface temps of the snakes them selves. :)

a little pricey but tottaly worth it!
 
Mari and Alicia P! You two are pure genius! I SOAKED the back wall of my viv (the wall that had a THICK layer of waterspots) with distilled white vinegar, and they have disappeared! I can't even explain how excited I am about it. I thought it was permanent! Now I am using distilled water to mist. No more waterspots for me! :)
 
Instead of misting so frequently you should let your corn snake shed at your house humidity (which should be the same as in the tank really, so I doubt it is 0% because you would feel it). If he sheds fine then you don't need to worry about humidity.

Cheap hygrometers are notoriously inaccurate, I wouldn't put much faith in them. Odds are, if you feel comfortable your snake feels comfortable. Assuming you are not using a heat lamp...

Just keep in mind that if the hygrometer isn't working properly, and you are misting frequently increasing humidity too high for the snake that this can lead to respiratory issues.
 
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