A ball python enclosure ideal humidity level is 50-60%. At this level, ball python’s thrive and even prefer it according to studies done by animal behavior scientists on python species.1
There are some enclosures that hold humidity well, like tubs in a snake rack. Other enclosures that display your snake nicely, like an aquarium tank, are usually harder to keep humid when it’s not filled with water.
Aquarium tanks, especially top opening tanks, release humidity quickly even with high-humidity-holding substrate.
Why is humidity and temperature important for ball pythons?
Humidity is important to keep at the ideal levels for a ball python to avoid bad sheds, prevent respiratory infections, and comfort reasons. 50%-60% humidity works best to keep a ball python happy.
The ambient temperature for ball pythons should be about 75°-85°F and never go below 70.
Like all cold-blooded creatures, ball pythons rely on their environment to regulate their metabolism, so their enclosure temperatures are important.
Ball python temperatures and humidity are important individually and together they create the perfect environment for a ball python to stay healthy.
Humidity and temperatures are especially important for ball python breeding. A study done on pythons proved that snakes will choose the space with the most ideal temperature and humidity since “these variables influence python egg-brooding behaviour and are strongly associated with offspring fitness”
Humidity is too high, what should I do?
Low humidity is bad for a ball python so why not keep it high all the time, right?
Wrong.
If it stays too high(above 75% consistently) you have the perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria, and the chance of respiratory issues increases greatly.
When humidity is high and you can’t get it to go down you can use a dehumidifier. What this does is remove moisture in the air so that humidity decreases in a room.
The machine is normally used to get rid of or prevent mold and mildew, but it works just the same to maintain a ball python’s enclosure. Just put the dehumidifier next to or in the same room as your ball python and it will help keep humidity down.
It’s normal for humidity to be high after misting the enclosure and slowly go down as the water evaporates.
A dehumidifier is not usually necessary since humidity normally goes down itself as the area dries out, but in certain climates it can be useful.
Humidity is too low and doesn’t stay steady, what should I do?
Low humidity is a more common issue with reptile keepers.
Of course, misting every day is something you can do to bump humidity up, but it can get tedious especially if your animal is sensitive to moisture.
Luckily for us, ball pythons are resilient.
Low humidity in a ball python’s enclosure will cause bad sheds and health issues.
There are many ways you can increase humidity for an enclosure, one is a humidifier.
A humidifier is a great option to increase humidity but it does take up space and if you have other pets or children, having a humidifier running can be dangerous since most create hot vapor.
A simpler way to increase humidity is with a humidity box.
A humidity box is a box you put in the enclosure that holds moisture so your ball python has the choice to go in it if it needs to.
A better looking option that some people use is a fog mister.
I’ve seen these used mostly for rainforest species, but If you use it in moderation only when needed then it looks so cool to have fog in your ball python’s enclosure.
How to make a simple humidity box
A humidity box can be made easily with a storage container or tupperware with a hole cut in the lid.
The hole in the lid should be large enough for your ball python to get in and out.
Unlike a water bowl you won’t need to fill the container with water.
Instead, put wet sphagnum moss or paper towels in it to hold moisture.
Even if your reader doesn’t show that humidity stays at the ideal range of 50-60% in the tank, your ball python has a place to go when it’s time to shed or they feel like they need it.
Best humidity to incubate ball python eggs
Ball pythons incubate their eggs in the wild from laying to hatching.
Even though your ball python can incubate its eggs itself, an incubator is highly recommended and used by all ball python breeders.
The humidity for incubating eggs should be 100% for the best chance at the eggs survival.
For details on how to incubate ball python eggs click the link below.
Conclusion
Ball python humidity is an important part of ball python husbandry. Keeping it at 50%-60% humidity is ideal to keep them thriving.
Issues that can happen from too high or too low of humidity include respiratory infections, bad sheds, mold.
Humidity can easily be fixed with humidifiers or foggers.
Resources
- Z.R. Stahlschmidt, J. Brashears, D.F. DeNardo, The role of temperature and humidity in python nest site selection,
Animal Behaviour, Volume 81, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 1077-1081, ISSN 0003-3472,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.02.024.
