do snakes need a moist hide?

[hoppy]

i have been researching snakes for well over 2 months now because when I get my first I want to do everything right. I have been reading books and care sheets and have not found a answer to this one question. do snakes need a moist hide? maybe someone on here can tell me. thanks

 

[Endeavour]

Depends on the type of snake, what snake do you have in mind?.

Kindest regards

Endeavour

 

[bdav70]

as far as i'm aware, no. Most times i've seen snakes needing humidity in their hides it's been north american snakes (for some reason) so i'd think it would be species dependent. what type of snake do you have/plan to keep?

 

[hoppy]

Im going to keep a spotted python

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do I need moist hide for that?

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anyway will putting a moist hide in for when shedding hurt my snake.

 

[Lawra]

anyway will putting a moist hide in for when shedding hurt my snake.

Huh? Typo or...?

 

[ronhalling]

Hoppy, short answer no, you are more likely to give your spotty a respiratry infection from a moist hide, they are a desert dwelling snake so any moisture they need they will get from their water bowl. I keep 2 spotties and they shed perfect in 1 peice every time with an ordinary setup I.E tile under hide, substrate throughout the rest of the enclosure and a good size water bowl, it is good to include a couple of peices of sandstone or something like it so your spotty will have something to rub against to start its shed ....................................Ron

 

[Bonustokin]

Well said Ron. They're a coastal species though mate

 

[andynic07]

Well said Ron. They're a coastal species though mate

???

 

[Bonustokin]

Just correcting Ron on the "they are a desert dwelling snake" comment

 

[andynic07]

Just correcting Ron on the "they are a desert dwelling snake" comment

Ah now I get it, I thought you were saying they were coastals.

 

[Bluetongue1]

There are three really important factors when it comes to keeping snakes properly hydrated...

• Fresh water
• Ventilation
• Physical attributes of the hide

• Firstly, snakes will seldom drink water that has stood for more than a day or so. Therefore, the water bowel should be emptied, lightly cleaned and refilled at least every second day.
• Enclosures that have excessive ventilation lose humidity and heat excessively quickly. This is readily rectified by reducing the size of the vents by covering a portion there of.
• Hides should mimic the refuges that snakes utilise in nature. They should be close fitting such that the animal can be in contact with the ceiling and the sides at the sametime. The entry hole should be of some length and narrow. This allows the snake to effectively seal off the entrance to potential intruders. Given that every breath out is 100% humid, this then allows that humidity to be trapped within the refuge so that the air breathed in is highly humid. This significantly reduces the loss of humidity that takes place in more open circumstances.

Bottom line... ensure that your snake has the opportunity to be well hydrated and that its environment allows it to remain so, and you will not need to provide abnormal sources of moisture which may well create problems rather than solve them.

Blue

 

[Pythoninfinite]

The need for humidity in general is greatly exaggerated by some texts and advisors, and it seems to be a source of far more anxiety than is necessary for keepers, especially on APS. The number of threads relating to humidity on here far, far outweighs its importance as a husbandry issue. For the most part, people in most parts of Australia do not need to take extra steps to modify the humidity in a snake enclosure. There are a couple of exceptions to this general rule, but for Carpets, Antaresias, water pythons, olives and all of the snakes from the larger part of the country do not need extra humidity. Those from the wet tropics may need some extra humidity from time to time, but even then the need is often exaggerated and a cause of great anxiety.

I don't know where this stuff comes from - is it pet shops loading their sales with unneccessary junk propagating this myth?

Jamie

 

[hoppy]

thanks everyone.

 

[ronhalling]

Well said Ron. They're a coastal species though mate

Sorry guys i don't beleive i said that (i will fall on my sword and blame my heart meds lol) and thank you Bonustokin for correcting me as i usually pride myself in only printing what i know to be truthfull. damn i own 2 of them and still i wrote that ...............................................Ron

 

[andynic07]

Sorry guys i don't beleive i said that (i will fall on my sword and blame my heart meds lol) and thank you Bonustokin for correcting me as i usually pride myself in only printing what i know to be truthfull. damn i own 2 of them and still i wrote that ...............................................Ron

I hope you feel bad about your mistake Ron. lol. I am sure you have a lot on your mind at the moment mate and I think we can forgive this mistake.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Bluetongue1]

Ron, I would say you just had a momentary confusion with Stimson’s and were more focussed on trying to sort out someone’s problem than anything else. Personally I am rather amazed that you are on here trying to help others, given your nightmare health issues of the past fortnight.

I think the example of Stimson’s Pythons brings home the points Jamie made. The same husbandry is appropriate for both species, despite their contrasting natural distributions. With appropriate husbandry a snake can regulate its water intake and its water loss to ensure it is properly hydrated, despite fluctuations in ambient humidity. It is when you expose snakes to excessive humidity over an extended period that they develop health issues. They know how to cope with mother nature’s vagaries and will do likewise in captivity if not forced..

Blue

 

[Snake-Supplies]

**delete**

 

[TrueBlue]

Bluetongue1,
I dont agree with the ventilation comment much. All my enclosures have peg-board for the back which gives alot of ventilation, and every thing thrives and are always well hydrated.
Sure the enclosures lose heat easier than ones with those silly small vents, but to me thats a good thing. The larger the temp gradient you can give your snakes the better.

 

[andynic07]

Bluetongue1,
I dont agree with the ventilation comment much. All my enclosures have peg-board for the back which gives alot of ventilation, and every thing thrives and are always well hydrated.
Sure the enclosures lose heat easier than ones with those silly small vents, but to me thats a good thing. The larger the temp gradient you can give your snakes the better.

I think it is ventilation that can contribute to dehydration but with your pegboard set up you get the effect of cool dry air coming in one end and heating up drawing the moisture out of the enclosure and leaving via the vent at the other end. I also think that you would probably need a combination of more than one of these things to cause a bad shed or in combination with another trigger like stress.

 

[Lawra]

Bluetongue1,
I dont agree with the ventilation comment much. All my enclosures have peg-board for the back which gives alot of ventilation, and every thing thrives and are always well hydrated.
Sure the enclosures lose heat easier than ones with those silly small vents, but to me thats a good thing. The larger the temp gradient you can give your snakes the better.

I think the determining factor is the size of the vents. The peg board works well compared to one square open vent (which I have and it's crap)