Spotted Pythons occur naturally in open forest, woodland and rocky areas. These habitats lack the moist understorey of closed forests and rainforest. So the recommended humidity level for spotteds is usually quoted at around 50% to 60%. They can probably be kept at up to 70% so as long as there is adequate airflow to prevent pockets of stale moist warm air forming.
In a planted terrarium enclosure, the humidity can easily exceed 80%. The type of plants, their size and leaf area, and the temperature at which they are grown, will all influence humidity. Things like ferns and mosses require a continuously moist substrate in order to survive. To provide for the needs of isopods, springtails and other clean-up invertebrates, a layer of moist leaf litter over moist substrate is required. A heavily planted enclosure will also reduce free air flow due to the plant leaves and fronds.
The simple reality is that a lush planting with a bio-active setup is not going to be suitable for a ground dwelling python occurring naturally in drier, open habitats. Exposing the snake to such high humidity will sooner or later result in health issues, such as scale rot, fungal dermatosis or similar. If you really want both, then consider having two enclosures – a drier one for the spotted, and the other with a humidity tolerant snake such as a Keelback Tropidonophis mairii. You might also like consider the Chameleon gecko Carphodactylus laevis, or a Leaf-tailed Gecko species, or perhaps even some small to medium tree frogs.
