OK, to put things mildly, I'm rapidly developing a complex that I am quite possibly the WORST reptile parent in the world.

I have a box turtle and no matter what I do I cannot get the humidity right. As a result, I may switch her from a 45 gallon breeder tank to a large plastic tote.

Which will leave me with a 45 gallon breeder tank.

Currently Dexter, my 3 year old BP, is in a 55 gallon tank with "Keepers Choice" woodchips on the bottom in hopes of helping raise the humidity (NOT WORKING - by the way).

Question one: Would Dex (who is 4 foot long) be better off in the 55 gallon tank which gives him length and height (he seems to like stretching to the sky) or in the 45 gallon breeder which is a bit shorter but significantly wider and shorter.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THE HUMIDITY?????

The wood chips are a bust. No matter how much I spray them and the walls, in an hour or two, we're right back at 30-40% humidity. Not good.

I've heard about coconut fiber......but I've been told that it can be bad because if it gets too dry it draws the moisture out of the animal??!!! If I use coconut fiber, will I still need to put in him a separate eating container so he can refuse food THERE instead of in his tank (we're still in mating season - I'm STILL stressing - he's quite calm about not eating).

What works?

When I had Dex in a 20 gallon long tank, I was quite happy with using papertowels as the base (or reptile carpeting - later on).

Also, since Dex seems to like stretching to the sky, should I get him some kind of climbing "thing"? A branch? Rope perches like they use for large birds? Any suggestions?

Any and all advice and help is appreciated right now, because I'm on the verge of ripping out every strand of my hair with this humidity thing.

Ball pythons are pretty much a terrestrial species so I would go with more floor space. However a 55 gal will work just as well. That is what my pair currently reside in, though plans are in the works for a larger footprint enclosure.

Screen tops on aquariums are a humidity control nightmare! Since warm air rises it takes the humidity along with it right out of the tank and into the room. You will need to reduce the amount of airflow by covering most of the screen top, leaving small air spaces for fresh air exchange.

I have never heard of "Keeper's Choice Woodchips" What type of wood are they?

Just an occassional spraying with water will not help if the wood chips are completely dried out. The water will just bead up on the dry wood and evaporate. If the wood is slightly damp, but NOT WET it will absorb some of the sprayed on water and release it to evaporate more slowly.

Many keepers use plain cypress mulch (NOT the red dyed stuff!) as a substrate. The trick is to put the mulch in a bucket of water and let it soak for several hours to absorb water prior to putting it into the tank. Then your periodic spraying will soak into the wood like a sponge, holding it for slow release!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I'll check what kind of wood it is and post it tomorrow.

What about this stuff (I found it online while looking for what kind of wood Keeper's CHoice is):

T-Rex Coconut Bark Reptile Substrate at PETCO

or something called alfalfa meal?

I'd like to find something that will retain moisture for humidity but will be okay for me to feed Dexter on (I don't like putting him in a separate container).

I like the 55 gallon because he can stretch out completely.

And if I get him something to climb on, he should get some exercise.

(And then I can maybe use the breeder tank down the line for a mali uromastyx).

I have never used the coconut bark so I will let other chime in on that. I can tell you that alfalfa meal will not work. As soon as it gets the least bit damp it starts to mold.
As for him being able to stretch out completely, that is not necessary and very seldom will you see as snake stretched out completely. That is why the recommendation for a snake enclosure is 2/3rds of the length of the snake.
Mine used to have branches and things for them to climb on and they never used them.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Hi I know all about the humidity problems, it drove me crazy.You can place a wet towel over 3/4 of the screen which helps a lot, but it will begin to mold. Plastic wrap or foil also works well. I use cypress mulch but like merlin said the trick is to soak it. About the branches, I have branches in my tank I don't think they use them for exercise but they do enjoy using them as escape tools. Good luck

Sorry. I don't mean to laugh. But I like the way you phrased that they don't use them for exercise but they enjoy using them as escape tools.

I've been told to try the plastic wrap on my turtle's tank as well. Is it JUST plastic wrap? or do I cover it with newspaper and then duct tape? Or just duct tape?

In Dex's tank, I'm currently using 2 under tank heaters but, because it's very cold here and my landlord has decided to be stingy with heat, I also have an overhead light to help keep him warm (which is also killing my humidity situation. DO you think the plastic wrap idea will also help keep some of the heat in there so I won't lose as much and maybe won't need to use the overhead light all the time?

Any restriction of air flow is going to help contain both heat and humidity. I would use the plastic to hold the moisture and then the newspaper on top of the plastic for heat insulation.
Another thing you could do is to put sheets of styrofoam on the back and ends of the tank to insulate the tank and help retain heat..

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

for my frog tank, i went and bought a roll of this blue plastic insulation foam from home depot. I attached it with duct tape. It keeps the humidity AND the heat in. works great.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

For me I use the cocnut fiber I swear by it. It holds humidity great. I also used duct tape on the screen and left about an inch on either side for air flow. Have never knock on wood had a shed or humidity problem.

For my bp this the set up. I have a 40long with a lock screen that has been 70% covered with duct tape and a 60watt bulb. We use the coconut fiber with a undertank heater. It works great. Humidity stays around 42-36%. At first we had a problem with too much heat being kept in by the duct tape but not enough humidity if I removed some ductape. So what I did was take a screen I have for his 10 gallon feeder and just set it on top of the 40L screen and set the basking light on top of it. This made it perfect humidity and temp both. THe temp stays at 92 at day and 77 at night. I would deffinantly feed seperately regardless, just so they dont relate your hand to food, and plus if you use the coconut fiber it can cause impaction if they eat it.

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I tried to get rich, but I just ended up with more pets.

1.0.0 Boxer Mix Canine (Admiral)
1.0.0 Ball Python (Bam Bam)
0.0.1 Cali King Snake (Beatlejuice)
0.1.0 Tabby Feline (Nina)
0.1.0 Feeder Mouse (Lucky)

Jer