Humidity issues

[Gravelanche]

Hey i have a quick question.

i recently realized that my python's tank doesnt seem to be humid enough, fortunately the last week i have been researching lizards almost non stop and have taken several steps to increase the humidity to help her finish shedding.

My question is, can someone reccomend a good relatively cheap hydrometer for her terrarium? preferably one that i could move amongst a few tanks as i have 4 different lizards now all requiring different RH

[erichillkeast]

I would go for some of these. I would also suggest putting one in each enclosure. That way a quick glance will tell you the ambient temps and RH of all your enclosures, instead of having to move it from enclosure to enclosure and having to wait until it settles in on that enclosures environment.

[Gravelanche]

wow that looks perfect, im going to get 1 for now, im not worried about the RH too much in general, i have a sand boa, leopard gecko and ball python, Its mainly just the python i need to track and once in a while i can spot check the others since they are usually just going to be very low anyways.

once i get a few more enclosures set up i will gather more. but thanks, first try and i think i have what i need

[erichillkeast]

I would suggest getting one for at least the leo as well (if you really don't want to get one for all of them). From what I understand they need humidity between 40% and 60%, which for a house in Canada in the winter is very high (unless you are running a humidifier it is not unlikely that the RH in your house will be somewhere from 15-25%).

[Gravelanche]

my sources for leopards say 40% or lower most of the time, and a moist hide for shedding cycles. will double check later today

[jarich]

Am I missing something? That link you posted was for a thermometer, not a hygrometer.

Here is a link for a great hygrometer that you can add more reader units to later if you want. Its cordless and they work very well. Ive got three. You could keep the 'base' outside the enclosures and then have a reader unit in each of your three.

Amazon.com: Ambient Weather WS-0101 Wireless Thermo-Hygrometer with Indoor Temperature and Outdoor Temperature and Humidity: Home & Kitchen

[erichillkeast]

Originally Posted by jarich

Am I missing something? That link you posted was for a thermometer, not a hygrometer.

It is a thermometer hygrometer combo.

[Gravelanche]

ok i got a simple hydrometer, but i cant seem to get the humidity to stay any higher than 30 to 35%

i doubled the size of her water bowl and am misting twice a day, i dont want to mist too much more in case of mould growth

[Lankyrob]

You have to muchairflow, you need to block off as much as you can to get the humidity up or he wont be able to shed properly. I use a reptibark substrate and even in my gtp viv with 80% humidity there is no mold at all. The bark also absorbs the moisture and releases it slowly over time which means less misting.

With reduced airflow i can leave my vivs three days between mistings

[Gravelanche]

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

You have to muchairflow, you need to block off as much as you can to get the humidity up or he wont be able to shed properly. I use a reptibark substrate and even in my gtp viv with 80% humidity there is no mold at all. The bark also absorbs the moisture and releases it slowly over time which means less misting.

With reduced airflow i can leave my vivs three days between mistings

im using aspen substrate and the entire tank lid is covered with a heavy towel to stop airflow., i could throw another one on there

i dont really mind the misting that much, just worried that it still wont go higher

[KORBIN5895]

Honestly I never check my humidity for my boas. I set the enclosure up properly and haven't had a issue since.

[Gravelanche]

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Honestly I never check my humidity for my boas. I set the enclosure up properly and haven't had a issue since.

i got it as is from someone else last summer and we had a very damp fall and slow winter, i made the amateur assumption that the last person has it "good enough"

now that winter has been set in for a while i noticed she isnt shedding well and think she has at least 2 layers of scales on her eyes. im trying to fix this error.

also the last month i have been doing a ton of research into this kind of stuff, i really was amateur and feel a bit like an ***, but im here trying to learn everything i can and expand my collection.,

[KORBIN5895]

Originally Posted by Gravelanche

i got it as is from someone else last summer and we had a very damp fall and slow winter, i made the amateur assumption that the last person has it "good enough"

now that winter has been set in for a while i noticed she isnt shedding well and think she has at least 2 layers of scales on her eyes. im trying to fix this error.

also the last month i have been doing a ton of research into this kind of stuff, i really was amateur and feel a bit like an ***, but im here trying to learn everything i can and expand my collection.,

My honest advice is to get what you have dialed in then expand.

I have had corns, garters, royals and boas. I have found there are a lot of snakes I like looking at but I don't want. Personally I really only enjoy boas and that helps keep my life simple.

[Gravelanche]

yeah i agree, i have a plan for what i would like and it's spread over the next 6 months or so.

my priority is definitely my python, she is my baby, if i get any money in the next while it will go to fixing this.

my sand boa and leopard gecko are nice and stable, eating great, and their tanks, being much smaller, are nicely heated and stable. Im looking to breed my gecko's this year which is one reason for all the research.

i also have a LOT of free time at the moment so im trying to get a lot set up and stable before i go back to work, if it seems like im in a hurry im actually spending a lot more time on it than you'd think

[Corey209]