low humidity why?

[Manitoban Herps]

Everyone says that leopards need low humidity, but since they live in humid underground burrows wouldn't that be high humidity? There is probaly something I am missing but thats my opinion.

[mark129er]

Generally low humidity throughout the enclosure with a humid hide and dry hides. Give them choices.

[peterm15]

thats what the humid hide is for.. otherwise they live in a arrid envrioment... if you didnt get some fresh air outside of your house youd end up getting very sick... thats my opinion...

[DragnDrop]

They live in a relatively dry environment, they don't get exposed to constant high humidity 24/7. Constant high humidity leads to respiratory and other health problems.

Yea, what they said! But as a "for instance", in my cage of 1.2 adult Leopard Geckos they have a dry warm hide, a cool humid hide, and a hot rock positioned directly under a heat lamp. They spend most of the day in the moist hide, as they would underground in the wild. Which by the way has it's access from the top,not on the side, to simulate going down into the ground. Occassionally, I will find them in the dry warm hide during the day, but not that often. As far as the hot rock goes, I've only seen them on it after all the lights in the reptile room have gone out. And for the heat lamp, they probably don't need it, but it makes me feel better to use it so I guess I'll just keep wasting electricity for"peace of mind".

This is only the way that I keep them, many others have had success with various methods. But over the years as I've kept and bred them I've to keep their enclosure as natural as possible, short of creating a small piece of the Pakistani desert (like a zoo might).

Hope this helps shed some light.

[Manitoban Herps]

My cages are the smae as yours, I am just saying that there burrow and at night when they ccome out is humdi at the time.

Thanks for the help

[Tim and Julie B]

Everyone is right. Leos will hide in rock crevices during the day in the wild to stay away from the light and sleep. These areas tend to be cooler thus more humid (though still very low) than the areas in full/partial sulight. It is believed that they are not searching for humidity in these places, unless gravid in which case they look for truly humid egg deposition sites, but a cool place to sleep.

At night, they roam the rocky outcroppings and arid grasslands of their homelands (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, etc.) looking for food and basking on the rocks that absorb the days heat.

In captivity, to keep things "natural", they require a large area of an arid nature with places to climb and hide. A small part should be kept humid, ie:a humid hide box, to prevent serious respiratory infections. They are arid climate animals and should be kept as such or they will become very ill.

Julie