Humid Hide / Regular Hide questions

Falconeer999 · 10-09-12, 08:12 AM

My gecko is just over 2 months old (hatched 8/5/12). I have her in a 20 long aquarium with reptile carpet. I have a UTH with the surface temp in her warm hide at 90 and the temp at her cool hide is around 72-75 depending on the ambient air temperature.

I have her humid hide placed sort of in the middle, but a tad closer to the warm side. She spends about 95% of her life so far in the humid hide. I don't know if she just feels safer surrounded by the moss in there or the confinement.

I have the following questions I was looking for some input on:

1) Is it healthy for a leopard gecko to spend that much time in a humid hide when they are not typically high humidity creatures?

2) Because she's always in the humid hide, I rarely get a chance to dampen the moss. Maybe once a week in the early morning I see her out of it and I can grab the hide and spray it down. So, most of the time, the moss is just dry anyway, making question #1 not as much of an issue - but then you get the reverse - is this causing her not to get humidity she may need? (I tried gently spraying the moss while she was in it one day-this did NOT go over well. She let out a hideous screech and went lunging at the spray bottle.)

3) To make sure she has access to the humidity she may need, and keep her comfortable in the surroundings she seems to like best, do you think it would be okay to put 3 identical/similar hides (one in middle range, one on hot side, one on cool side) with moss in them and just keep one of them (which one? or all of them - rotating spraying whichever one she's not in) damp?

Her humid hide right now is an old deli meat container with a hole cut in the top filled with spaghnum moss. She always buries herself at the very bottom along one edge. It used to be the edge furthest away from the front of the tank but for the past 10 days or so has been the edge closest to the tank so she can see through it and keep an eye out as to what's going on. Needless to say, she's VERY skittish.

Here is current take set up (warm side is the little rock hut). She now stays spread out along the front side of the humid hide at the very bottom.

EmbraceCalamity · 10-12-12, 08:13 PM

I can't really answer your questions honestly, but have you tried lowering the temps in her warm hide? I think 90 is more of a target temperature for outside the hide, not inside (although I could be wrong). That's the only thing I can think of trying.

If you're really concerned (though I wouldn't really be if she appears to be in good health), you could call a vet and ask.

~Maggot

sherriwat · 10-22-12, 05:18 PM

mine spend almost all their timein their humid hide also and i use papertowel instead of moss. my temps are pretty well spot on to yours. dont worry if shes eating and pooping. mine are eating and pooping monsters. i would say its normal.
though no expert, but mine do same and mine are fat tailed chunky healthy guys.

BarelyBreathing · 10-22-12, 06:07 PM

Some of my geckos spend more time than others in their humid hide. If your hide isn't humid, then it sounds as if it's a comfort issue more than anything. It could be because she prefers that temperature, or it could be because she just particulatrly enjoys the confines of that hide. Either way, I would place another hide in that temperature, and make sure your other hides offer the same amount of security.