High Humidity

My new burm is in a 40qt sterilite sweater box. He has a water dish big enough for him to fit into and a hide. His temps are 90 warm and 85 cool. I have a UTH hooked up to a thermostat. My problem is the acurite is reading "Hi" for humidity and I have seen it as high as 80%. How can I get the humidity down? Should I get a smaller water dish? Drill more holes for ventilation? Less holes? I already have many holes drilled for ventilation. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hmmmmm.... well...


--Make sure the water is not sittng on top of the heat source.

--Check your hygrometer and make sure no water or urine has splashed on it.....Also, if it is sitting right next to the water bowl, move it to the other side of the enclosure.

--Set up a fan nearby to help circulate the air around the enclosure.

--And if all that fails and you're sure your hygrometer is reading accurately, then drill more holes. :P

I wouldn't worry about that humidity level to begin with. The jungles of Southern Asia are sure to include tropical humidity levels. Your burm will not be uncomfortable in any way. Low humidity levels may, on the other hand, be detrimental.

Ok I will move the hygrometer to the other side. I wont strees it to much at all then. Thanks for the tips.

I noticed my first accurite went haywire, thats why I have a back up hygrometer in the cage just incase.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris B

I noticed my first accurite went haywire, thats why I have a back up hygrometer in the cage just incase.

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mines did too. the screen when dead on me after i misted it. lol. :taz:

What substrate are you using?

Personally, I'd worry about it. Put in clean newspaper for a bedding. Drill a few more holes if need be, and keep the water bowl away from the warm side :) Too much humidity is just as detrimental as too little. It can cause different kinds of scale damage, and a myriad of other problems. Keep the cage clean, and allow for proper air flow, without too much airflow. Too much airflow will cause rapid fluctations in temperature and humidity, which could cause your snake to become ill. Good luck!

I have him on aspen now. I will change to newspaper. I will also add new holes. I will post if it changes.

First thing I'd do is pull the Acu-Rite and get a read on the room your tub is in. It's a common problem that we forget to think about the room's effect on the tub or tank and that has to be taken into consideration. Snake enclosures don't live in a vacuum, they are dealing with the room around them too. Once you know what the room reads you have some idea of what it's doing to that enclosure, good or bad.

You need to watch for condensation with such high humidity readings. That will make your snake unwell, cause the substrate to become soggy and encourage mould growth.

Sometimes more holes, a change of substrate, adding a small dehumidifier or fan to a room or even moving the enclosure to another room during the humid summer months can show a marked difference.