I hate humidity gauges

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/...y_humidity.png

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Originally Posted by slitheringdead

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/...y_humidity.png

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I have both. And what iv noticed is the first one is off from the second one.

My tstat on my heater shows the temp also but my accurite (like one in the first pic) is always +4 degrees compared to my one in my heater and the one in the second pic :-/.

your humidity is on the low side. humidity is hard to accurately put a number on. the air around the probe on one might be holding more water than the air around the probe on another, water vapor doesn't evenly spread in air.

I don't even use humidity gauges, I just see it as dry, low, or high humidity.

Omg ,I have given up on humidity accounting. I just make a habit of giving fresh water and nudging at least twice a day. And leaving damp cloths in enclosures.

When i put those 3 gauges inside my tubs, the humidity ranges from 60%-85%!

Yeah, they drive me crazy.

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Originally Posted by slitheringdead

When i put those 3 gauges inside my tubs, the humidity ranges from 60%-85%!

Yeah, they drive me crazy.

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This is VERY disheartening for me to read considering my boyfriend and I just thought we solved the humidity problems we had been having and now I read this!

So I guess I still need to be worried that her humidity is too low or too high and that we will never know what her true humidity is at???


Do they make any humidity gauges that have a "probe" where the gauge could be placed on the top of their cage in the very center and the probe could hang down right smack in the center of their enclosure to get a somewhat "ambient" reading???

I'm new to reptiles but, I have a humidity and temperature gauge from a Cigar Humidor I had! It works awsome....just advice! I actually told a breeder about them and he has bought one for every enclosure he has! Just a lil Rookie advice....since cigar people have to have the humidity RIGHT on to keep the Cigars up to par! You can get them at smoke shops or online! They're some really expensive ones but, they're actually cheaper than the reptile ones I've seen.

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Originally Posted by shorty54

I'm new to reptiles but, I have a humidity and temperature gauge from a Cigar Humidor I had! It works awsome....just advice! I actually told a breeder about them and he has bought one for every enclosure he has! Just a lil Rookie advice....since cigar people have to have the humidity RIGHT on to keep the Cigars up to par! You can get them at smoke shops or online! They're some really expensive ones but, they're actually cheaper than the reptile ones I've seen.

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The problem is that the the OP's THREE humidity gauges might not actually be inaccurate....they might all be accurate and have vast differences in humidity in different spots of the sides of the enclosure. The problem seems to me that the ambient humidity can't be measured.

I suspect the problem is one of resolution most cheap gauages are simply NOT accurate 10% up or down is in the specs of many. A better one might be 5% The range you are seeing is in the normal operational specs. (10 up on one and 10 down on another 20% difference) Digital thermometers are just as bad IR guns too there are accurate ones for both humidy and temps on the market but they cost. (I have been looking an accurate 0.5ºF+/- , 2% humidity +/- dual for $399) LC temp devices are quite accurate and can be used to check digital ones.

shorty54 nice catch I never though of humidors! The ones I am finding are easily calibratable so you can just calibrate one check the digital ones and know which digital one is off and by how much!

Yeah your going to fight with this problem since over time the humidity will vary alot and if you have your hygrometer in a high humidity cage, its going to slowly lose it's accuracy. I just do my best to keep it humid with misting and cypress mulch, and hope the humidity is high enough!

I will say though that my Accurite thermometer hygrometer combo i just bought, like the one all the way on the left from the OP's post, is doing great in my Chondro Cage.

I think the BEST way to gauge your overall humidity is to watch your snake and see how they shed. The gauges are important to have so that you at least have a baseline to go by, even if it's not a true measurement. If your hygrometer says your humidity is consistently 50%...but your snake is shedding poorly, then work on bumping y0ur overall humidity by another 10% until the next shed and see if that helps.

You can judge that your humidity is TOO high simply by how wet it is in the enclosure. If there is frequent moisture building up on the sides of the enclosure, or if the substrate is always damp/wet...then you should work on ways to lower the overall humidity.

In most of our modern houses, it's unlikely that the ambient humidity will always run dangerously high. If the enclosure has enough ventilation, that shouldn't be something you need to worry about. Being too dry is the biggest issue for the vast majority of bp owners. And so long as your snake has consistent, complete sheds (not even necessarily all in one piece...but sheds that they are able to complete on their own without intervention from the keeper)...then you can be confident that your humidity is fine.