Newb with high humidity problem

Hi everyone! I just brought my 1st BP home from the Baltimore Repticon this past Saturday. She is still adjusting to everything so we have left her alone. The biggest problem I am having, and seems to be the opposite of everyone else is high humidity. We have her in a 29 gallon glass aquarium with a wire top. She has a uth heater with light dimmer( ordering a thermostat today). She has 2 hides on either side and her water dish is on the cool side. I am using cypress as the substrate and I suspect this is what's causing the high humidity. Temps I am keeping within range, but the lowest I have gotten the humidity is 82%. This morning the humidity was 99%:O. We had to move her upstairs to our bedroom so she could be in a quiet room, breeder suggested it when I emailed him with my concerns for her lack of appetite/ shyness. Prior we had her on the main level of the home, but the kids were too interested in her. Any suggestions for lowering the humidity? Do I remove the cypress, or just give up and switch to tubs? Thanks,

Ashley

Are you sure the gauge is accurate? does it measure temp? and does that seem accurate? What brand is it?

There are much better experts on here to help you with this question, but those readings are so high, I just wondered if it was faulty reading.

As was already asked, what type of gauges are you using to monitor humidity? If the humidity is really that high, you can ditch the cypress mulch and use apsen, paper towels, or newpsaper for substrate. There are so many options for which type of substrate to use, it is your choice

It's an accurite, indoor/outdoor. The probe is under the substrate on top of UTH, the thermometer is at cool end just above the substrate. I purchased it from Walmart, it's the one most people seem to suggest on this forum.

If I switch to paper towels, is it safe to lay directly over the side with the UTH? The heater is correctly placed on the outside, underneath the tank. How many layers is usually required?

Yes, it is perfectly safe as long as your UTH is being conrtolled by a thermostat. I used two layers of paper towels when I using it as substrate.

Thanks!!! I will switch to paper towels as soon as my thermostat arrives:D

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Originally Posted by Ashpd2006

It's an accurite, indoor/outdoor. The probe is under the substrate on top of UTH, the thermometer is at cool end just above the substrate. I purchased it from Walmart, it's the one most people seem to suggest on this forum.

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If its the same one that I have, it has the humidity sensor right on the bottom of the unit. Perhaps some water got in there and is giving you a faulty reading. Have you tried moving it out of the cage temporarily to see if the humidity goes down? If it does, you might just need to mount the unit an inch or two above the substrate to get a more accurate reading.

Or you can switch to paper towels, my personal fav.

I will check that out, definitely switching to paper towels, less expensive and I'm not concerned with appearances anyway.

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Originally Posted by Ashpd2006

The probe is under the substrate on top of UTH

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Here's your problem. You're not measuring the ambient humidity if the probe is under the moist substrate. I can almost guarantee you the ambient humidity is not 82%.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Here's your problem. You're not measuring the ambient humidity if the probe is under the moist substrate. I can almost guarantee you the ambient humidity is not 82%.

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The probe doesn't measure humidity. ;-)

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Originally Posted by rabernet

The probe doesn't measure humidity. ;-)

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:ohmygod: That is an excellent point, and one I completely missed...

My batting average has fallen through the floor boards the last few days :bolt:

I placed the probe under the substrate, from what I've read, the probe only measures " outside" temp, the thermometer unit is what measures the humidity. Is that wrong?

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Originally Posted by Ashpd2006

I placed the probe under the substrate, from what I've read, the probe only measures " outside" temp, the thermometer unit is what measures the humidity. Is that wrong?

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No, you're right. I'm the one who had it backwards. My bad :oops:

Congrats on your new pet, I'm a new 1st time owner too. I had my girl on cypress mulch at first and had the same issue: humidity ranging from high 70s to 80s. I scooped out all the cypress and left paper towels down, and voila, humidity 57-58% ever since then. And now I know if the humidity drops, I can throw in a handful of cypress to steam it up a little! Hope that helps.