Humidity levels and substrate choice.

[whispersinmyhead]

Well here is the cage info:
4'x2'x2' custom plywood cage stained and sealed. Glass sliding doors. Ceramic tile floor grouted and sealed. This was a Beardie cage before I converted it. I am using a CHE as the heat source. Fluorescent light on 12 hour cycle. Deep blue LED lights for night viewing. Naturalistic setup with two appropriate hides and lots of decor. I chose cypress to battle humidity. Herpstat 1 for my tstat. Temps are 92-80 surface and 86-80(83) for ambient.

My concern is I sealed part of the large vents and now I don't even have to mist but my humidity is 70-74 for the last 5 days. Now I did have pretty heavily misted

My question is about substrate. I love the look of cypress and it doesn't mild easily. I just don't want too mic humidity because that could be a problem. I know I could open the vents up a bit but don't really want to waste heating energy.

Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks

[kitedemon]

I like to have lots of ventilation so if it were me I would open the vents. Substrate is a funny beast, I would suggest the best for max humidity and best for variable humidity is coco product (it looks very natural too) it is cheap, and will adsorb a huge amount of water. I have compressed blocks (saw off chunks) that I expand in water this makes my base layer it produces a huge amount of RH in a system. I also buy a large bag of loose dry coco coir that I add and mix in. This way I can blend the dry with the damp and balance it out. I sometimes take a handful of substrate out soak it and toss the wet back in when it dips a bit. Wood substrates come wet and then dry but can't really ever be made wet again the water just sits on the surface mostly. I used to leave it out for a bit to dry then use it and toss it out when it was fully dried out.

[whispersinmyhead]

Thanks. I still have lots of ventilation, I just have a little too much humidity and now my cool side ambient will be better for winter months but still good when our house is hot. I am going to see how this next bag of cypress goes this week and se how high my humidity gets without freshly misted cypress because I was having to really soak the substrate to keep my humidity up.

The are two 5"x3" and two that are 2"x3". Before it was four vents 15" x 3". I may switch to aspen bedding or jungle bark or something that will allow a little less humidity if it is still a problem. The brick coco stuff I made a real mess of last time I tried to use it.

[TheSnakeGuy]

Sounds like a pretty sweet setup you have. Aspen bedding holds a little less humidity than cypress. You could also try kiln-dried pine. Both look great. If you don't want to change substrate then just adjust your vents differently and/or drill a few more holes to allow better air exchange. I'm jealous, my issue is raising humidity above 45% and keeping it there. I use cypress mulch, but it still requires daily misting because my terrariums are glass with screen tops.

[whispersinmyhead]

It is still holding at 70% today from saturday afternoon when I closed up the vents with acrylic. I will probably pick up another hygrometer just in case this one is off. It is definitely humid and I have only had perfect sheds from her so far (before the changes). I just don't want to overdo the humidity. I will be on the hunt for a decent hygrometer now. I am using a digital one inside the cage but my first digital thermometer was off by 10 degrees so I don't trust just one.

[kitedemon]

I never trust digital hygrometers they never seem to hold any amount of accuracy for long. (sensitive to dust dirt and rough treatment they are very delicate all in all) I use ones like this

http://www.amazon.com/Analog-Hygrome...log+hygrometer

They can easily be checked and calibrated as they have adjustments for this. Salt tests work very well with them and are easy and cheap to do. This type is very tough I have one that spent a night in a water bowl and still is correct even a year after its swim.

There are a few very cheap analogue ones out there if the unit has a calibration screw and a metal face card it might be worth trying. It is just hard to beat the western instrument brass analogue one it is certified and accurate out of the box (I have 14 all were within 3%RH of correct out of the box, better than any digital I have ever owned.)

Just remember that you don't want to make a 'sick building syndrome' situation inside the enclosure it is hard to know what is enough but too little can carry a heavy price for the wallet and animal.

[whispersinmyhead]

Thanks for the link! It was down to 68% but I want to get another hygrometer to verify.

"Just remember that you don't want to make a 'sick building syndrome' situation inside the enclosure it is hard to know what is enough but too little can carry a heavy price for the wallet and animal."

I was a little confused by this I think I know what you mean but more description would help. I just want to make sure.

[kitedemon]

Sick building syndrome is basically modern buildings that do not have enough ventilation it results in respiratory issues in the people working and living in them. Enclosures with too little ventilation can have a similar effect on snakes. I can't tell you how much is too little. I understand the need for conserving heating dollars, I feel it is important to note this is a possibility. I am not saying you don't have enough I am just saying be aware that there is such a thing as too little.

[TheSnakeGuy]

Does anyone here use a clump of sphagnum moss to help raise humidity? Or add some to your substrate? I'm considering buying some.

[martin82531]

Does anyone here use a clump of sphagnum moss to help raise humidity? Or add some to your substrate? I'm considering buying some.

I use damp moss during shed, I put it in with the hide that is over the UTH.