humidity question

[jtesagain625]

im prepping the setup for my panther cage. some of the products have come through the mail (amazon). i got the humidity n temp gauge yesterday. My humidity #s aren't looking good now, says 30%. when i set the cage up and add the branches, vines and whatnot, will the humidity go up? i know misting will help also, but, I'm a lil concerned right now. also, real plants help too, I've heard.

 

[ir0k]

Yes real plants help the humidity. Or you can place a peice of plastic on one or two sides of your cage to help with humidity. Someone else should chim in with better info

 

[RPCV]

Repost of my comment/opinion in a similar thread:

40- 50% RH is not a "line in the sand" minimum. Those of us stuck with nasty winters have to come to terms with what is practical. If you go with an all glass enclosure or seal up the sides of a screen enclosure with vapor barreir (plastic) then maintaining high RH is easy. If you want air flow to reduce the risk of upper respiratory infections, such as a screen enclosure, then maintaining RH is difficult.

Moisture vapor always moves from warm air to cooler air. So if the temp of your enclosure is in the upper 70s and the room is in the low 70s then your humidity is always trying to move out of the enclosure. Reducing the surface area it can move through via plastic barriers or glass sides simply reduces the rate it will leave the enclosure. If you produce moisture faster than it escapes then relative humidity will increase - but this is at the risk of having stagnent air (its a balancing act).

Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. It is commonly expressed as percent relative humidity (%RH), defined as the ratio of the amount of moisture in the air compared to the maximum amount which could be in the air at a particular temperature. Warm air has the capacity to hold much more moisture than cold air. So if you increase the temperture of your cage by changing bulbs, or take readings closer to the basking spot, your relative humidity will be less. Even if the ammount of moisture (absolute humidity) is the same.

The most common cause for mold in winter is condensation. This occurs when you increase relative humidity and the moist air comes in contact with a cool surface. If you start noticing condensation forming on the windows or walls of your home then you've taken things too far (or more than the insulation of your home can handle). Blasting a cool mist humidifier near a wall should not be a problem - if the wall's temperature is high enough. So....if it is an interior wall you are probably OK. An exterior wall could cause problems.

All the above BS is probably too much info. I've kept chams healthy with just one plant in a screen enclosure and a small cool mist humidifier next to the cage. Many others on this site have reported the same. The humidifier is on a timer and turns off at night. Just give them plenty to drink during the winter - if they need the moisure they will drink.

 

[Tyaeda]

I wouldn't worry. Once you have everything setup and settled you'll get a more accurate reading.

I suggest getting a digital reader for both temps and humidity if you can - they're not always 100% accurate, but they're known to be more accurate than the dials.

 

[jtesagain625]

thanks you folks.