PicassothePanther
New Member
Should I try adding a plant in there also? I also might close off 2 sides of the cage...
Serious Humidity Issues - help please!
- Thread starter PicassothePanther
- Start date
RPCV
Avid Member
For some reason I cannot view the pic. of your enclosure.
Plants will help humidity buy adding moisture (retained and released slowly from the soil and released directly from the plant). A humidifier would also help but it would need to be cleaned routinely to prevent microbial growth and can cause condenstation problems on surfaces in the room.
Closing up 2 sides will also help. Since your enclosure is likely at a higher temp. than the ambient air around the enclosure the moisture will try to move out - closing off a bit will slow this migration.
I think your hygrometer is wrong - 10% RH is very low and unlikely if you are misting as much as you've indicated.
Plants will help humidity buy adding moisture (retained and released slowly from the soil and released directly from the plant). A humidifier would also help but it would need to be cleaned routinely to prevent microbial growth and can cause condenstation problems on surfaces in the room.
Closing up 2 sides will also help. Since your enclosure is likely at a higher temp. than the ambient air around the enclosure the moisture will try to move out - closing off a bit will slow this migration.
I think your hygrometer is wrong - 10% RH is very low and unlikely if you are misting as much as you've indicated.
atsutane
New Member
if you are able to boil water in the same room as your chameleon, I'm kinda wondering what what fumes you are exposing him/her to when you are truly cooking.
just a thought.
Harry
im not actually cooking in the room, its just a little electric pot that will boil water. so i think i am safe
i have read four or five different sites that recommend distilled or filtered, why do you warn against using distilled?
panthercham
New Member
Distilled water is a dead water, it basically has no minerals left in it and it has been known to actually pull electrolytes and trace minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium etc) from the body leading to mineral deficiencies which may give your cham slight dehydration.
I have given the subject of water a lot of research since having chams and distilled water is not good at all. I use tap water that has been put through a Brita filter and let to sit for 24 hours. Many keepers use RO water but I only have 1 cham at the moment so I have not bothered to do such.....he is healthy and has been for the last 2 years. When I increase my collection again it will be at the top of my to do list.
I am glad you are doing your research atsunane....have you gotten your cham yet??
I have given the subject of water a lot of research since having chams and distilled water is not good at all. I use tap water that has been put through a Brita filter and let to sit for 24 hours. Many keepers use RO water but I only have 1 cham at the moment so I have not bothered to do such.....he is healthy and has been for the last 2 years. When I increase my collection again it will be at the top of my to do list.
I am glad you are doing your research atsunane....have you gotten your cham yet??
atsutane
New Member
doing my best to get one
i wanted to have the cage set up and running a few days b4 i got him to give all the factors a tweaking (light placement, vines, plants, misting system)
i built a cage using window frame screening material for about 60 bucks tools included with some foliage, and i ordered my light fixtures off of amazon, everything was peachy keen untill i tired putting my reptiglo10 into the flukers light fixture and it wouldn't turn on
i tried replacing the starter but it still wouldn't work... makes me frustrated that i ordered something new and it was obviously not only used but broken...
i get a free replacement, but they say they wont ship it for almost a month...
so i must abstain on getting my cham :/
maybe if i wait long enough ill save up for a baby panther that ive been dying for
on a related note, psychofourmmember wanted someone to adopt her veield
so i asked her about it and she said she wanted 120 for it...
is it just me or is that a little high? full refund for a cham is a little steep imho if you cant keep it anymore
i could get a hood on short notice if she decides to drop the price, so im all set up
but yes... ive read just about everything i could set my eyes on so i can be a better keeper
Todnedo
Avid Member
Isn't rain water distilled water?
warpdrive
Avid Member
I personaly use bath towels instead of plastic sheets to cover the back of the cage to help with retaining humidity.
plastic sheets will alow the water to drip to the bottom and collect there, leading to mold and bactirial groth.
if the towel is large enough on your small cage, you could partialy rap it around the sides too if desired.
a towel on the other hand, absorbs all the extra water you are spraying into the cage, and thus relieases more humidity as it drys out.
more live plants will also help so it is never a bad idea.
the reason you are getting alot of mixed replys on this topic is because many of the people who talk about humidity have never had a chance to deal with such low humidity levels durring the winter, so they have no idea how to battle it.
in fact, just look at how many people are saying your gage is broken, when infact you state that it goes up when you mist.
I'll even bet a good amount of money that they don't even realise that you live in NJ...AND IT'S CLEARLY MARKED BY YOUR NAME.
in other words, they are giving you advice based on their needs, not yours.
I'm not saying that your hygrometer is perfect, but it is working.
maybe it is off alittle bit. so when dry, maybe it's realy 15% not 10%.
but it's not broken, and your readings sound about right for a small cage in a large room that has enough household heating to lower your already ultra low outside humidity levels into the toilet.
so now, who do you want to listen to? someone from NYC who fights low winter humidity levels, or some guy that doesn't even know what snow looks like (who also never even had a chance to fight low humidity)?
do yourself a favor. get a room humidifier. preferably a cool mist one. it will help alot.
you don't need to directly humidify a cage like in the link I posted, but instead just let it freely humidify your room.
add a dripper at least once every other day to help your cham get extra drinking water too.
it can be as simple as a plastic drinking cup with a hole in the bottom. it's what I use.
if you have any more questions, please just ask.
Harry
atsutane
New Member
@ todnedo
i see what you are saying, but if you think about it as the drop falls through the air it collects all sorts of stuff, filtering the air, and when it hits the leaves im sure it picks up more stuff...
so its not like distilled distilled water, if you follow what i am saying...
since the basis of all life is water and life depends on being able to transmit tiny electrical signals through that water, its important to have minerals in the water so the electrical signals can be sent... it is posible to kill someone (a cham, a friend, even yourself) if they only drink distilled water
yay chemistry!
that and the chams diet in the wild would be much more benneficial and contain many nutrients that are not provided in captivity and thus they will not need as many minerals and such in the water
i see what you are saying, but if you think about it as the drop falls through the air it collects all sorts of stuff, filtering the air, and when it hits the leaves im sure it picks up more stuff...
so its not like distilled distilled water, if you follow what i am saying...
since the basis of all life is water and life depends on being able to transmit tiny electrical signals through that water, its important to have minerals in the water so the electrical signals can be sent... it is posible to kill someone (a cham, a friend, even yourself) if they only drink distilled water
yay chemistry!
that and the chams diet in the wild would be much more benneficial and contain many nutrients that are not provided in captivity and thus they will not need as many minerals and such in the water
PicassothePanther
New Member
Thanks Harry. I see where you're coming from. By the way, this morning my humidity gauge read 3% lol. Not good for Picasso..
Could it also be because I haven't gotten a hand-mister yet? I have never hand-misted the cage yet . the only mister i use is the stupid habbamist..
PS I'm goign to get another plant, but wondering what small plant i can get that stays small...
I need something the size of a dwarf umbrella plant...
Could it also be because I haven't gotten a hand-mister yet? I have never hand-misted the cage yet . the only mister i use is the stupid habbamist..
PS I'm goign to get another plant, but wondering what small plant i can get that stays small...
I need something the size of a dwarf umbrella plant...
RPCV
Avid Member
The information in Warpdrive's post is inaccurate, misleading and potentially harmful.
One of the requirements for mold growth is a nutrient source (most often carbon based) and another requirement is the duration and level that moisture is available. Towels are much more susceptible to mold growth than plastic substrates. This is because they contain more available nutrients (if not the towel itself then particulate/dust entrained in the pile). Some plastics/foams are petroleum based so there is carbon but it is not as readily available so it takes much longer for mold growth to initiate. Also - towels (being porous) will retain moisture much longer than the non-porous cage bottom. In general - some mold species can begin to grow within 48-72 hours with sufficient water activity and available nutrients.
Reasons aside- from a practical standpoint; put a wet towel on the floor or leave it wet in the washing machine for a few days. What you smell are microbial VOCs created by the microbes digesting what they are growing on (micro-flatulence). Leave it a few days longer and look for the fuzz.
Humidifying the whole room should be done with caution. Depends on the construction details of the home/room. Remember - moisture migrates from warm to cold. Some of the worse mold damage in structures occurs when humidifying then moisture vapor migrating into cooler areas such as wall cavities and attic spaces then condensing on surfaces causing deterioration. There are some buildings that can handle this due to the type of building materials or the presence of vapor barriers in the wall systems.
I'll take that bet. I noticed the post coming from NJ. I'm near Chicago (also clearly marked by my name). Similar climate during the winter and part of the reason I responded.
One of the requirements for mold growth is a nutrient source (most often carbon based) and another requirement is the duration and level that moisture is available. Towels are much more susceptible to mold growth than plastic substrates. This is because they contain more available nutrients (if not the towel itself then particulate/dust entrained in the pile). Some plastics/foams are petroleum based so there is carbon but it is not as readily available so it takes much longer for mold growth to initiate. Also - towels (being porous) will retain moisture much longer than the non-porous cage bottom. In general - some mold species can begin to grow within 48-72 hours with sufficient water activity and available nutrients.
Reasons aside- from a practical standpoint; put a wet towel on the floor or leave it wet in the washing machine for a few days. What you smell are microbial VOCs created by the microbes digesting what they are growing on (micro-flatulence)
. Leave it a few days longer and look for the fuzz. Humidifying the whole room should be done with caution. Depends on the construction details of the home/room. Remember - moisture migrates from warm to cold. Some of the worse mold damage in structures occurs when humidifying then moisture vapor migrating into cooler areas such as wall cavities and attic spaces then condensing on surfaces causing deterioration. There are some buildings that can handle this due to the type of building materials or the presence of vapor barriers in the wall systems.
I'll take that bet. I noticed the post coming from NJ. I'm near Chicago (also clearly marked by my name). Similar climate during the winter and part of the reason I responded.
atsutane
New Member
maybe crank down the misting nozel so it sprays out a finer mist, and mist more often maybe, with a shorter time, ie 15 sec sprays evey 2 hours, or even 1 hour? i ordered a habba mist, is it really that bad?
overnight its understandable for the humidity to drop since you aren't misting, also if you dont have any live plants in the cage its hard to keep humidity up
i have 4 small orchids in the same room and the humidity just from them stabilizes at 20%
id suggest wrapping the towel around the back and side of the cage, grab a disposable cup and punch a tiny hole in the bottom, let the water drip onto the plant, keep the habbamist going because if anything its an automatic waterier for your cham
all as suggested earlier
as for a small plant that will stay small... you can always clip the leaves when the plant grows too big. im growing some hibiscus now
good luck and do share what you find works the best because i need help out here in frozen iowa/ dry el paso too
jamncristian
Established Member
when you take your shower put your cham in the bathroom with u because the bathroom will get very humid. if you leave the bathroom closed you can leave your cham there for the winter away from the mirror though because it is a small room it will humidify much easier and stay humid. try to stick a humidifier in there. extra plants will definately help, i don't recommend using the towels around the cage
OldSkoolxReasons
New Member
I'm pretty sure he is talking about water going down the plastic and settling somewhere on the wood of the cage or on something that is natural and can grow mold. I used to use plastic shower curtains and black mold spots kept showing up on them so I have switched to towels and sheets that are washed and changed every week or so when I intensely clean the cages. It's not the plastic the mold is growing on but rather the plant material or whatever else gets sprayed around during misting and drys adhering to the plastic and then grows mold. I have not seen mold on any of my towels and my chams have all been fine since I started using them. Plastic prevents circulation and lets stagnant air stick around longer. But thats just my opinion. I'm in the lower peninsula of michigan where the temps are single digits at night and sometimes during the day and the humidity would be horrible if we used the heat often but we use two wood burning stoves the majority of the time.
Justin
Justin
RPCV
Avid Member
I agree with you regarding a disadvantage of plastic being its obstruction of circulation (however a wet towel also substantially inhibits air flow).
Actually seeing mold on plastic is an advantage (you know it is there and can do something about it - just wipe it off if you catch it early). If it is growing on organic material/vegetation it is easily disposed of and in all likelihood the species of mold/funal ecology would not be too different than a tropical wooded environment where mold is naturally abundent. In towels and other porous materials it is entrained in the matrix of the fibers and does not become visible until the mold colonies are mature and dense. When mold growth initiates in porous materials it usually has to be thrown out as the fungal structures will be very difficult to remove.
I have collected and analyzed thousands of mold samples from various materials and the quantity of mold that comes out of porous materials is orders of magnitude greater than what is found growing on non-porous surfaces.
Sorry for hijacking this thread - there was bad information that needed to be clarified.
Actually seeing mold on plastic is an advantage (you know it is there and can do something about it - just wipe it off if you catch it early). If it is growing on organic material/vegetation it is easily disposed of and in all likelihood the species of mold/funal ecology would not be too different than a tropical wooded environment where mold is naturally abundent. In towels and other porous materials it is entrained in the matrix of the fibers and does not become visible until the mold colonies are mature and dense. When mold growth initiates in porous materials it usually has to be thrown out as the fungal structures will be very difficult to remove.
I have collected and analyzed thousands of mold samples from various materials and the quantity of mold that comes out of porous materials is orders of magnitude greater than what is found growing on non-porous surfaces.
Sorry for hijacking this thread - there was bad information that needed to be clarified.
Carlton
Chameleon Enthusiast
Mold on plastic sheeting? Hmm, I haven't had much trouble with this. Maybe I clean them often enough or they dry out fast enough. As mentioned, mold needs something to feed on like soap scum or other deposits. I like using heavy duty shower curtains as they hold up to cleaning, have nice neat grommets along the top, and some of the material inhibits molds. Damp towels? Not for me. They get stinky, stained, and slimy much too fast.
I didn't realize you weren't hand misting. That's going to make a huge difference, but you've got to have surfaces to hold all the spray until it evaporates. The more surfaces to retain droplets in the cage the more stable your humidity will be.
I use RO water for most of my herps as I am on well water that is very hard and iron rich. It does contain minerals but depending on the filters you have can remove chlorines, chemical and organic contaminants, and softening salts. RO water doesn't tend to build up water spots and stains on your plant leaves either.
I didn't realize you weren't hand misting. That's going to make a huge difference, but you've got to have surfaces to hold all the spray until it evaporates. The more surfaces to retain droplets in the cage the more stable your humidity will be.
I use RO water for most of my herps as I am on well water that is very hard and iron rich. It does contain minerals but depending on the filters you have can remove chlorines, chemical and organic contaminants, and softening salts. RO water doesn't tend to build up water spots and stains on your plant leaves either.
Todnedo
Avid Member
@ todnedo
i see what you are saying, but if you think about it as the drop falls through the air it collects all sorts of stuff, filtering the air, and when it hits the leaves im sure it picks up more stuff...
so its not like distilled distilled water, if you follow what i am saying...
since the basis of all life is water and life depends on being able to transmit tiny electrical signals through that water, its important to have minerals in the water so the electrical signals can be sent... it is posible to kill someone (a cham, a friend, even yourself) if they only drink distilled water
yay chemistry!
that and the chams diet in the wild would be much more benneficial and contain many nutrients that are not provided in captivity and thus they will not need as many minerals and such in the water[/QUOT
warpdrive
Avid Member
The information in Warpdrive's post is inaccurate, misleading and potentially harmful.
One of the requirements for mold growth is a nutrient source (most often carbon based) and another requirement is the duration and level that moisture is available. Towels are much more susceptible to mold growth than plastic substrates. This is because they contain more available nutrients (if not the towel itself then particulate/dust entrained in the pile). Some plastics/foams are petroleum based so there is carbon but it is not as readily available so it takes much longer for mold growth to initiate. Also - towels (being porous) will retain moisture much longer than the non-porous cage bottom. In general - some mold species can begin to grow within 48-72 hours with sufficient water activity and available nutrients.
Reasons aside- from a practical standpoint; put a wet towel on the floor or leave it wet in the washing machine for a few days. What you smell are microbial VOCs created by the microbes digesting what they are growing on (micro-flatulence)
Humidifying the whole room should be done with caution. Depends on the construction details of the home/room. Remember - moisture migrates from warm to cold. Some of the worse mold damage in structures occurs when humidifying then moisture vapor migrating into cooler areas such as wall cavities and attic spaces then condensing on surfaces causing deterioration. There are some buildings that can handle this due to the type of building materials or the presence of vapor barriers in the wall systems.
I'll take that bet. I noticed the post coming from NJ. I'm near Chicago (also clearly marked by my name). Similar climate during the winter and part of the reason I responded.
the problem with your facts (and your facts are correct) is that it doesn't apply to this person's or my chameleon keeping.
when misting a small cage like this person is doing, using a plastic sheet will alow alot of water to hit the plastic and then run down the sheet to the bottom.
water will collect there...even if most of it is removed after each misting, the potential for mold and bactireal growth is great. why?
it's because at the bottom of the cage, around the edges of the cage you can have plenty of nutriant rich items from plants, soil, and other stuff that will always fall to the bottom.
on top of that, just how many people here clean or replace that plastic on a weekly or monthly bases?
because if they don't within the fine lines or groves around the bottom edges of the outside (and inside) of the cage will retain that water and thus help with growth.
I know, I've tryed it on other animals before moving onto chameleons. if I ever got lazy, or just didn't have the time, I wound up finding growth the following week when I did take care of it.
saying we shoud take a wet towel and place it on the floor or leave it in the washing machine is silly.
it doesn't represent what is going on at the back of this person's, or my cage.
when misting a cage with a towel on the back, in a room that has 50% humidity or less, that towel will first off never be wet, but damp.
it then will fully dry out in under an hour. unlike a wet towel on the floor.
heck, in a low humid room/cage, even the plant leaves will turn dry in 15 mins or less...the towel will take longer, maybe 30 mins to an hour, but that is the reason to use it.
so what do you do with a towel after a week/month? you replace it with a fresh one. you don't wash it (not dry it) and leave it on the floor for an hour before putting it back up.
come on, let's get real.
I have to agree that we all have to use caution when humidifying a room.
some rooms, or homes just wont be able to take it.
in that case, maybe keeping any animal that requires a high humidity should not be kept at all because his home migh fall apart.
after all, just look at how many homes in far higher humidity areas have such mold problems.
but we are not talking about that. we are talking about a room that clearly has ultra low humidity levels at this time.
at best, his humidity is going to get bumped up from 20% to 40% with the use of a cool mist humidifier...if his house can't take that bump, then just what is going to happen when the summer hits and his humidity levels outside are 70%-90% for 3 to 4 months?
in other words, if his room or parts of his house can't take it durring the summer, then maybe he needs to move. it's clealy not safe for him/her, never mind an animal.
also notice how I kept saying to use a cool mist humidifier and not a warm mist one.
the reason for that is because a cool mist one is far safer then the warm mist kind when talking about mold and bactireal growth.
if you asked, I'll bet you'll find a ton of cham keepers use humidifiers or swamp coolers in their chams room...we all can't be wrong.
I could go on for ever, but I'll keep it simple.
using a cool mist humidifier and towels on his cage in a responceable maner will NOT be as harmful as you point out.
agree or disagee is fine by me...just please stop with the sky is falling type of examples that don't relate to this persons problem. thanks.
that's just it...towels don't get slimy or stinky, and infact barly get damp, never mind fully wet.
I'm glad you dont have problems with plasic. it shows you clean your cages often.
just as an example, my large cage towel barly get's wet at all...just the top and some of the sides that I personaly spray.
my baby cage does get far wetter, but still I would say that only 40% of the towel gets damp.
if you touch the outside of the towel on the back of the cage you'll find that it is almost totaly dry...only the inside of the towel gets wet.
it's not like you are trying to SOAK the towel when you mist, you are just preventing any sprayed water from going onto your walls of your room.
(yet again, I do spray some of the towel on the inside to get it wet so that as it drys out it will help with my poor humidity.)
will some parts of the towel get damp through to the other side? sure. but it will be just small parts of the towel and it will dry up fast.
mine seem to dry up about 2 to 4 times slower then my plant leaves.
so if my plant leaves dry up in 15 mins, my towels will be fully dry in about an hour or less.
it's realy not as bad as some people make it out to be.
Harry
Last edited:
RPCV
Avid Member
Relating to the problem - At 20 degrees outdoors and 55% outdoor RH (about what its been in NJ this past week) that is 8.3 grains per pound of moisture in the air (gr/lb). Heat 8.3 gr/lb to 80 degrees at RH drops to about 6%. Every home has moisture added during the winter from showering, cooking, breathing, etc. (not even considering misting and dripping). Unless readings are being taken under the basking light then getting <3% is near impossible and <10% would be unlikely. As it relates to this situation and my original post - either hygrometer is not working, measurements are being taken under the basking light or cage is too hot.
Problems with over humidifying homes occur during northern climates in the winter when humidity introduced into the air contacts a cold surface forming condensation. Off topic - just wanted to clarify why the examples provided above are not correct. I'll let you do your homework on psychrometrics and dew point.
The health affects related to human exposure to mold are often exagerated and don't think a little mold is much of a risk (not a "sky is falling" opinion). I am an expert on this topic. I'm unsure what the risk of abnormal mold exposure is to chameleons. And, unlike some, will try to avoid making statements in areas outside my expertise. I'll let this sit where it stands and others can take the last word (this is getting old).
Problems with over humidifying homes occur during northern climates in the winter when humidity introduced into the air contacts a cold surface forming condensation. Off topic - just wanted to clarify why the examples provided above are not correct. I'll let you do your homework on psychrometrics and dew point.
The health affects related to human exposure to mold are often exagerated and don't think a little mold is much of a risk (not a "sky is falling" opinion). I am an expert on this topic. I'm unsure what the risk of abnormal mold exposure is to chameleons. And, unlike some, will try to avoid making statements in areas outside my expertise. I'll let this sit where it stands and others can take the last word (this is getting old).
warpdrive
Avid Member
RPVC,
so what your saying is that with my outdoor humidity levels being about 55% almost all week (regardless that is says that it's only 30% right now), and with all the cooking I do (alot of it boiling water for pasta), add in all the showers I and my sister take, my humidity in my home should be around 55% at least?
well, then all my digital hygromiters are totaly off because even with my windows open from time to time to let in some freash air...my household air reads under 30% normaly.
I'm far from an expert. I don't even have half the knowladge that you do on this matter.
but if 5 digital and 2 analog hygromiters all read the same and they all read far less then what the weather chanel states, then maybe my poor humidity levels are caused by something.
could it be from some forms of household heating? ofcourse it could.
could it be from other sources such as excaping to cooler areas or what not? sure.
bare in mind that I'm not talking cage humidity...I'm talking room humidity.
my room humidity without humidifiers running is almost always below 40%, and normaly 30%, regardless that it is normaly higher outside in the winter.
the same happens when I run my AC alot in the summer...my room humidity levels drop to around 50% from 80% without.
so to keep it simple...while yes, outside souces can help with humidity levels, but some can and do hurt it as well.
is his hygrometer perfect? no. should he buy a digital one? yes.
but could he be having such low room humidity like I do in the winter months? you bet your rear end he could...in fact, I'm quite sure he/she is.
untill you realise that his humidity levels can be quite low in his home durring this time of the year due to many reasons, then I just don't know what to say.
I speak to many people that deal with such low humidity durring the winter months...I guess what your saying is it's all in their heads too?
we are all making this up?
you hear that european and northern american cham keepers? get rid of your glass cages or humidifiers. it's all in your heads. your humidity levels are fine.
damb, I took 2 showers in the last 12 hours, cooked pasta twice in the same time, my sister took one shower, she also moped the kitchen floor for me an hour ago with hot water...why the heck isn't my house humidity levels at least 40% ?
why the F is my room humidity so low? after all, besides today with only 30% humidity levels outside, it has been near 45% or better all week?
WTF is going on?
that's it...I'm convinced.
I'm sutting down all my humidifiers since I don't need them.
my humidity levels have to be as good as you say.
so what if my digital hygrometers say otherwise...off they go.
so what if they read below 40%...they all must be wrong. (well, they are reading higher right now after I misted. but when dry they will read 40% or less once again.)
(sorry for being sarcastic...but you realy don't want me doing this right now, do you?)
btw, just so others know...I keep a hygrometer bellow and above the canopy of my plants away from the basking light, so that I get two readings in each cage.
when wet, the readings are almost the same. when dry, the reading from the one above the plants are normaly higher.
seems that my plants are doing their job.
again, readings of 5% or even 10% sound odd for the original poster...but unless he is placing it right near his lights, I feel that it is working, just not giving him a perfect reading.
again, he should get a digital one. but low reading durring the winter months sound quite normal to me. it's what many are dealing with across the globe at this time.
Harry
so what your saying is that with my outdoor humidity levels being about 55% almost all week (regardless that is says that it's only 30% right now), and with all the cooking I do (alot of it boiling water for pasta), add in all the showers I and my sister take, my humidity in my home should be around 55% at least?
well, then all my digital hygromiters are totaly off because even with my windows open from time to time to let in some freash air...my household air reads under 30% normaly.
I'm far from an expert. I don't even have half the knowladge that you do on this matter.
but if 5 digital and 2 analog hygromiters all read the same and they all read far less then what the weather chanel states, then maybe my poor humidity levels are caused by something.
could it be from some forms of household heating? ofcourse it could.
could it be from other sources such as excaping to cooler areas or what not? sure.
bare in mind that I'm not talking cage humidity...I'm talking room humidity.
my room humidity without humidifiers running is almost always below 40%, and normaly 30%, regardless that it is normaly higher outside in the winter.
the same happens when I run my AC alot in the summer...my room humidity levels drop to around 50% from 80% without.
so to keep it simple...while yes, outside souces can help with humidity levels, but some can and do hurt it as well.
is his hygrometer perfect? no. should he buy a digital one? yes.
but could he be having such low room humidity like I do in the winter months? you bet your rear end he could...in fact, I'm quite sure he/she is.
untill you realise that his humidity levels can be quite low in his home durring this time of the year due to many reasons, then I just don't know what to say.
I speak to many people that deal with such low humidity durring the winter months...I guess what your saying is it's all in their heads too?
we are all making this up?
you hear that european and northern american cham keepers? get rid of your glass cages or humidifiers. it's all in your heads. your humidity levels are fine.
damb, I took 2 showers in the last 12 hours, cooked pasta twice in the same time, my sister took one shower, she also moped the kitchen floor for me an hour ago with hot water...why the heck isn't my house humidity levels at least 40% ?
why the F is my room humidity so low? after all, besides today with only 30% humidity levels outside, it has been near 45% or better all week?
WTF is going on?
that's it...I'm convinced.
I'm sutting down all my humidifiers since I don't need them.
my humidity levels have to be as good as you say.
so what if my digital hygrometers say otherwise...off they go.
so what if they read below 40%...they all must be wrong. (well, they are reading higher right now after I misted. but when dry they will read 40% or less once again.)
(sorry for being sarcastic...but you realy don't want me doing this right now, do you?)
btw, just so others know...I keep a hygrometer bellow and above the canopy of my plants away from the basking light, so that I get two readings in each cage.
when wet, the readings are almost the same. when dry, the reading from the one above the plants are normaly higher.
seems that my plants are doing their job.
again, readings of 5% or even 10% sound odd for the original poster...but unless he is placing it right near his lights, I feel that it is working, just not giving him a perfect reading.
again, he should get a digital one. but low reading durring the winter months sound quite normal to me. it's what many are dealing with across the globe at this time.
Harry
