Hi! Having issues with keeping the humidity up in my enclosure

[Amber1234567]

So my tegu is 3 months old. She is still small and in a 40 gallon for now. So my issue is I can't keep the humidity up no matter how many times I mist. I mist it temperature goes down. The humidity lasts 20 mins if that. I have a screen top but I covered half the top. My other concern is if I mist temp goes down to like 79 degrees. So please any recommendations? I don't want to mist it too much and flood out my substrate and tank. I'm using a hand held mister.

 

[rantology]

What kind of substrate are you using? A mix of coco fiber, top soil and cypress mulch in equal parts about 5 inches deep will hold moisture very well. You can also mix in sphagnum moss/peat moss - and fill the hide with sphagnum moss. Cover as much of the top screen as you possibly can, every part that is not needed for lighting. aquarium style tanks are notoriously difficult to maintain metrics in and this becomes less of a problem when you acquire a more specialized adult enclosure.

Another option is to look at fogger/humidifiers which produce a fine mist and not large droplets to supplement the misting. If you see any standing water or soggy substrate then there is too much moisture in it.

 

[Amber1234567]

What kind of substrate are you using? A mix of coco fiber, top soil and cypress mulch in equal parts about 5 inches deep will hold moisture very well. You can also mix in sphagnum moss/peat moss - and fill the hide with sphagnum moss. Cover as much of the top screen as you possibly can, every part that is not needed for lighting. aquarium style tanks are notoriously difficult to maintain metrics in and this becomes less of a problem when you acquire a more specialized adult enclosure.

Another option is to look at fogger/humidifiers which produce a fine mist and not large droplets to supplement the misting. If you see any standing water or soggy substrate then there is too much moisture in it.

My fiancé used this and put hydro balls on the bottom of it

 

[rantology]

That's good and should hold moisture well. You could always try mixing some of those other types in as well.... Cypress mulch is about 3 bucks for a big bag, topsoil about 1.50... sphagnum moss about 5 or 6 bucks for a big cube where I live at most hardware stores. Just make sure they have no added dyes or chemicals if you do. But I think your issue is likely due to having too much ventilation. Make sure the substrate, whatever it is, is deep... 5 or 6 inches to help hold lots of moisture.

 

[Amber1234567]

That's good and should hold moisture well. You could always try mixing some of those other types in as well.... Cypress mulch is about 3 bucks for a big bag, topsoil about 1.50... sphagnum moss about 5 or 6 bucks for a big cube where I live at most hardware stores. Just make sure they have no added dyes or chemicals if you do. But I think your issue is likely due to having too much ventilation. Make sure the substrate, whatever it is, is deep... 5 or 6 inches to help hold lots of moisture.

We were gonna add more I think it's 3 inches deep plus the hydro balls on the bOttom. We have moss on one side of the tank as well.

 

[Mike B]

So my tegu is 3 months old. She is still small and in a 40 gallon for now. So my issue is I can't keep the humidity up no matter how many times I mist. I mist it temperature goes down. The humidity lasts 20 mins if that. I have a screen top but I covered half the top. My other concern is if I mist temp goes down to like 79 degrees. So please any recommendations? I don't want to mist it too much and flood out my substrate and tank. I'm using a hand held mister.

Purchase an inexpensive misting system

 

[timemeddler]

sounds more like a better lid is what you need, even a small vent is plenty for warm humid air to escape through, plywood with 4 mil plastic sheeting will do the trick.

 

[Dylan koch]

You can always use wood or tape to cover screen so there is only 2here light is. It's just hard in general with top screen or top opening the humidity just goes out the top! But I'd just get a fogger or humidifier with a tube your can tape to screen so it goes inside enclosure! I mist my cages while they are closed through mist/vent holes in full size cages I built. And in room in general I have humidifier going. My reptile room is separate building from my house. But it can be hard for me to still achieve perfect humidity because I'm in Arizona and its dry af here

 

[Amber1234567]

We are trying plexiglass on half. Seems to be working!

 

[Mike B]

We are trying plexiglass on half. Seems to be working!

Plexiglass is a good choice. Do you have a hydrometer to measure humidity? A solid substrate that holds moisture is great too. I have a PVC enclosure and the humidity is 80% consistently.

 

[Member1421]

Hi all; new here and a new B&W Tegu friend. I got my guy from Rose City Reptiles - he's a male from the HD line. Yesterday was day one and we spent about an hour in the bathroom together. It went exceptionally well I think. He ate 4 little pieces of ground lamb from my hand as he rested on my shoulder. We walked around the house with him on my shoulder and explored outside a bit. I was very aware of the fact that he was up high but wanted him to experience this right off the bat. Anyway, to the humidity issue!

To be clear, I only have 3 other reptiles; two carpet pythons and one Indonesian blue tongue skink. Their names are snakey, Dennis, and skinky. My wife named numbers 1 & 2, and Dennis was the adopted name of our Jungle Carpet. They all live in 4x2x2 PVC enclosures. The BTS enclosure humidity is bioactive to the best of my knowledge (I buy the springtails, but never see the little bastards). It stays clean, never smells and both he and I spend time turning over the substrate. I run a human humidifier with a PVC tube into the enclosure that drips into his water bowl. It runs on a timer that is intermittent, less operation during the evening. The humidity in there stays around 90% and he is a happy camper. Snakes just get misted.

I guess the point I am already trying to make here is the benefit, push and concept of an enclosure that does not have an open top. Sure, people use them, but they serve a particular purpose. If you are having issues with humidity for a creature that must have it to survive, spend a few hundred dollars and get a pvc enclosure. It's an 'enclosed' box with ventilation holes that should solve any and all humidity issues; or at least make them manageable with a little trial and error. Having a glass tank with a towel becomes a fire hazard. A plexiglass sheet on top of a tank looks ghetto. I have spent so much time and money jerry-rigging (sp?) fixes in the past when I could have saved so much money doing it the right way. That's the way she goes...f***in' way she goes.

For the new little guy, whose name is Ted Bundy because he's a heart breaker, I made him a temporary refuge out of two modified tubs. Not the prettiest thing, but they serve their purpose. It has a modified screen top, which I am advocating against, but it is temporary and I have no humidity issues! Substrate is made from peat, play sand, and a loamy topsoil I found at Dixieline. Regular topsoil seemed too compacted and muddy - to each their own. One thing I did that I never see people write about is added some some small lava rocks into the mix for humidity retention and to help avoid any water buildup. I mist his enclosure in the morning and run another modified humidifier that just sits on the floor next to his enclosure. So far - this is a work in progress - his humidity on the ambient side stays around 80%. I am working backwards trying to make sure my humidity is not too high! If you have an issue and misting is not working, spend $30, get a humidifier and place it where it will go in the enclosure and go from there. That's just what has worked for me. You can't sit there all day and spray something, let it dissipate and then get upset that it is not staying humid. It goes away - every time. Make the general substrate, keep it moist and trust in the humidifier!

This is obviously only my experience, but after lost of headaches and money spent, I trust my method and experiences enough to share.

P.S. I forgot to add one very important piece of information. The bin setup I was talking about has a whole other compartment - a humid hide box!!! Attached to the main one with a cork round is a completely separate bin that is cool and humid and has about a foot of substrate in it. It was just an idea for a retreat that I have not yet heated. I may put a small light over the top of it and make a small screen opening on the top to support this, but it seems to work fine for now. The UV light in this photo has been changed to a 4ft tube with an additional 5000k LED bulb. I have a dimmer switch coming tomorrow so I can start to run a 70W flood light and start dialing in the heat spot right where I want it, rather than adjusting the height of his basking spot.

Cheers!