General Dehaani Ventilation Question

[pigbloodpond]

I'm having a slight issue with proper ventilation for my dehaani. From what I understand more ventilation is recommended than not. The issue lies in where I live ambient day-to-day humidity is anywhere from 8% to 4% causing them moisture in anything to just get sucked out faster than you would think is possible. It's even worse now that it's winter, I've had a full water dish lose 70% of its contents while I was at work. To combat this I've put saran wrap over a larger section of the top of the enclosure since it's a very tall screen top, but this has me worried that the air isn't circulating enough and things are growing murky in there. Is this a suitable solution, and if not what would you recommend?

 

[Scoly]

Photos would really help, but you say it's a very tall screen top, so that may be where the problem lies. Not all ventilation is equal, and there is a difference between promoting air circulation, avoiding CO2 build up, and letting moisture out.

An open top or mostly screen top (much the same) will let all the moisture evaporate, so if it's really dry where you are this could be a big problem.

A tall narrow container with a sealed base will not provide much air flow, and what's more it will trap CO2 rather than oxygen. This isn't a direct issue for the animal, but gives fungi and anaerobic bacteria the edge over aerobic bacteria, which combined with high temps and dampness can spell trouble.

So essentially your enclosure has the worst of both worlds: high moisture loss and co2 build up, although the drying out counters the problems of too much CO2.

What you need is more cover on top, but more ventilation holes lower down (co2 is heavier than oxygen, so lack of low lying vent holes causes it's build up). If this is not possible, plants may help, so long as you provide them with enough light or they will merely contribute to the problem.

Another option is to have a second enclosure, like an ice cream tub, buried within the main enclosure, with soil in it too, and a hole or two for the pede to go in and out, but no ventilation holes on the lid. It will be far easier to keep that damp, even while the rest of the container dries up. Keep the rest pretty dry, and the small tub won't go stagnant as there's air flow around it (because dry air flows better).

 

[pigbloodpond]

This helps a lot actually. Since the current enclosure I have her in is one of those glass exoterra ones with the lockable lid drilling holes is gonna be an ordeal. I’m thinking about switching her to a wider acrylic tank since that would be easier to make adjustments to.

 

[RTTB]

I would recommend changing the enclosure.

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

I agree with @RTTB, I would rehouse it into something with better cross-ventilation.

 

[Staehilomyces]

Yeah, ventilation is everything with centipedes.

 

[pigbloodpond]

I've since moved her to a sterlite with better ventilation while I work on her new enclosure. Another question with regards to that then is should I even bother with overhead ventilation or just focus on sufficient cross?

 

[Scoly]

I've since moved her to a sterlite with better ventilation while I work on her new enclosure. Another question with regards to that then is should I even bother with overhead ventilation or just focus on sufficient cross?

Given that you live in such a dry area I'd say skip the overhead ventilation. Many of my tubs are stacked on top of one another which renders it useless (well not quite useless - a well ventilated ceiling also is likely to be a very climbable ceiling, which provides more surface area for the pede to explore).