How to properly maintain humidity

[Brachyfan]

Hello all!

I got 4 takydromus sexlineatus for my birthday a few days ago. Really cool little guys and so much fun to watch. They are my first animals that have humidity requirements and i am having a few issues.

I put some coco fibre as substrate and it spiked the hygrometer reading to 99% immediately. And would not drop. So i changed it to paper towels and got the cage down to the mid 50's. Then I sprayed the cage down a bit and it goes up to about 80 or so. I am aiming for 60-80%.

I can get it close but if i go to sleep for instance it drops below 60. Then when I spray it it goes up to 99% again. I have been running my bathroom fan to bring it back down to an acceptable level(bathroom is fully sanitizedand not used except for a quarantine area). This process repeats every couple of hours.

Is there something I am missing? Maybe I should just spray it down good and put a rice sock or something in there? I am kind of confused lol. If it goes up to 99% is that bad for a couple of minutes or just what happens?

Total noob with this. I have kept tarantulas and leopard geckos before and neither one really has any humidity requirements other than they don't like it moist.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Thekla]

I don't know what kind of humidity is required with these guys, but I'd go for a bioactive enclosure with live plants. It's far easier to hold humidity with plants.
Just google bioactive enclosure, there're tons of tutorials on Youtube and other sides.
I have 2 dart frogs which require 80-90% humidity at all times, the right setúp with the right amount of misting and ventilation, and voila, it works.

 

[Pepper]

Edit: didnt see that this had posted, mods please remove?

 

[Pepper]

Are you using an analog or digtal hygrometer? I had a similar situation with analog hygros, then i got a digital and got much different readings.

Also, do you live in a really dry area, and what's the enclosure like? Try putting a towel over a screen lid to keep some humidity in.

 

[Brachyfan]

Are you using an analog or digtal hygrometer? I had a similar situation with analog hygros, then i got a digital and got much different readings.

Also, do you live in a really dry area, and what's the enclosure like? Try putting a towel over a screen lid to keep some humidity in.

Thanks for the response!

It is pretty dry in my area. And the room they are in is the second most humid in my house.

The hygrometer is a digital one. Not sure about a towel as i have heat lamps on the top of my enclosure. It is an exo terra 12x12x18".

 

[Brachyfan]

I don't know what kind of humidity is required with these guys, but I'd go for a bioactive enclosure with live plants. It's far easier to hold humidity with plants.
Just google bioactive enclosure, there're tons of tutorials on Youtube and other sides.
I have 2 dart frogs which require 80-90% humidity at all times, the right setúp with the right amount of misting and ventilation, and voila, it works.

I have looked into bioactive enclosures for these little ones. Not sure if it would work though. Humidity level I'm chasing is 60-80%.

 

[Pepper]

Thanks for the response!

It is pretty dry in my area. And the room they are in is the second most humid in my house.

The hygrometer is a digital one. Not sure about a towel as i have heat lamps on the top of my enclosure

I have seen people with ball pythons in tanks (i keep mine in a tub rack) use thermal tape? around everything but the heat lamp. Thats really all i can offer, hope it helps

 

[Thekla]

The hygrometer is a digital one. Not sure about a towel as i have heat lamps on the top of my enclosure. It is an exo terra 12x12x18".

I have looked into bioactive enclosures for these little ones. Not sure if it would work though. Humidity level I'm chasing is 60-80%.

I would try it with a bioactive enclosure, you just need to find the right balance between ventilation and misting. If the screen lid proves to let too much airflow through, I'd replace half of it with glass.
Of course, there'll be a time of try and error in the beginning, but eventually, it should work. And when it's working it's quite easy to maintain.

I really love bioactive enclosures, because it's the only way for me to have live plants in my flat... everything else I'll kill in no time.

This is my dart frog vivarium:

 

[moricollins]

I would try it with a bioactive enclosure, you just need to find the right balance between ventilation and misting. If the screen lid proves to let too much airflow through, I'd replace half of it with glass.
Of course, there'll be a time of try and error in the beginning, but eventually, it should work. And when it's working it's quite easy to maintain.

I really love bioactive enclosures, because it's the only way for me to have live plants in my flat... everything else I'll kill in no time.

This is my dart frog vivarium:
View attachment 320709

Love the setup!

To the OP: cover the ventilation up some to make it more humid, deep substrate holds moisture more than shallow substrate, plants are also a good idea.

 

[Brachyfan]

Love the setup!

To the OP: cover the ventilation up some to make it more humid, deep substrate holds moisture more than shallow substrate, plants are also a good idea.

Thanks for the advice! I talked to the breeder and he said to add some peat moss over the coco fibre so i did and it seems to have solved the issue. He also said not to worry if the humidity spikes after i spray. As long as it goes back down.