is there such a thing as "too much" humidity for emps

[orkimedies]

is there such a thing as too humid for emperors? i have been keeping it high for the babies when they molt, it hovers around 80%. currently they dwell in a 50 gallon tank with a false bottom set up with two large watering holes, a dixie cup of water is enough to keep the humidity that high for a month!

 

[Thaedion]

I can't really give an authoritative answer to that. I keep my emperor tanks at 85%-95%, I don't use a gauge anymore as they really are not too accurate. But there is condensation on the inside of the glass.

Here is a quote I found on the internet "Tropical rainforests often have from 160 to 400 inches of rain a year... But just as important as the amount of rain in shaping the unique character of rainforests is the constant humidity and high average temperature... The relative humidity never falls below 80%, and temperatures vary little between daytime averages of 31 degrees Centigrade (88 Fahrenheit) and night-time lows of 22 degrees C (72 F).” http://passporttoknowledge.com/rainforest/GEOsystem/Rainforests/climate.html

Hope it helps, Thaedion

 

[Brian S]

You dont want the substrate to be sogging wet but a little moist is good. If its like that you are fine

 

[EAD063]

There is such a thing as too little ventilation though, that's something to be catious of, watch for stagnant air.

 

[pandinus]

well, this brings up an interesting point to me. While emperors do come from a land of relatively high humidity, one has to keep in mind that throughout their range, they are found in a mixture of different habitats. The two main habbitats being forest and savannah. At least 90% of the wild caught emperors in the hobby come from the savannah regions of their distribution. As was mentioned in an earlier thread, a difference between the two is that the forest form can get significantly larger than the savannah form, probably due to the more abundant food and higher oxygen levels. But also, i think it is safe to conclude that the savannah form are used to a more arrid environment than the forest form. To be honest, i have never used a false bottom system for any of my emperors before. I saturate the soil about once a month, misting maybe twice a month, and i always make sure water is available. Other than this, that i keep them on is dry most of the time. The ambient humidity in my room is 40-60 depending on the season. i have kept numerous emperors successfully in such a setup. Although i do not neccesarily reccomend this method to others as the common practice seems to work more than adequately and i have yet to compile any hard data on this subject other than my own personal experiences and observations.


John

 

[Brian S]

This is not rocket science. If you put your Pandinus/Heterometrus in a box like this and keep the substrate a little moist they will do well.

 

[dazbuzz]

question: what instar are those? mine are the same size

 

[Brian S]

HMMMMMMMM I would have to think about that. I took that pic several months ago and they have naturally grown alot since then. Even now they are in the same box though its starting to get a tad cramped in there and I need to give them a bigger box.