phoebe12483
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Messages
- 27
This morning I was taking a peek at my new 3.5" A. Versicolor and to my horror, noticed that there is about a centimeter patch of mold forming at the base of a branch in her cage! Thus far, that is the only bit I can see, but I am obviously worried that I have created a potentially dangerous environment for her...
...I must admit...I am 100% guilty of over-stressing about maintaining good ventilation with high humidity, and so for the first three days did light mistings to keep humidity up. From all the research i've done, this does not seem to be the solution as it only spikes the humidity for short periods of time and the increased moisture can only lead to mold growth. So, I've have since stopped the daily mistings and switched to only doing it once or twice a week. Her substrate was slightly damp when I created her home a week ago, and has dried out substantially since then, although obviously not all the way.
SO what now?! Do I stop misting all together? She does have a water bowl, and there is a humidifier in our room. Humidity level on the pet store hydrometer (I know...I'm learning guys...I'm in the market for a real one) is about 65-70, temp at 70 F. I live in Colorado and it is DRY here, hence my over concern about humidity etc. Her substrate is a mix of eco earth coconut soil/ sphagnum moss, and organic top soil...I am having a hard time finding peat moss. She is in a zoo med 10 gallon high with a full screen top and ventilation holes at the base. She does have live plants in her terrarium, so they will have to get water somehow.
More questions - Does anyone know where I can find some cleaner buggies? Do I need to go in and completely clean her substrate out, or should I just let everything dry? I have been trying to not mess with her too much as she is new and bolted out last time I opened her cage (it took us half an hour to get her off the wall and back in). She appears to be doing okay since bringing her home- ate voraciously yesterday, still no web though. I'd prefer not to stress her out more by going in and messing with stuff, but an obviously terrified of harming her due to mold. Any advice would be great on how to handle the current small patch of mold, and how to prevent it from ever happening again. Being a newby sucks:8o
...I must admit...I am 100% guilty of over-stressing about maintaining good ventilation with high humidity, and so for the first three days did light mistings to keep humidity up. From all the research i've done, this does not seem to be the solution as it only spikes the humidity for short periods of time and the increased moisture can only lead to mold growth. So, I've have since stopped the daily mistings and switched to only doing it once or twice a week. Her substrate was slightly damp when I created her home a week ago, and has dried out substantially since then, although obviously not all the way.
SO what now?! Do I stop misting all together? She does have a water bowl, and there is a humidifier in our room. Humidity level on the pet store hydrometer (I know...I'm learning guys...I'm in the market for a real one) is about 65-70, temp at 70 F. I live in Colorado and it is DRY here, hence my over concern about humidity etc. Her substrate is a mix of eco earth coconut soil/ sphagnum moss, and organic top soil...I am having a hard time finding peat moss. She is in a zoo med 10 gallon high with a full screen top and ventilation holes at the base. She does have live plants in her terrarium, so they will have to get water somehow.
More questions - Does anyone know where I can find some cleaner buggies? Do I need to go in and completely clean her substrate out, or should I just let everything dry? I have been trying to not mess with her too much as she is new and bolted out last time I opened her cage (it took us half an hour to get her off the wall and back in). She appears to be doing okay since bringing her home- ate voraciously yesterday, still no web though. I'd prefer not to stress her out more by going in and messing with stuff, but an obviously terrified of harming her due to mold. Any advice would be great on how to handle the current small patch of mold, and how to prevent it from ever happening again. Being a newby sucks:8o