Porcellio magnificus air humidity?

[Floydly]

Hi folks. I have been prepping for a couple weeks for Isopods (they are expensive and I want them to be happy.)

after much googling, I still could not find the answer I needed, so I stopped being a lurker and made an account.

What air humidity should I be keeping in the Porcellio magnificus enclosure? I’ve got a wet moss ball corner and the rest bone dry. The current air humidity on the opposite of the moss side of enclosure fluctuates between 38%-45% but mostly stays at 40%. Is this ok? I had someone tell me they kept their hoffs at 50% air humidity and 40% is way to low. Looking for other folks opinions.


Thanks for your time, I am a nervous pet owner!!

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I had someone tell me they kept their hoffs at 50% air humidity and 40% is way to low.

That's funny. A ten percent RH difference between ideal and intolerable? I doubt it.

Keeping half or less of the substrate moist-ish and the other half or more dry-ish, and providing some ventilation (somewhere from 1/5 to 1/2 of the top screened, probably the latter for magnificus based on the understanding that they like it drier than most) and some cover on each end under which the isopods can go when they want a little more moisture would be a good place to start. Then watch the isopods, and they'll tell you what they prefer by where they hang out.

I'd put the hygrometer in a drawer and try to forget about it. They aren't useful, and are misleading.

Personally, I'd get over the learning curve with a (much) less expensive species (sounds like you don't own them yet), but it is your money.

 

[Floydly]

That's funny. A ten percent RH difference between ideal and intolerable? I doubt it.

Keeping half or less of the substrate moist-ish and the other half or more dry-ish, and providing some ventilation (somewhere from 1/5 to 1/2 of the top screened, probably the latter for magnificus based on the understanding that they like it drier than most) and some cover on each end under which the isopods can go when they want a little more moisture would be a good place to start. Then watch the isopods, and they'll tell you what they prefer by where they hang out.

I'd put the hygrometer in a drawer and try to forget about it. They aren't useful, and are misleading.

Personally, I'd get over the learning curve with a (much) less expensive species (sounds like you don't own them yet), but it is your money.

Thank you! I’ll just do that then. I didn’t know, 10% could have been a big deal for a species touted as super difficult and fussy! Good to know about the hygrometer. It’ll make the set up look nicer without it too, haha.


I have actually kept A. vulgare and had a happy healthy colony, among other inverts. So I have had some practice before committing to this expensive species. I just like having as much information as possible before diving into keeping an animal. But I appreciate your suggestion of caution!

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Your post impled (to me, anyway) that this was your first isopod species, so my suggestions were made with that in mind.

I have not kept magnificus, but I've not read that anything other than standard care in a well-ventilated enclosure (warmer than normal for good breeding, too, but I assume you've read that) is necessary.

The hygrometer recommendation is based on many, many instances of people targeting humidity (rather than targeting actually relevant issues such as substrate moisture and ventilation) and killing animals because they think that RH is a primary parameter (term I just made up; hope it is clear). Humidity is, for many/most captive animals, best understood as simply the effect of having optimal moisture and ventilation -- which for many captives should be adjusted independently of the other and independently of humidity.

Actually sometimes performing a 'sanity check' using a hygrometer is interesting -- just a spot check to see 'if I do this with the moisture and this with the vents, what does the humidity do?' but in any event the RH shouldn't drive any changes that aren't already demanded by ideal moisture and ventilation themselves, and as I mentioned by the behavior of the animals.

 

[Floydly]

That’s fair! It’s not my first but I remain nervous, can’t help it. I like having numbers! But if the numbers on the meter aren’t useful... then I won’t think about them.

Thank you for the wisdom on how to think of humidity. I will do a “sanity check” on the meter with some ventilation adjustment experiments. I’ve mostly just moved the meter around the tank to make sure I have a gradient (I do!) (tank has a cross ventilation section and a full mesh lid, I might try covering half of it based on your advice.)