Suggestions for stuffy enclosures

YagerManJennsen

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A couple of the enclosures inn the T room have devolved and certain earthy smell to them whenever I open up for watering/cleaning. Both have moist substrate so is there a quick easy way to remove the stuffy air without doing anything drastic (ex: changing enclosures). Pictures will be provided shortly.
 

EulersK

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Ventilation on the top, not just the sides. It'll dry out the enclosure much quicker, so keep that in mind. On cool nights, you'll even be able to see condensation form around the holes as air escapes.
 
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YagerManJennsen

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Ventilation on the top, not just the sides. It'll dry out the enclosure much quicker, so keep that in mind. On cool nights, you'll even be able to see condensation form around the holes as air escapes.
I see condensation all the time. Top ventilation is a no go in one of the enclosures because it is an upturned 5 gal and the other one has nothing but top vent.
 

EulersK

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I see condensation all the time. Top ventilation is a no go in one of the enclosures because it is an upturned 5 gal and the other one has nothing but top vent.
Then really your only other option is to add a lot more ventilation, unfortunately. Stuffy enclosure are bad, mmkay? ;) As you obviously already know. For the upturned 5gal, put holes as close to the top as possible. The goal here is to allow humidity to naturally rise up and out of the enclosures. This will create a natural airflow. For my upturned aquariums, I put a set of holes towards the bottom and a set of holes towards the top. This promotes that airflow.

For your other enclosure, add more holes to the top and a few towards the bottom to allow fresh air to flow inwards (and cool humid air to flow out).
 

EulersK

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Are you sure those enclosures are stuffy? They look like they have plenty of ventilation... perhaps add a fan to your T room?
 

Venom1080

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all my cages have that smell, you get used to it. if it smells different, theres a missed bolus IME.
 

cold blood

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Is that a tank that's only allowing for the single ventilation?

Obvious answers to the question are add more ventilation, add less water to the substrate, and the addition of a fan to help air movement is a good one...I always have a fan running.
 

EulersK

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all my cages have that smell, you get used to it. if it smells different, theres a missed bolus IME.
Other than smelling like dirt, my enclosures don't smell at all o_O Well, except the T. stirmi. She does vile things to her water dish.

There is definitely a distinct "stuffy" smell. It almost smells like dead, moist air. Very similar to walking into a sealed garage after a heavy rain.

A fan runs in my T room 24/7, I'd suggest you do the same.
 
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YagerManJennsen

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You don't need to crank the fan, you just want air movement in the room. My ceiling fan is on the lowest possible setting.
The T room has a door that opens to the backyard so sometimes I just open it and leave it so the room can get ventilation.
 

cold blood

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You don't need to crank the fan, you just want air movement in the room. My ceiling fan is on the lowest possible setting.
Right, mine's on the lowest setting (a circulating fan, not a ceiling fan) on all but the hottest days, as I don't generally run air conditioning...those days I will turn it on high.
 

Venom1080

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Other than smelling like dirt, my enclosures don't smell at all o_O Well, except the T. stirmi. She does vile things to her water dish.

There is definitely a distinct "stuffy" smell. It almost smells like dead, moist air. Very similar to walking into a sealed garage after a heavy rain.

A fan runs in my T room 24/7, I'd suggest you do the same.
my room is in the basement where air circulation is at a minimum. maybe a fan is a good idea.. i was referring to the earthy dirt/peat moss/ eco earth smell. i think thats what Yager was talking about.
 

EulersK

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my room is in the basement where air circulation is at a minimum. maybe a fan is a good idea.. i was referring to the earthy dirt/peat moss/ eco earth smell. i think thats what Yager was talking about.
Oh man, I feel your pain. I've been there. A small desk fan near your enclosures pointing away from the enclosures will solve the issue.

Note that it'll dry out your enclosures quicker, so be prepared for that.
 

Poec54

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You don't need to crank the fan, you just want air movement in the room. My ceiling fan is on the lowest possible setting.

Right. Outside there's often a breeze to some degree giving the spider fresh air, so it's a good idea to do that in captivity. When you're not running a/c or heat, a ceiling fan on low works great for duplicating that. If you don't have a ceiling fan, a small fan will suffice, but not pointed directly at the cages.
 
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