Welcome to the wonderfull world of humidity

[Dorifto]

What do you think about humidity, does it matters?


This thread is about arguing (like adult people) about different perspectives of the same thing, the humidity in our tarantula enclosures. Everyday living conditions, breeding etc.

Overall does it matter?

So don't be hesitant posting your opinions.


I'll start with my personal opinion.

Imho the humidity in the enclosures can be benefical, in the right amount, and everytime followed by a good pasive or forced ventilation. You can mimic their real habitats conditions, so they can stay in the same conditions where they evolved.

I'm also have the thoughts that the humidity plays some role in a proper molting and breeding process in certain especies. For example not allowing to the mold drying prematurely before the tarantula completes the molting process. A drier enviroment could dry that mold difficulting the molting process, making the molt less flexible and harder to pull/push for the T. You can take an old dry exuvia and try to move the legs, then mist it a little bit, what happens?

 

[vancwa]

Humidity is irrelevant. T's do not live in saunas.

 

[KaroKoenig]

Simulating seasons (dry, rainy, cooler, warmer) surely helps with breeding certain species. So yes, humidity does matter sometimes.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I'd say it's mostly irrelevant, especially in regards to beginner species but that won't stop people from worrying themselves into a lather over it. Still I think moisture is a more accurate term for what people should be keeping an eye on, you say humidity and I immediately picture an indoor botanical garden where you choke on thick hot air. Overall it isn't nearly as important as newbies, pet stores, reptile-oriented showoffs, and know-it-alls would make it out to be.

 

[moricollins]

I voted lollipops

My thoughts on humidity are:
Does humidity matter? Yes and no.

Trying to mimic the ambient humidity where the Tarantula is from through methods like misting enclosures and restricting airflow is OFTEN going to lead to poor results for the tarantulas. Airflow is more important than humidity, in my opinion.

Keeping everything in a bone dry enclosure (with a water dish) with NO humidity whatsoever (which in Canada can be the case in the winter, a humidity gauge in my house routinely reads at around 20% RH) can also, in my opinion, lead to not great results for Tarantulas through bad/stuck molts, dehydration.

 

[Dorifto]

Humidity is irrelevant. T's do not live in saunas.

Did you live in a sauna? because we are surrounded by humidity all day. Please argue your anwer, we do not charge for it! For now

I'd say it's mostly irrelevant, especially in regards to beginner species but that won't stop people from worrying themselves into a lather over it. Still I think moisture is a more accurate term for what people should be keeping an eye on, you say humidity and I immediately picture an indoor botanical garden where you choke on thick hot air. Overall it isn't nearly as important as newbies, pet stores, reptile-oriented showoffs, and know-it-alls would make it out to be.

Thanks for arguing!

Humidity in the air can change the moisture level on the substrate, increasing it or decreasing it, depending on the humidity level in the air, and vice versa. So it could be helpful to maintain certain moisture on the substrate.

I'm with you that begginers specie doesn't require too much atention on this particular issue, since they usually come from drier environments, so a higher humidity levels won't affect them as much as to tropical species.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Humidity in the air can change the moisture level on the substrate, increasing it or decreasing it, depending on the humidity level in the air, and vice versa. So it could be helpful to maintain certain moisture on the substrate.

Oh no you're totally right, I just think it's stressed over waay too much given that most species don't have super specific requirements.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Yes...and No...and I don't like lollipops.
In terms of trying to keep humidity at a certain level, then no and totally useless and irrelevant.
Yes it's important to think about it from the standpoint that husbandry is a little different if you live in Arizona where humidity may be 10 to 20% you may have to dampen your sub more than if you live in Florida where humidity is over 70% and you have to moisten your sub very infrequently. Or if you live in Illinois with a warm, humid summer and a cold, dry winter where your forced air furnace dries out the air in your home.

 

[EpicEpic]

This thread branched off a thread thst DID NOT take breeding into account.

You should make that clear @Dorifto

We are strictly talking about living conditions.

We also realize you need to dampen it more often in a dryer state or less in a more humid state. We agreed on that in the other thread. We are talking about if ambient humidity matters as long as the substrate is moist or dry as needed.

So the poll should read: If the substrate is kept moist/dry as needed and taking breeding out of the picture...does ambient humidity matter?

Or else this is a whole different convo.

 

[Dorifto]

Yes...and No...and I don't like lollipops.
In terms of trying to keep humidity at a certain level, then no and totally useless and irrelevant.
Yes it's important to think about it from the standpoint that husbandry is a little different if you live in Arizona where humidity may be 10 to 20% you may have to dampen your sub more than if you live in Florida where humidity is over 70% and you have to moisten your sub very infrequently. Or if you live in Illinois with a warm, humid summer and a cold, dry winter where your forced air furnace dries out the air in your home.

Too bad, lollipops are awesome

This thread branched off a thread thst DID NOT take breeding into account.

You should make that clear @Dorifto

We are strictly talking about living conditions.

First post changed, better my darling?

 

[EpicEpic]

First post changed, better my darling?

Not really lol. Still says breeding etc.right in the beginning. If we were going to poll off the last thread it should read like this:

"If the substrate is kept moist/dry as needed and taking breeding out of the picture...does ambient humidity matter?"

Or else this is a whole different convo

Noone was arguing about its effect in breeding or thst substrate needs to be damp for tropical species or that it needs to be dampened more often in dryer conditions.

The question was...
If the sub is nice and damp....does it matter what the ambient humidity number is.

 

[Dorifto]

We are going to talk about all that concerns humidity. From the substrate to the air.

 

[EpicEpic]

We are going to talk about all that concerns humidity. From the substrate to the air.

Oh ok. Then this is totally different then the last discussion.

AA + you said that no matter how damp the enclosure is...if you use a hygrometer it would need to read high humidity or else it's detrimental to tropical species..

And I said...as long as the sub is damp...the "hygrometer" could read 12% and you'd be good.

And we all agreed that it plays a role in breeding.

So yeah....totally different convo.

(Which is fine, but the poll will reflect different #s cause we all know it plays a role in breeding and sub needs to be moistened. We were talking about ONLY air humidity in the other thread and NOT during breeding)

 

[Arachnid Addicted]

Long text below.

So, I want to make it clear that I don't want to convince anyone that humidity matters, or vice versa. My point here is to explain my points of view and understand yours, even if we disagree.

That said, moisture and humidity are close, as far as I know, moisture is relative to water in liquid phase and humidity in gaseous phase, tmk. So, moisture can become humidity, and this one, is in the air, right now, while you are reading this and surrounding your spiders.

Now, here's 2 personal opinions of any hypothetical situation:
1) you get a tarantula from an arid/desertic locale, and keep it in Amazonia, Brazil, where the humidity can go up to 90%, this spider won't require much and will be ok, there, at least most of them, I believe. So, in that case, I kinda agree humidity won't matter.
2) you get a tarantula from Amazonia (T. blondi) and keep it in an arid/desertic locale, so you have to put water dish and keep substrate moisture now and than (or even all the time), in both cases, wether is high or low, humidity in the air surrounding this spider will increase and will possibly be benefical to the T. Otherwise, why bother keeping a water dish and the substrate moisture so, in that case, humidity will matter even with the enclosure air holes.

Another thing that can keep me thinking humidity matter is their eggsacs. When someone pull out a sac from a tarantula, the insides will be incubate, incubation works by providing air humidity so, I believe in situ or if the sac be kept with the female in captivity, somehow, air humidity will also matter.

At last, I don't believe it will matter to all species, but most are distributed in high humidity locales so, for them, I think not only matter but also, it is important.

Out of the subject, quickly, statements like "humidity is useless" I really believe is almost a fallacy, since humidity is in the air, and not only humans, but also spiders, are surrounded buy it, even in dryer locales.

 

[Craig73]

I voted lollipops cause I suck at having read up and informed myself on humidity and it’s effects on T’s or humanity as a whole. I’m just here to see the perspectives.

 

[EpicEpic]

This poll popped up after a discussion in the last thread and that's the part I'll discuss.

Air Humidity does not matter to the living conditions of any Tarantulas. If it did we would ALL have expensive Hygrometers in all enclosures. I dont think any of us do in our sterilites and deli cups LOL

Sub Moisture and relative humidity are 2 totally different things.

You can have moist sub in a well ventilated enclosure in Arizona for a tropical specimen and the "Hygrometer" would still be very low. The T would THRIVE.

You can have dry sub in Florida where water beads off the walls for an arid specimen and as long as the sub is dry, the "Hygrometer" could read 100%. The T would THRIVE

Air humidity only plays a role in how often you need to dampen the substrate. The % does not matter one bit to the animal.

That was the debate in the other thread and if you think my above statements are wrong, feel free to let me know why.

This poll now includes breeding and a whole lot of other stuff to sway the vote. If it was strictly what I mentioned above, I think less than 5 people would vote YES.

(I say this because the last thread ended with..."we should make this a poll"...but the poll is asking totally different things then we were debating.)

Relative humidity is indeed a useless # in T keeping. If it wasnt, why do we not all have Hygrometers?

 

[Arachnid Addicted]

Relative humidity is indeed a useless # in T keeping. If it wasnt, why do we not all have Hygrometers?

I understand a few concepts like Tarantulas are "hermetic seal" and the air humidity is a constant changing in situ, still, air humidity imo, plays a roll when it comes to keep them. I can't answer for the others but, personally, I don't use hygrometer and based myself on the climate changings of where I live.

That said, I made my points, you made yours, what I wrote in here is what I really wanted to wrote in the other thread, but I didn't want to pollute it with other subject even more than we did. I made the same points there and added others nothing has changed on my mind and nothing will on yours so, lets agree to disagree and see the different opinions people might add in here.

I understand your points, fact that I disagree, doesnt mean I dont respect it. Further discussion between us will be pointless.

Happy keeping to us all.

 

[fried rice]

Humidity is useless

 

[EpicEpic]

I understand a few concepts like Tarantulas are "hermetic seal" and the air humidity is a constant changing in situ, still, air humidity imo, plays a roll when it comes to keep them. I can't answer for the others but, personally, I don't use hygrometer and based myself on the climate changings of where I live.

That said, I made my points, you made yours, what I wrote in here is what I really wanted to wrote in the other thread, but I didn't want to pollute it with other subject even more than we did. I made the same points there and added others nothing has changed on my mind and nothing will on yours so, lets agree to disagree and see the different opinions people might add in here.

I understand your points, fact that I disagree, doesnt mean I dont respect it. Further discussion between us will be pointless.

Happy keeping to us all.

For sure we'll agree to disagree. And we can/will read the opinions people have. But since the poll mentions breeding, and other stuff that we agree on and had nothing to do with the last threads debate or what we were debating in the other thread....its useless IMHO.

At least as far as our debate goes. It doesn't even make it clear thst we are not talking about putting moisture in the sub, but STRICTLY relative humidity %- the type that would be read off a hygrometer

Wish it was kept to what we were debating in the first place.

 

[BillsSpider]

I live 2 blocks from the pacific ocean, humidity here is always high so it kind of makes the question irrelevant for me, even my dry species like GBB do well