Advice on Humidity

[Kristine]

Hey guys,

I am having a bit of trouble with the humidity in my G. Rosea's tank.. I have been told that I should have the humidity at about 70%, but for the life of me I cannot get it to rise past 55%.. I have a heat pad under the tank, a water bowl in the tank, I spray the tank every other day and the air vents at the top of the tank are about 90% covered by cling film... But yet the humidity stays at 55%...

Can anyone give me some advice on raising this to a better level for my T??

Thanks

Krissie

[Daniel Carpenter]

Hey Kristine,

The first thing i would do is move the heat mat to the side of the tank ( on the wall ) as the heat rising up from the ground is not natural for the spider. I think this is one reason for your low humidity levels as this dries out the substance. What subsatnce do you use? If you use vermiculite, then i would say the heat mat is almost certainly the problem as this would make the vermiculte dry out very quickly.

Hope ths helps. ( although i could be wrong, but i do have a G. Rosea my self and have the heat mat on the side of the tank, as many people have told me to do so )

Dan

[Adam Smith]

I used to worry about my collection of Ts and form time to time still do but if your using the hunidity guage they arent the most accurate and wouldnt rely on them. G Rosea can stand with some dryness as red knees do. Best bet is get a digital temp and humidity thermo. One way to keep humididty if youve a small collection that need moist is get a wet towel (not drenched) and place it over a warm radiator as this will rise up and increase moisture in the air.
Use some moss and various foliage that will help keep in the moisture.
Overall if it is happy, eating and shedding well there shouldnt be anything to worry bout so long as you mist the tank regularly and have water bowl there.

[Kristine]

Ok, by side do you mean the back of the tank or the end of the tank?? LOL

I know I am being a bit blonde at the moment.. I always had the heat mat under the tank cause that's what all the books I have read have said to do... I use the sterile coconut soil that you add water to to make up the substrate for the tank.. I have tried many others but my T seems to prefer this...

Krissie

[Ian Metcalfe]

Best place for the heat mat would be the back of the tank but put some insulation behind it or you will be paying to heat a wall or what ever is behind the mat .
Humidity is an awkward subject. the devices most folk get to measure it are not very reliable I once stood 3 next to each other and got about 40% difference in readings.

[Joseph S. Gaglio MHS]

Re: Advice on Humidity

Hey guys,
I am having a bit of trouble with the humidity in my G. Rosea's tank.. I have been told that I should have the humidity at about 70%, but for the life of me I cannot get it to rise past 55%.. I have a heat pad under the tank, a water bowl in the tank, I spray the tank every other day and the air vents at the top of the tank are about 90% covered by cling film... But yet the humidity stays at 55%...
Can anyone give me some advice on raising this to a better level for my T??
Thanks
Krissie

Hi Krissie:
I wouldn't worry about the humidity. G. rosea are from around the Altacama desert area. There are places in the Altacama that have not had rainfall in recorded history! They do get some seasonal fog but nothing like a wet substrate. In my experience "Rosies" prefer a dry substrate and will hang off the tank walls or sit on top of their hide until the 'strate dries out. I keep a water tray in the enclosure and check it weekly.
With regard to temperature, what is the ambient temp. in the room? My "spider room" is between 75-82 degrees F. with a drop of a few degrees in the winter (short period here in Florida, USA) so I do not provide additional heat.
Relax. Rosies are likely second only to P. murinus in being hard to kill. Temps between around 70-85 degrees F, a water tray, a hide, 2-3 crickets a week and you're good to go.

[clarkemcrobb]

My rosea likes it dry!
She hates misting, and if the soil is wet in the very slightest she hangs out in the to corner of the tank!
She readily drinks from a water bowl every so often, and seems to hate if its too humid, she also burrows a little in dry substrate, but sits on top of a hide, or in the corner of the tank whenever it is wet.

I have always read that Rosea's prefer it dry anyway? I dont think it matters as they live in both sides of the heat/humidity equilibrium in chile where they have hot and cold areas. obviously as long as it is not at either extreme (freezing, or roasting) theyll thrive! hardy little species!

[Ray Gabriel]

Re: Advice on Humidity

G. rosea[/i] are from around the Altacama desert area.

I would be interested to know where this information comes from? G rosea are found in many places in Chile which is why they ae so cheap and abundant, if they were only from one source they would be more exspensive (transportation of collectors and specimens from the colecting site to the airport of departure) and we would have noticed by know that they are becomming harder to get (over collecting of a single area.)

G rosea (i am reliably told) cannot be exported for a couple of months of the year because they cannot collect any - they are under a couple of feet of snow (make sense why they go of feed for ages? there natural body clocks are telling them it is winter=brumation).

Krissie

I dont recomend heatmats with G. rosea and room temps in most centrally heated houses will be fine for most specimens.

If you are going to have a heatmat then i sugest you have it attatched to a thermostat (i recomend dimming thermostats they last longer) set at the lowest night time winter temp (that way it will be off for most of the year.) so you dont over heat the tank and as others have said place on the back of your tank but as close to the top as possible so that the bottom remains a bit cooler. Spider burrow to get away from the heat.

If you give yur spider plenty of substrate to dig in (i recomend Coir = ground cocnut husk as its the closest we have to natural dirt) and a small water dish she shoudl be Ok.

If your humidity guage cost less than £4-5 then it is probably totally inaccurate (i have just been looking for some for anexperiment) the average room temp in most houses is around 60-70.

For the majority of species humidity is "over stressed" they can survive within a good range, though some species will start to suffer with to little or to much humidity.

Ray

[Mikhail F. Bagaturov]

Keepeing G. rosea for a long time is clearly seen that they're hate two conditions: high temperature and humidity.
If temp rise up and tank gets humid they're reject to eat and if You keep a high humidity for a long time will die...
It is the species as Ray said inhabiting a very wide range in Chili and should be noted that it is mostly inhabitig places over 1000 meters above the sea level in high mountain meadows... which in a very hot summer time at the night temp drops are amaising (if You never been in high mountains yourself). These mountains at winter may be covered with the snow, so you realise why these tarantulas reject to eat for a looong time (absolut record over 2 years! mentioned by Baerg if I remeber correct).