Humidity Yes / No to much to little?

[Clinton Hogben]

Hi all
Just a quickie on humidity I have tried to maintain the humidity for my
L Para at about 80%-85% as quoted by umpteen websites for this species.All my previous "T"s didnt need it that humid. but the only way to keep this much moisture was to plug up most of the holes in the viv causing stagnant air , soggy substrate , and condensation apparently very bad for the spider as it encourages mould etc

After reading Stans post saying forget about precise humidity I unplugged the air vents to give better circulation and dry out the tank a bit and hey presto one very happy spider instead of sitting around sulking she is now actively chasing and eating everything edible in sight
I dropped in a 1 inch cube of sirloin steak and whoosh its a goner 10-15 medium crickets in the last 24 hours ( will slow it down a bit now before she bursts) its like having a different spider

The question is what is the lowest humidity i can get away with for a
7" L Para? I don't want her getting to dry and having problems when it comes to moulting Is it ok to rack up the humidity when a moult seems due or is it to late then

The humidity now is about 60%-70% at opposite ends of the viv

I'm confused like all you guys n gals i just want whats best for the spider but with so much conflicting info on humidity i'm losing the plot

Cheers

Clint



Quoted from Stan Schultz previous thread

"HUMIDITY: The other vastly overrated and furiously argued care parameter with tarantulas.

Babies need to be kept in a humid atmosphere because they have not yet developed a waxy layer on their exoskeletons to retard water loss. They do so by about 2" (5 cm) leg span. (Now you know why I made such a deal about it above.) Once it passes the magic 2" it'll do just fine at room humidity unless your house gets really dry in winter or you live in a desert.

If your tarantula seems to take up a permanent residence next to (or upon) its water dish, then you really do need to do something about the humidity. And that would be... Cover the open part of the cage with plastic food wrap to stop almost all ventilation. That will hold in the natural humidity from the water dish. Don't worry that your tarantula will suffocate. They have such low oxygen demands that it's pretty much impossible unless you seal them in a canning jar!"

First visit:

http://atshq.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14286

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/show...7&postcount=12
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/show...4&postcount=15
http://www.atshq.org/forum/showpost....9&postcount=13
http://www.atshq.org/forum/showpost....80&postcount=9
http://www.thebts.co.uk/forums/showp...09&postcount=6
http://www.thebts.co.uk/forums/showp...1&postcount=18
http://www.thebts.co.uk/forums/showp...6&postcount=11

[Phil Rea]

Published humidity levels are almost impossible to maintain in captivity. I don't bother with hygrometers either as they're notoriously inaccurate, and I don't seem to have a problem.

As long as she appears active then don't worry about it. You can crank the humidity up when she moults, although (and this is my own opinion, not a proven fact) I think that if the spider itself is sufficiently hydrated in the first place, then the ambient humidity won't make a huge difference when moulting.

[James Box]

i'll be trying that cling film solution for a few spids that like their waterbowls perhaps a bit too much, but yeh, i've found most are happy with the water dish being full, even my Avic seems alright without loads of moisture.
my L para's seem fine without more than a full waterbowl...i'd be surprised if there is much humidity at all in their enclosures! i've been keeping them dry and they're now about 2 inches.

[wesley flower]

i basically spray/mist my spiders once -twice a week, i have never in over 10 yrs had a problem with a spider moulting (only ever had tiny slings and nymphs die in ecdysis) some spiders will tollerate it alot dryer than others ie Grammostola rosea will tollerate humidity at about 60% and live a happy life other species ie T. blondi i have found to prefer the humidity at the higher end of the scale ranging from 75-80%+.

[James Box]

...although (and this is my own opinion, not a proven fact) I think that if the spider itself is sufficiently hydrated in the first place, then the ambient humidity won't make a huge difference when moulting.

i think i've observed this as well. i'm sure it doesn't hurt to have moisture in the air, but if the T's fed and watered (and of course food provides the bulk of that moisture) in the first place, the moults are usually fine, so far, touch wood!

i believe Wesley's right about blondi's though. there are a few T's that actually need humidity to be quite high, and if i remember correctly Theraphosa spp are some examples, though there are a few others. almost everything else is fine with food and water being provided regularly.

i guess it comes down to observation...trap the humidity a bit if the T's hovering over the water dish, but otherwise the overflowing water dish and food are enough, unless you're talking about the handful of damp species.

[Yvonne Woolley]

Misting

Well here we go again spray or not too spray? Still a newbie to keeping Ts but I am almost phobic about the right humidity i tend to not let it fall below 65 degrees, Our dear friend Colin is always telling me that because i have large water dishes that this should be enough but i use the glass exo vivs and there is such a lot of ventalation i prefer to er on the side of caution i also closed of some of the top air vents but found that this seemed to make them smell alittle stale,At the moment all my chargers are feeding and moulting well . (so if it aint broke don,t fix it) is the way i am going at the moment.But always welcome advise,

[Phil Rea]

Relative humidity is expressed as a percentage, Yvonne

If it works for you, then there's absolutely no reason to change. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[Yvonne Woolley]

Oops

What an idiot i am Phil think we all know that i meant % and not degrees lol that will teach me I did not check it before posting Thanks.

[Clinton Hogben]

Hi Guys n Gals
Cheers for all your advice re humidity
She seems a lot lot happier with more ventilation and less humidity than before so i will stick with it that way for now and keep an eye out for lurking round the water bowl.
Still eating everything in sight about 30 crickets in 48 hours now (plus the steak) but she had not eaten much over the last eight weeks, 4 weeks before her moult and 4 weeks after so she is making up for it now

Got to be a point where even a 7" L Para will stop eating ??

Cheers again

Clint

[Colin D Wilson]

Like i've said before Clinton, at that size a parahybana will be eating everything.............. crickets,.... locusts,.... roaches,.... the toaster,.... kitchen sink,.... the mother in law......................

[Clinton Hogben]

Like i've said before Clinton, at that size a parahybana will be eating everything.............. crickets,.... locusts,.... roaches,.... the toaster,.... kitchen sink,.... the mother in law......................

The mother in law
I should be so lucky !!!
the good thing is the mother in law hates anything that creeps or crawls so unexpected visits have dropped off completely

Oh well in with another few crickets she is eating them like potato chips not even spitting out the hard bits

Clint