Humid Hide and Dimmer Questions.

[LizMarie]

I love surfing the forum and have seen that people tend to go back and forth. You should have it on the cool side because on the hot side it gets dry to quickly, you should put it on the hot side because the cool side will leave a cold dampness. So whats your opinion?

I used to have it on the warm side but I do admit if your using paper towels it dries out really quick.

And I know how important a Thermostat is but I found that they're like $25 and UP! So I thought I might get a light dimmer because it's cheaper and similar to a rheostat(?) and I can pick it up on my next trip to home depot. Here's one.. Dimmerdoes it seem like if would work. Since I'll most likely get a ZooMed UTH sized for a 10gallon tank.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

A rheostat and dimmer switch work exactly the same way. They are a cheap alternative to thermostats, but you need to keep an eye on them. Because a bump of the dial can drastically change your temps, you want it where it's not likely to be hit, and you want to check on your temps frequently.

Humid hides should be on the warm side because you want them to be ... humid! You need to get the hide's temperaturs above the dew point so condensation will form on the sides. It's a visual way of showing you the air in the hide is saturated with moisture, and that's what you want. Papertowels are terrible at holding water, so you can either wet it daily, or change to something else. Sphagnum moss and coconut husks (the stuff sold in bricks!) both work very well and hold moisture a good long time.

 

[LizMarie]

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind when placing the dimmer. I plan to have a digital thermometer w/ probe on the warm side at all times, plus it'll be in my room next to my bed so I can have an eye on it.

Is the moss and coconut husks safe to use with young geckos. I had questioned the humid hide substrate once before and some people were saying that NO loose substrate should be used with young geckos and should just stick to paper towels. As long as it doesn't pose a threat I'm willing to use it, because paper towels are a pain. You have to wet them 10times a day for humidity that last just a little while.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

It depends on how little your gecko is. By the time they are a juvi the other substrates will be fine. You really only need the paper towels for the first few months.

 

[LizMarie]

OK.. I only ask because I have my eye on this gecko and she is approx. 6-7 weeks old and it'd be like another month or so until I would be able to get her and I wouldn't want to put her in jeopardy.