Humidity - how high is too high?

[STjepkes]

Hello, my name is Schuyler. I'm very excited to be picking up my first pair of leo's next week, and have nearly everything good to go. My last big worry is humidity. I live in Western Washington and a lot of the time ambient humidity is 50-65%. I'm wondering if this would be fine for the geckos or if this will cause respiratory problems? I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this.

If it is fine, should I omit the humid hide in lui of a second regular hide?

If not should I keep them in a terrarium, rather than a rack system and use an Infrared light to try to bring it down to a more desert like condition?

Thank you for any replies.

 

[Nooon]

The heating and lighting will bring the humidity down. Give it a test drive and you´ll see.

 

[STjepkes]

Thanks for the reply, but that really doesn't answer most of my thread.

 

[Nooon]

Thanks for the reply, but that really doesn't answer most of my thread.

Oh... sorry Where i live the humidity can be rather high (61% right now) but in my terrarium it is a lot dryer. I have not checked today but it is definitely a lot lower - not above 40%.
...so I´d say you should not omit a humid hide.

...but I´ll keep track of this tread to see what other may say.

 

[STjepkes]

Do you use an overhead lamp? Or is this just from belly heating? Thanks again for the reply. People don't seem to really know what exactly is "too high" so no worries. I just kind of assumed there would be a definitive number, but apparently things aren't so simple.

I'm sure I can house them in terrariums just fine, it's just the much more enclosed rack system that has me worried, I have a nice 15qt/32qt 7 level rack coming from AP in August and wanted to know if that is another viable option for my situation.

 

[Nooon]

Do you use an overhead lamp? Or is this just from belly heating? Thanks again for the reply. People don't seem to really know what exactly is "too high" so no worries. I just kind of assumed there would be a definitive number, but apparently things aren't so simple.

I'm sure I can house them in terrariums just fine, it's just the much more enclosed rack system that has me worried, I have a nice 15qt/32qt 7 level rack coming from AP in August and wanted to know if that is another viable option for my situation.

Well... there are florescent lighting but my terrarium is rather large and they are not enough to change the temperature. There is also a heating mat I don´t know what you call them but it is heating under the terrarium at one end (1/4). Im actually having the opposite problem - to low humidity. Of course ventilation is a key to this too.

 

[Nooon]

Hi, getting back to you about humidity. I´ve done some reading. 50%-65% humidity will not be a problem. That is the level of humitiy found under ground in the areas where Leos live in the wild. For problem free shedding there should be a humidity of 40-60%. This level should always be maintained in humid hides. Even 70% is said to be OK. The heating will make the air in the terrarium a bit dryer if it is not too ventilated with a mesh top... which I figure is natural conditions as long as it is not Sahara dry. In the evening the humidity should increase. Then you can mist the terrarium with lukewarm water. Something my leo sometimes comes out from her hides to enjoy.

Sources:
http://user.tninet.se/~jnr359j/fukt.html ("About the problem of maintaining the proper air and soil humidity in a terrarium." In swedish - you might want to run it through google translate)
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1796&aid=1643
http://www.dlblanc.com/coloherp/cb-news/archive/careshts/leopgeck.php

 

[lisa127]

I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area.....1.5 miles from Lake Erie. Our humidity can routinely get up to 75%. I have never worried about humidity at all and it's never been a problem. They are inside, where for most of the year either the heat or air conditioning is running. That dries out the air. Even if it's not on though, there has never been a problem. I keep their cages like anyone else.....dry overall with a humid hide.