Humidity

[Guest]

I have a 4x2x30 enclosure ... I have a house hold Humidity and temperature gauge . 160 watt power sun and 150 ceramic heater .. the vent on top is 4x8 inches .. The substrate is Cyprus mulch 4 inches .. It seems harder than it should be to keep the humidity up ... [spray bottle] I spray five or six times a day .. What are some remedies to keep the humidity up ..

 

[Guest]

Did you seal the inside of the enclosure with something like Drylock? If not, then the bare wood is gonna simply act like a sponge and absorb any moisture you put in there. When I built our enclosure (which is actually the exact same dimensions as yours), I put four coats of Drylock and four coats of latex exterior paint on the inside, in addition to sealing the seams with silicone caulking. Sure, it was a little overkill, but it's DARN WELL sealed. We only have to mist about every other day or so, and then once or twice a week, we just pour a couple pitchers of water over the mulch and stir everything up. However, if after that, you still can't get your humidity levels up, you can simply make a "humidity box" and add it to the enclosure. I've heard of people using a Tupperware or Rubbermade like shoebox (basically something plastic), keeping the lid on, cutting a hole in it large enough for your tegu to crawl in and out of, and then filling it with moist mulch, sphagnum moss, and such.

 

[Guest]

I have never tried putting water other than mist on the Cyprus ... As the small enclosure is temporary I just made a top for a 100gallon stock tank so it is water proof .. Ill try putting some real water in it .. thanks for the help ..