Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Kingsnakes community. I'm worried that my two little guys are getting too much humidity. I've been reading that 30-40 is proper for them and my hygrometer is measuring low 60's. Should I be concerned? Is there anything to do? I've tried different rooms in the house with no positive results? Any thoughts?

Some one may kick my arse for saying this but I never had respiratory issues when I had leos in a 40-50-ish humidity climate or so.

Climbing 60 , well...
Short of getting a dehumidifier, the only things that keep humidity down are good ventilation, heat, and substrate that won't retain moisture. Air flow helps a ton, but drafts are a definite N-O. You can't really increase heat but I swear that overhead lighting (while not preferred) reduces humidity slightly more effectively than UTH or flexwatt heat. And substrate options are limited - just get them off bed-a-beast and anything else fiberous if they're not on paper towels. Not too much you can do apart from getting a dehumidifier.

What type of gage are you using to measure the humidity and where is it? (ie, the weather channel website listings for your area (hehe), a cheap-o stick on hydrogemeter, a slightly more effective/expensive option?)

And do you have access to air conditioning? A/C does the trick.
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Hi Cherri- I use a digital hygrothermometer just outside of the cage, which isn't accurate to the substrate but certainly seems valid for the humidity in the room. I actually have a dehumidifier down there, which also measures humidity. The temps are measured with a cheapo digital therm with a probe. Unfortunately there is no AC down there, but its only upper 60's to low 70's for an ambient temp. The air used to be rather damp without the dehumidifier.

This is only a temporary quarantine situation. I just wonder about long-term health risks.

Again, I will probably get my arse kicked by *someone*, LOL ...

But I wouldn't worry -- it sounds like you're doing what you can. Although I don't get what kind of dehumid. you have because it doesn't seem to be working! Either way, I'd get a humidity gage in the cage because I bet the heat tones it down a bit.

I hate to use the "in the wild" spiel with our captive-made herps but from what I've read in scientific documentation (not internet garble/speculation), Leopard Geckos in most regions were typically found under rocks and spent the day in caverns and deep crevices underground where the humidity was (contrary to popular belief) quite high...especially those in Iran with the gypsum levels in the soil. I guess this was their natural solution for the "humid hide"
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"