BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Ok, so obviously after reviewing the care sheet, making conditions optimal for a sick lizard, and experimenting with new substrate, Im just requesting some info on the humidity of IJs. I read optimal is 40-45%.

My IJ was kept on dry beech chips to start with, and I felt it was too dry, and his shedding was really dry and flakey (shed 3 times now all with same result) so I purchased a humidity gague.

I had the exo terra cypress mulch to try (Jungle Earth) and Sid loved it, but it was again very dry, so since aquiring the new humidity gague, I bought some of the zoo med forest floor to try out, but once received, was quite damp in the bag. I put it in anyhow and monitored the humidity for a few days. At first, the humidity was well over at around 65, and spiked during the night to 75 When i awoke the next morning, the inside of the glass doors (wooden vivarium with sliding glass doors) were condensated. The humidty was around 70, so I kept the door open slightly, to allow some of the moisture to escape, and the enclosure has 5 reasonably sized vents anyway (vivexotic range for those who are familiar)

Anyway, over the coarse of the few days following, the humidity was around 55 - 60 ish and it came to the time i scooped it out and replaced with soft wood chips (like aspen but wood chippings, like a fine mulch but dry). The humidity has now dropped to 38% around about, and im fearing it will continue to drop (was 45%)

So, I was planning on doing a 75% soft wood chip to a 25% forest floor ratio. What im really asking is what is optimal humidity, what is low, and what is too high? I understand a little higher or lower wont affect them, but to what extent is, too much?

If anybody can give me an insight to this then it would be greatly appreciated. After all, Im just trying to keep Sid happy and healthy, and to aid his shedding a little better, since he needs it for his toes which were dropping off due to lack of blood flow from his septicemia.

Many thanks,

Joe

Have you tried misting his tank?
It's very hard to keep humidity up in most wood substrates--I don't think there's ANY substrate that would hold the moisture nice and steady. But if you play around with misting it down with a spray bottle, you might be able to kome up with a cheaper solution.
Mixing some of the moss/forest floor type of substrate in with the wood chips seems like a good idea, but you would probably eventually need to spray that down as well--as with the heat in the tank, ANY substrate will dry out, and eventually be whatever your regular air-humidity in your house is.

Good luck, and we would love to hear updates!

I did try misting when he was coming closer to shed, however I didnt want to risk overdoing it due not not having anything to measure the humidity with at that time. Ill give it a shot, I have some water in a spray bottle allready settled at room temp so Ill hive him a few squirts and see how it goes. What I am concerned about though, is the substrate moulding if it gets too wet. Its just a shame cypress isnt commercially grown in the UK, costing at $18 a bag minimum (£12).

Also keep in mind that you don't want the substrate constantly moist. It's best to allow it to dry out periodically to prevent any mold or other funky stuff growing.

Karen wrote:Also keep in mind that you don't want the substrate constantly moist. It's best to allow it to dry out periodically to prevent any mold or other funky stuff growing.

Thats kind of the reason I emptied the mulch to be quite honest, just to safe than sorry, and I really didnt want to risk running an RI at 70% humidity with an already sick lizard. I am however going to let the cypress dry out in a box, and then try it next change out. That was I can stick it in dry, and mist to keep it up. He really likes the substrate he has now though, its so fluffy and he can burrow so well in it

Well, I gave him a mist and his humidity has risen to a steady 45 It was at 40, and think that it will stay around the 38-40 mark now, so misting when it drops just a little too low I think is whats needed so I shal see how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Honesty, I would not worry so much about humidity unless there are issues. If you are having shedding issues, many have and good luck with adding a humid hide. Or as others mentioned, just spray the cage.

ReptileKing wrote:Honesty, I would not worry so much about humidity unless there are issues. If you are having shedding issues, many have and good luck with adding a humid hide. Or as others mentioned, just spray the cage.

Yeah hes having a few issues. Im going to add a moist hide when shedding, something I forgot about until you just mentioned it. He hasnt fully shed by himself yet. It gets to the point 4 days or so later where I have to aid his shedding.

Does anybody know the extent to which they humidity can rise to before its just TOO high? I dont plan on upping it that far, but its always good to know these things.

Many Thanks

Joe

Would a moss pit be helpful here?

skeetersmom wrote:Would a moss pit be helpful here?

That were my intentions. Hopefully he would use it because he rarely uses his hides, do you think he could possibly regulate himself in there?

What I did for my Brazillian Rainbow Boa was get a glass baking dish - filled it with moss, and dechlorinated water (all my animals get dechl. water). I put a heat pad under the baking dish and she is nice and toasty in there. I did put a hide over the dish but you don't have to do that.

You just have to make the moss moist - not dripping/soggy. Just remember, using a light to heat the enclosure dries it up. I have to use multiple heat pads in my hermit crab enclosure to keep it warm and humid.

What type of gauge are you using? If it isn't digital - it is probably not accurate. I got my temp/humidity gauge at a local hardware store (HomeDepot) for $10.

I think there's no need to stress out first of all. The optimal humidity range is 40-50%. If you live in a dry region, get a dehumidifier and maintain such humidity levels. If you live in a cold region, get a humidifier and turn on auto shut off when it reaches a desired humidity level.