Humidity in my emps tank discussion :)

[Fergrim]

I just felt like complaining about my current situation (waiting to have the spare cash to spend on a heating pad). Heh

So currently I have a screen topped tank that's mostly covered in tinfoil except for where I put the heat lamp. Now, with the lamp on.. I need to mist more than once daily.. to maintain decent humidity.. with the lamp off, it holds at 80% pretty easily.. (which made me understand how great a heat pad will be)

So I have to mist very often and very heavily.. I moved my emps log the other day (one of those half log hides) and took a peek at the little burrow he made. (another thing I have to do is add some more substrate.. he's got about 3 inches all around and I'd like to double it.. just haven't gotten around to it) but anywho... his burrow is half filled with water.. hehe.. Now I mist from the side completely away from his hide.. but I guess the moisture spread through the substrate pretty darn well.

I just thought it was neat that he has a little natural drinking area.. I had been wondering why he had stopped hanging out in his water dish!

the end

[carpe scorpio]

Don't feel bad, when I first got my emperor, I didn't even know they needed high humidity for three months. Someone who had been keeping them for a couple years had to tell me. You will love the heating pad, it really makes life easier.

[Highlander]

How strange Fergim I also have my emp in a tank with a screen cover.And I too use tin foil to cover it up.Creeepy

[Fergrim]

yeah, my emps humidity is at the low end of 60-80 during the day and the high end at night.. go figure.

At least I have the temperature exactly right!

[carpe scorpio]

My C. gracilis tank is always 5 points lower in the day and cooler dark of night is what brings it back up.

[Highlander]

Yeah its a pain in the a$$ when your trying to keep the humidity up with a screen cover. I think I might try to make him a plexi glass cover like in Manny Rubios book.

[Fergrim]

I'm afflicted with the laziness disease that the dooby brings... So make a plexiglass cover I will not! But what I will do is spend the money on a side heat pad as soon as I have it. /poor college student looking for summer work please hire me/

[carpe scorpio]

Or something like this?.

[Highlander]

What kind of plastic is that?

[Fergrim]

ooh. I wish I could buy something like that... and what's with private pet stores grossly overpricing everything?

[eksong]

Hmm I've never misted my scorpions, maybe I should? I give them a deep substrate and just make sure the sub-surface layers remain moist. If they ever need the humidity, the scorps just retreat to their long underground tunnel.

I do have a shallow water dish, but it is too small to really affect humidity levels.

They are 3 emp babies. They've been doing well for the past 3 months.

[Fergrim]

well, I have a humidistat in there.. which I guess is just measuring air humidity and I'm sure it's much more humid along the bottom of the tank.. The substrate is constantly wet near the top, and my emperors burrow like I mentioned even has water pooling in it..

I'm just being extra careful about air humidity because I'm nervous about him surviving his molt.. He's only 3 inches or so, so I'm thinking he has a few molts ahead of him.. maybe 2 or 3.

[Highlander]

I was kinda nervous about starting out with a young emp because of t5he molting.But I figured that if I got an adult there would be no way of knowing hjow old he was.I havn't had him molt yet since hes been in my care but I'm shure he'll be fine.

[Fergrim]

me too.. but I also wanted to watch it grow.. I figure I'll learn from any mistakes I make this time... but from what I've been told.. you shouldn't be quite so scared of molting as you may be inclined to be.. chances are everything will go just fine

[Fergrim]

oh, and even if the air humidity in daytime is kinda low.. if he has the substrate to hang out in during the day which is clearly wet... will that make up for low air humidity?