Are you struggling to keep humidity levels up in your reptile tank?
Do you need some ideas on how to address this problem?
If you want your reptile to thrive in its environment, you must maintain an appropriate humidity level.
Lower humidity levels may lead to dehydration or other health issues for your pet.
So how do you keep the humidity up in your reptile tank?
To keep the humidity up in your reptile tank, you’ll need to limit the amount of airflow into the tank, use a porous substrate, and increase the amount of water vapor in the air by misting or adding a large water bowl.
Keep reading to learn some simple ways to achieve proper humidity levels in your reptile tank.
Table of Contents
What Does My Pet Need?
Because the reptiles’ skin does not hold in a lot of moisture, many of them need to be in humid environments.
Humidity levels are determined by the amount of water vapor in the air.
The appropriate level of humidity for your reptile tank is going to depend on your particular kind of reptile.
If you’re going to keep the humidity at an appropriate level for your pet, you need to make sure you are informed of your pet’s history and needs.
Reptiles come from all over the world and live in a vast number of climates.
Knowing which environment is native to your reptile will help you better understand how to care for your pet.
Once you know your pet’s needs for a comfortable environment, you’ll want to recreate their natural habitat as much as possible.
Using plants, ground cover, and temperatures appropriate to their habitat will go a long way in keeping your reptile healthy and comfortable.
It’s also important you are aware of ways to increase humidity in your enclosure.
Here are six ideas to increase humidity in your reptile tank:
How Do I Keep Humidity Up in My Reptile Tank?
Use a Proper Enclosure
Because humidity depends on the amount of water vapor in the air, you want to make sure water vapor stays in the cage.
Therefore, you should make sure your reptile tank is all glass, not mesh.
Most tanks come with mesh screen tops to maintain proper airflow.
Allowing airflow into the tank is important because this will help keep mold or other harmful bacteria from growing.
However, if you’re struggling to keep the humidity up in the tank, cover half of the tank’s mesh top.
Use materials like Plexiglas, a damp towel, or another kind of non-porous material to keep the water vapor from escaping.
This set-up will allow for proper airflow, while also keeping more moisture in the enclosure.
Keep a Water Bowl
One of the simplest ways to keep the humidity up in your reptile’s tank is to keep a large water bowl inside.
You’ll want to use a water bowl large enough for your reptile to fit in or even swim around in.
The larger the water dish means, the greater the surface area of water.
This means there is more moisture available to evaporate into the air, which will increase humidity.
For the most significant effect on humidity levels, be sure to place the water bowl on the side of the tank with the covering on top of the mesh screen.
This will keep the water from evaporating into the air and escaping through the mesh.
Mist Your Tank
Regular misting is another helpful way to keep the humidity up in your reptile enclosure.
Use a basic spray water bottle filled with bottled or spring water.
Spray down your pet and its tank once or twice a day.
Also, don’t forget to spray the substrate and any other accessories or plants in the tank.
If you live in a dry climate, you may need to mist more often.
If you don’t have the time for misting, consider purchasing a misting system.
There are several systems out there to help you get the job done.
Do your research and find one to fits the needs of you and your reptile.
Use a Porous Substrate
The substrate is the ground covering or bedding in the bottom of the reptile enclosure.
If you find you’re having trouble keeping humidity levels up, take note of the kind of substrate you are using and consider replacing it with something porous.
Organic soil, moss, Cyprus mulch, and Eco Earth are all excellent materials because they absorb water readily.
Monitor Your Tank’s Humidity and Temperature Levels
To keep the humidity up in your pet’s tank, make sure you are regularly checking temperature and humidity.
A higher temperature may decrease the humidity levels because water vapor evaporates more quickly in warmer environments.
There are special terrariums equipped with temperature and humidity controls to help you monitor your tank levels.
If you’re not interested in purchasing a whole new tank, buy a gage to use with the tank you already have.
If you find the tank’s temperature is too high, decrease the temperature by making sure the heat bulbs you’re using aren’t too hot.
Also, make sure your pet’s enclosure is not directly under an air vent or window.
Put Live Plants in Your Pet’s Enclosure
Because plants have a natural process of absorbing moisture and distributing it into the air, including them as part of your reptile’s environment help keep humidity levels up.
Be mindful when you are choosing the plants to use in your reptile enclosure.
Some plants may be harmful to your pet.
You’ll also want to use organic soil because the chemicals in treated soil also cause health problems for reptiles.
Conclusion
Keeping humidity up in your reptile’s tank is simple once you know your pet’s particular needs.
It is a delicate process to figure out, but with the right materials and a little bit of monitoring, your pet will have a happily humid home.
