Awesome Bearded Dragon Tank! And A Couple Of Questions

[Skippeh]

Hey! I'm a 'newbie' poster here and I had some questions. (and a couple of pictures, too)

So first, The Humidity Gauge says its about 42. The Thermometer says its around 80' on the cold side, and about 101 on the hot side. Are these temperatures okay for my beardie?

I have the following:
Vine (main basking spot)
Plastic plants
Cricket bowl
Vegetable and Fruits bowl
Water Bowl
Fake Rock Area (Climb-able, and second basking spot)
Eco Earth Coconut Fiber Substrate
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Substrate:
I do not let Skippy digest any of this substrate. I keep his food and water in bowls and sometimes feed him out of my hand. Every morning I clean out the bowls and put new food in (incase any loose substrate gets in the food) ... I do know that this substrate keeps humidity high because it holds onto the water if it is sprayed. I am very well aware. I don't really spray the substrate any.. If the humidity gets low, I put more water in the bowl, or I spray the sides of the cage. (I haven't had to spray anything yet.)
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Anything that would help my little lizard enjoy his tank more?
Thank you for reading!

 

[aircustom]

From what I know you want almost zero humidity in there that promotes bad bacteria in these little guys lungs there only water should be from drinking it, the veggies they eat and the occasional bath

 

[Skippeh]

hm... are you sure? I have been told so much that a BD's humidity was supposed to be at 40..

Are you sure you got your facts right? :?:

 

[aircustom]

yes im sure u dont want anything that creates moisture in the air (wet substrate, alot of moisture in the tank, misting the entire tank) all of there water intake needs to be ingestion whether it is by drinking from a bowl which some will not do so u can mist your bd with water a couple times a day, giving them a bath every couple of days or so, and misting the veggies before feeding them. High humidity in the air is bad as they breath it in and it causes them to not be able to breath properly.

 

[Skippeh]

I believe most of that, but not the humidity part... Could you give me a link? To a place that tells you what you just told me?

Thank you for posting here

~Elizabeth

 

[Skippeh]

And yes, I do not mist my BD. He drinks from his water bowl. It still says that the humidity is high thou... Maybe it is a incorrect Hydrometer?

 

[Jess]

I can't find a link ATM, but the humidity should be < 35%. Having too high of humidity will cause respiritory infections. Personally, I don't even keep a water dish in my viv because it raises the humidity too much.

Beardies come from Austrailian deserts, where I highly doubt the humidity reaches 40%. :wink:

 

[aircustom]

It wouldnt hurt to get a reading from another meter especially if it is reading high. It looks like u have a mesh open top on that tank and that should be more than enough to keep the humidity down. What is the temps in the tank? If another meter still reads high u may want to think about getting him a different substrate. I know u said u dont let it eat in it but u can watch it every second of the day and ultimately some will get ingested and for such a little guy could be fatal.

 

[aircustom]

im sorry i did not see your post on asking for a link as far as u saying 40 which is percent btw being an ok number u are right but that is barely within the area that is ideal 30 to 35% is a good number which in reality is very little. I think my main point is saying that you really do not need to do anything to increase the humidity, as long as u live in a place other than a desert your humidity is probably higher than that anyways. You should not need to add water to the tank to achieve this level just with your bd. My only concern would be that with your substrate holding moisture that it may turn into a bacteria issue making your bd sick even without eatting it ( some bacteria give off harmful fumes)

 

[Skippeh]

That is why I am going to the petstore to get either tiles, reptile carpet, or shelf liner for my beardie.
Thank you for replying back!

~Elizabeth

 

[RedInkAus]

Anywhere between the 40s-60s is fine... Prolonged (I'm talking months not the panic button after 48 hours) exposure to anything above 70s could be detrimental.