Humidity plays an important role in the life of terrarium animals. And not only amphibians, or reptiles, living in humid tropical forests. Many inhabitants of the deserts are also sensitive to the regime of humidity and misunderstanding of this circumstance often leads to failures with the maintenance and especially the breeding of terrarium animals.
The simplest problem of humidity is solved with the content of semi-aquatic amphibians in the water aquarium. There, humidity is almost constant at 100%. Also, there are unlikely to be problems with humidity in the red-bellied turtle. We can not completely replicate the natural conditions in the terrarium, but we have to take into account the needs of animals in the humidity of the environment. Especially important is the moisture regime for safe reptile moulting.
The organization of the moisture regime in the terrarium consists of several components:
Design features of the terrarium (configuration, availability of ventilation holes, their correct location, the possibility of adjusting the size).
- Presence of a reservoir (s) in the terrarium.
- Availability of moisture control.
- The presence of moisture-holding materials (substrate), "humidity chambers".
- Use of special devices for humidifying the terrarium.
- Presence of drainage.
It should perhaps be noted that it is more rational to make a terrarium for a specific inhabitant with known needs (this applies not only to humidity). When using a ready-made, especially re-made from an aquarium, terrarium, where there is no special ventilation, it makes sense to arrange forced ventilation.
No matter how desolate and drought-resistant your pet is, at least a drinking bowl should be in the terrarium. The detection of an animal that is not prone to water procedures in a water bowl should alert the owner: is everything all right with the humidity regime? The change of water in a drinking bowl is perhaps the most common procedure when caring for terrarium animals. The water there should be clean all the time, but it becomes extremely dirty. Most snakes, for example, have a habit of sending their natural needs to a terrarium.
For many terrarium animals, it is advisable to combine the drinking bowl with a pond in which they can bathe and block.
Until relatively recently, accurate control of humidity in the terrarium was one of the biggest problems. Most terrariums did this by eye. Now on sale there were special terrarium hygrometers, which solved this problem. The simplest and cheapest option is the arrow hygrometer, which is attached with an adhesive base to the wall of the terrarium. More expensive hygrometers with a digital indicator. Often, hygrometers are connected to thermometers in a single unit. The substrate of the terrarium often plays a decisive role in maintaining the moisture regime. It can both accumulate moisture and perform drainage functions.
A special means of creating a favorable moisture regime is for terrarium animals a "moisture chamber". This is a kind of enclosed volume inside the terrarium, which in essence mimics the natural shelter (burrow) with higher humidity, compared to the main volume of the terrarium. The traditional and, perhaps, the best filler of such a camera is sphagnum.
Correctly arranged terrarium inevitably gives moisture to the surrounding area. Consequently, this loss must be periodically reimbursed. There are a lot of ways for this, and they depend on the device of the terrarium, the needs of its inhabitants, as well as the time and money that the owner can spend on his hobby.
The surface of the water in the reservoirs of the terrarium is seldom sufficient to maintain the necessary humidity by simple evaporation (unless, of course, it is the aquaterarium). Therefore, special efforts must be made to increase the humidity in the terrarium or its individual parts. The minimal options are the device of the humidity chamber and periodic spraying with a conventional household sprayer. In the presence of a large number of terrariums, you can use a garden sprayer with a can. Naturally, this should be a new apparatus that was not used for spraying pesticides. With the help of a hygrometer, you can quickly determine the desired spraying regime and try to maintain it.
If there are financial resources and no time, the process of moistening should be automated. For this purpose automatic sprinklers, rain installations and "fog generators" are used. All these devices work in the session mode. The frequency of inclusions is selected experimentally, based on the indications of the hygrometer. The switching period is set using the time switch.
Good luck to everyone in this difficult but exciting hobby. And never forget that we are responsible for those who have tamed.