How do I Keep Humidity In Tank? (20 Gallon Screen Lid)

[ItsJustDan]

Long story short, My brother has a Bearded Dragon, He got a new tank, Was going to throw away the old one but I wanted to see if I can somehow turn it into a Pink toe Enclosure.

I believe its a 20 Gallon tank
Length 30.5 IN
Height 13 IN
Width 13.125 IN

What I had before was a 3 Gallon, I know big jump right.

Any ideas on how I could turn it into a Pinktoe Enclosure, Side note, The top screen lid makes it difficult to keep the humidity up.

I would really like this tank to be the new home of my Pinktoe!

 

[m0lsx]

When you say a pink toe, I assume you mean an Avic avic? As there are several different pink toes.
When it comes to humidity, change the approach & start to think good air circulation & moist substrate, as Avic avics NEED good air circulation as much as they need moist air.
In my Theraphosa stirmi's large floor space enclosure I use moist substrate & a large water bowl, plus regular misting to keep the air moist. With my Avic avic I use an enclusure with a much smaller floor space, so I have to use a smaller water bowl & less substrate. So I use sphagnum moss over part of the substrate to provide extra moisture & then I have plenty of plastic plants suspended from the top of the enclosure, which adds to the area I can mist regularly. But all round ventilation is as important as moisture.

 

[JayManges]

Long story short, My brother has a Bearded Dragon, He got a new tank, Was going to throw away the old one but I wanted to see if I can somehow turn it into a Pink toe Enclosure.

I believe its a 20 Gallon tank
Length 30.5 IN
Height 13 IN
Width 13.125 IN

What I had before was a 3 Gallon, I know big jump right.

Any ideas on how I could turn it into a Pinktoe Enclosure, Side note, The top screen lid makes it difficult to keep the humidity up.

I would really like this tank to be the new home of my Pinktoe!

Here's some advice I received from Viper69 on another board. He is like the Avic Guru. Follow his advice you can't go wrong. BTW, your tank dimensions are more appropriate for an terrestrial T.

"
Welcome to the forum and the world of Avics. It's nice to see someone has finally decided to do research in ADVANCE of their purchase, so their next post isn't "HELP MY DEAD AVIC".

Many of us, myself included, are Avic enthusiasts.

I STRONGLY suggest you pour through all the Avic posts on this forum, including the vivarium forum.

They aren't too hard to keep BUT when they are 1" and smaller are a bit more delicate in the sense they have a narrow range of husbandry requirements that keep them alive.

First off, DO NOT read any care sheets, they will impress upon you the need for high humidity- this is NOT true. Moist, stuffy containers with poor ventilation will kill your Avic.

You are best off setting up a tall container for your arboreal Ts, such as a 16 oz deli cup if they are quite small. If they are a larger slings, say an inch or a bit more go with a 32 oz deli cup. Definitely put substrate in the bottom, not too much, perhaps about an inch is my preference (there's no scientific amount to add). Substrate varies, I use coco fiber, others use top soil and others use a mixture of other sub types such as sphagnum moss/peat/vermiculite etc. Some people use deli cups or inverted AMAC boxes (google those). I use both.

Here's an example of inverted AMAC boxes http://arachnoboards.com/threads/amac-style-box-enclosures.282537/ scroll down to arboreal.

There is no need to mist your T, it's not a plant. There is no scientific data supporting the idea that increased humidity helps in molting either.

For ventilation (there's no science as to what is "enough holes" for proper ventilation) in deli cups I put a few holes up at the top in case the T makes a canopy and molts up top and needs water (I add water in with a blunt tip syringe if needed), and I put small holes around the top and vertically I make holes down the deli cup, usually 8 vertical lines of holes around the perimeter of the deli cup. I do similar routine for inverted AMAC boxes.

I keep my sub dry, primarily because it's easier AND it reduced the attraction of mites. I always clean the boli (spherical cricket remains) out off the substrate to minimize mold formation as they will grow mold.

I provide them a cork bark slab put at an angle from sub floor to top of the container, like a 45 degree, just lean it against the wall, no need to hot glue it. I would also strongly suggest you provide additional anchor points with moss hot glued to the slab OR even better some plastic plants. I use ones from ZooMed. I never use silk plants as they may have dyes.

Also, the plants are important because this genus likes to have cover. They don't like to be out in the open. If you don't provide cover you will observe your T typically with its legs pulled in, and very rarely move.

ALWAYS provide them a water bowl. They will not drown so don't worry about that. As slings they are pretty sensitive to hydration levels, ie not enough food or water to keep their abdomen plump and they will die.

This is the style water bowl I make: http://www.tarantulasus.com/showthread.php/4353-A-tip-for-a-Tip-resistant-water-dish

I keep the water bowl on the sub floor, they will come down to drink and they will come down to hunt as well. I just put in crickets on the sub floor and watch the hunting.

Some people keep water dishes up top via hot glue. I noticed no benefit when I did that. It's personal preference.

For temps I typically keep them at 68F night/70-75F day. No particular photoperiod, just sun up/sun down.

Feeding: I feed slings as often as they will eat, because their only job in the wild is to evade predators, and eat to get large enough to defend themselves. Too many people put their slings on **** Feeding Programs, ie giving their T 1-2 crickets a week. I don't believe in that. I'd find it hard to believe they only eat 1-2x/week in the wild, but there's no data to support my thoughts on this to my knowledge.

When they are hungry, you will often observe them pointing downward head first towards the sub floor, legs spread out a bit, not retracted to their 2 body segments.

They are nocturnal, but if an Avic is really hungry they will eat at anytime, day/night.

A. metallica is probably the best in my opinion, quite docile which makes for easier rehousing as they grow larger. However, don't be fooled by their typically docile temperament, they are faster than a human when they need to be.

Lastly, do your T a HUGE favor and don't handle it. It derives no value from being handled. It's not capable of forming any bonds with you.

Avics will take a flying leap off your hand at any moment they choose, even from heights that will kill/injure them because in the wild they expect there to be branches etc to land on. They don't expect a free fall drop onto your carpet or floor etc." (Viper69 2016)

 

[ExMember]

Viper rules!

 

[Arachnoclown]

Here's some advice I received from Viper69 on another board. He is like the Avic Guru. Follow his advice you can't go wrong. BTW, your tank dimensions are more appropriate for an terrestrial T.

"
Welcome to the forum and the world of Avics. It's nice to see someone has finally decided to do research in ADVANCE of their purchase, so their next post isn't "HELP MY DEAD AVIC".

Many of us, myself included, are Avic enthusiasts.

I STRONGLY suggest you pour through all the Avic posts on this forum, including the vivarium forum.

They aren't too hard to keep BUT when they are 1" and smaller are a bit more delicate in the sense they have a narrow range of husbandry requirements that keep them alive.

First off, DO NOT read any care sheets, they will impress upon you the need for high humidity- this is NOT true. Moist, stuffy containers with poor ventilation will kill your Avic.

You are best off setting up a tall container for your arboreal Ts, such as a 16 oz deli cup if they are quite small. If they are a larger slings, say an inch or a bit more go with a 32 oz deli cup. Definitely put substrate in the bottom, not too much, perhaps about an inch is my preference (there's no scientific amount to add). Substrate varies, I use coco fiber, others use top soil and others use a mixture of other sub types such as sphagnum moss/peat/vermiculite etc. Some people use deli cups or inverted AMAC boxes (google those). I use both.

Here's an example of inverted AMAC boxes http://arachnoboards.com/threads/amac-style-box-enclosures.282537/ scroll down to arboreal.

There is no need to mist your T, it's not a plant. There is no scientific data supporting the idea that increased humidity helps in molting either.

For ventilation (there's no science as to what is "enough holes" for proper ventilation) in deli cups I put a few holes up at the top in case the T makes a canopy and molts up top and needs water (I add water in with a blunt tip syringe if needed), and I put small holes around the top and vertically I make holes down the deli cup, usually 8 vertical lines of holes around the perimeter of the deli cup. I do similar routine for inverted AMAC boxes.

I keep my sub dry, primarily because it's easier AND it reduced the attraction of mites. I always clean the boli (spherical cricket remains) out off the substrate to minimize mold formation as they will grow mold.

I provide them a cork bark slab put at an angle from sub floor to top of the container, like a 45 degree, just lean it against the wall, no need to hot glue it. I would also strongly suggest you provide additional anchor points with moss hot glued to the slab OR even better some plastic plants. I use ones from ZooMed. I never use silk plants as they may have dyes.

Also, the plants are important because this genus likes to have cover. They don't like to be out in the open. If you don't provide cover you will observe your T typically with its legs pulled in, and very rarely move.

ALWAYS provide them a water bowl. They will not drown so don't worry about that. As slings they are pretty sensitive to hydration levels, ie not enough food or water to keep their abdomen plump and they will die.

This is the style water bowl I make: http://www.tarantulasus.com/showthread.php/4353-A-tip-for-a-Tip-resistant-water-dish

I keep the water bowl on the sub floor, they will come down to drink and they will come down to hunt as well. I just put in crickets on the sub floor and watch the hunting.

Some people keep water dishes up top via hot glue. I noticed no benefit when I did that. It's personal preference.

For temps I typically keep them at 68F night/70-75F day. No particular photoperiod, just sun up/sun down.

Feeding: I feed slings as often as they will eat, because their only job in the wild is to evade predators, and eat to get large enough to defend themselves. Too many people put their slings on **** Feeding Programs, ie giving their T 1-2 crickets a week. I don't believe in that. I'd find it hard to believe they only eat 1-2x/week in the wild, but there's no data to support my thoughts on this to my knowledge.

When they are hungry, you will often observe them pointing downward head first towards the sub floor, legs spread out a bit, not retracted to their 2 body segments.

They are nocturnal, but if an Avic is really hungry they will eat at anytime, day/night.

A. metallica is probably the best in my opinion, quite docile which makes for easier rehousing as they grow larger. However, don't be fooled by their typically docile temperament, they are faster than a human when they need to be.

Lastly, do your T a HUGE favor and don't handle it. It derives no value from being handled. It's not capable of forming any bonds with you.

Avics will take a flying leap off your hand at any moment they choose, even from heights that will kill/injure them because in the wild they expect there to be branches etc to land on. They don't expect a free fall drop onto your carpet or floor etc." (Viper69 2016)

Same thing we have been saying for years in this forum as well. No one uses the search features here in the forum...just keep posting the same topic over and over.

 

[JayManges]

Same thing we have been saying for years in this forum as well. No one uses the search features here in the forum...just keep posting the same topic over and over.

Regardless of where it was found, the information saved me from killing yet another Avic.

 

[ilovebrachys]

Same thing we have been saying for years in this forum as well. No one uses the search features here in the forum...just keep posting the same topic over and over.

I've noticed and it's getting rather boring.. @Arachnoclown you more than anyone must be so fed up sounding like a cracked record - I for one am pleased that you do give so much info about keeping Avics- I'm sure you've saved many by giving advice I just wish people would read through the forum more

 

[Arachnoclown]

Regardless of where it was found, the information saved me from killing yet another Avic.

Yes its good information and I'm glad it saved your spider. A quick search on this forum came up with 130 entries for Avicularia care....same info.
To alot of people on here...yes it does matter where it comes from. I'm not one but there's alot of people on here that left that other site, administrators, moderators, members ect...

 

[JayManges]

I'm not one but there's alot of people on here that left that other site, administrators, moderators, members ect...

Can I ask why?

 

[ExMember]

Can I ask why?

Too much drama and bs, mods making rules up as they go and not applying the tos evenly. Mods literally being referred to as judge jury executioner etc. They also have more of an "elite" mentality which is funny as all the high level arachnologists left a decade ago!

I left when the place just turned into people arguing about stupid stuff. There's a few people I miss but I don't miss that site at all. Despite having lower traffic this one is way better imo. Bigger sense of community

Those are my reasons. Others may have different ones.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Can I ask why?

Not my story to tell....I only hear what is said by everyone joining this site.
Personally I dont post on that site...bad experiences in the past.

 

[JayManges]

Too much drama and bs, mods making rules up as they go and not applying the tos evenly. Mods literally being referred to as judge jury executioner etc. They also have more of an "elite" mentality which is funny as all the high level arachnologists left a decade ago!

I left when the place just turned into people arguing about stupid stuff. There's a few people I miss but I don't miss that site at all. Despite having lower traffic this one is way better imo. Bigger sense of community

Those are my reasons. Others may have different ones.

And I can certainly respect those reasons. At the same time, I do bounce back and forth between the two boards under the same user name. Hope that doesn't get me in trouble.

 

[JayManges]

Not my story to tell....I only hear what is said by everyone joining this site.
Personally I dont post on that site...bad experiences in the past.

Truth be told, this site is easier going than the other one. Less prone to get jumped on if your arboreal enclosure isn't specifically taller than it is wide.