Correct heat and humidity ranges

[llmercll]

Alright, I'll do that.

I've been wondering if UTH's are actually necessary with a CHE? In nature, the ground is cooler than the air, no? And the sun is our main supply of warmth and energy, which comes from above. So, in nature would a hermie ever bury for warmth? Surely there's something I'm overlooking here since UTH's are so strongly recommended =p

thanks!

[Wai]

Given that you've got a small 10 gallon tank, you will not need a UTH if you use a CHE. CHEs will warm up the surface of the substrate as well as the air quite efficiently.

[ladybug15057]

But as Wai mentioned do not forget to use your thermostat. Any and all warming devices can make a tank too warm.
And yes, there are times in the wild that the ground is warmer than the air temp. Substrate keeps warmth longer than air does... and it is warmed from the sun and air temp... and hermies will burrow for warmth.

[llmercll]

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm pretty excited, it should be arriving any day now =)

I'll let you guys know how it goes,

thanks!

[arhoads]

what if your humidity gets above 85? I just got a humidity gauge and it said 65 so I misted the tank, it shot up to 99% so I took the lid off and that lowered it to 90 but its staying at that. Will it hurt my crabs?

[Purple pinchers]

If you misted the tank then the humidity is probaly not 99%, it only said 99% because there were water droplets on the gauge. What i do to find the right humidity when you mist is to cover the gauge up so water droplets cant get on it. Realy to high of humidity wont kill them instantly it will just make them unhappy and stressed. It might kill them thow if you have it at (lets say 95%) for a long period of time.
Also you should read this. http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... eather.php (if you scroll down on The link there should be a part that will tell you how to calibrate a hygrometer)

[arhoads]

Thank you, that was very helpful. When I had hermit crabs when I was a kid I had no idea I wasn't taking care of them properly. Never knew they needed salt water or humidity or that the commercial food wasn't good for them.

[ladybug15057]

***Note, salt water as in ocean/sea mix bought in a pet store sold specifically for salt water fish tanks. And some dry commercial foods, as in freeze dried or dehydrated foods with no additives are ok to feed them along with fresh foods.

[appps]

Alright, I'll do that.

I've been wondering if UTH's are actually necessary with a CHE? In nature, the ground is cooler than the air, no? And the sun is our main supply of warmth and energy, which comes from above. So, in nature would a hermie ever bury for warmth? Surely there's something I'm overlooking here since UTH's are so strongly recommended =p

thanks!

I agree, in nature they would I'd imagine bury to escape heat so an UTH wasn't my first choice in case they might bury to cool down but overheat instead. so instead I went with CHE too. I've got a 4foot or 45gal tank and one CHE easily maintains the temp in our temperate climate. It would easily cook them too if not for the thermostat.

I suspect the UTH are more popular because it's harder to house a CHE. As to work best It needs to hang in the tank but be out of reach and has to still have a lid over it as they reduce humidity too. It also needs special ceramic light fittings to screw into as plastic can be a fire hazard All a bit tricky, for a lot of our younger crabbers especially, to get the right set up and balance of temp and humidity.