As you may know, Ackie Monitors or Spiny-tailed Monitors or Varanus acanthurus are great and wonderful pet. Also, they have their origins from Australia, and now parents them fascinating and highly interesting reptiles. People have come to associate geckos for being highly curious creatures, intelligent and also somewhat manageable in size especially when compared to larger monitors.
When it comes to pets they are rather smart and playful, it is interesting to have them as friends. Ackie Monitors are one of the most prized small to medium-sized lizards for their beautiful appearance and playfulness; with their spiky tails and brightly colored bodies, these little guys make fantastic members of any reptile family. This is true to their particular care needs that include maintaining the right environmental humidity for their well being and growth.
Now it is the time to discuss with them what relative humidity is and how necessary it is for their healthy life. Ackie Monitors are indigenous to the hot zones and as such, the proper levels of humidity must be kept in their enclosure. There is an important role in shedding, skin hydration and health in general while having moderate levels of humidity. It also recreates environments they are used to and thus offers them a comfortable and viable environment to live in. It is therefore be very important that one is able to draw some form of equilibrium and settle for the right level of humidity that is perfect for the needs of the plants.
Challenges that characterise control of humidity in their enclosure
An Ackie Monitor’s humidity can be influenced by the following factors and in order to maintain optimum humidity for your pet Ackie Monitor, the following are some of the things you should do. First of all, select the substrate, which is to be more moisture retentive, for instance, coir or cypress mulching.
This will assist in creating humidity inside the enclosure since there will be water source to draw from. Second, ensure the room has adequate ventilation to discourage humidity build up, and mold formation. You can offer a water bowl, or incorporate a mister to assist in maintaining the general humidity. Humidification: it will be easy for the water to evaporate thus helping in the overall increase of humidity. The size of the enclosure is another important factor in which one should consider is that the larger the enclosure the extra measures like misting or using a humidifier must be taken. Finally, it is necessary to consider the conditions that surround the selected for the placement of the enclosure room.
It is suggested to use them more often or find another source of humidity if you live in a dry climate. So, ensure that you check the humidity level and ensure that you change it once in a while. All these factors come in handy tö establish the most conducive conditions in terms of humidity which is paramount for proper health of an Ackie Monitor.
Creating the Right Enclosure
As discussed above, there is more than one method that you can use to maintain the humidity in the Ackie Monitor’s habitat. One of them is to install a system whereby a certain area is misted at a certain interval so as to enhance the moisture content.
As an addition, you may also put a small humidifier into the enclosure because the climate in which your chameleon is living or the central heating, if living in winter, reduces humidity. Other potential plan is to install a fountain or a shallow water pool or a waterfall which will help to raise the humidity due to evaporation. Just make sure that the area chosen is secure for the Ackie Monitor and it is actually convenient for it. Therefore, for the last one, the moist hide made of wet moss or any other wet substrate gives your pet opportunity to control the moisture.
Monitoring and Adjusting Humidity
A shot of a selected part of the uncommon brightly colored female Carpathian newt (Lissotriton montandoni)
To regulate humidity for your Ackie Monitor it’s possible to use a hygrometer to check the enclosure’s relative humidity and it is crucial to keep it within the range of 40-60%, although some species may require a different range. If the humidity level is not as optimal you can increase the level by using the fine mist spray, placement of humidifier or dampened hide box.
If the humidity is very high then it could be followed by increasing the air circulation or the number of water structures in the enclosure. Always monitor the humidity levels and regulate it in a way that will benefit your pet and its wellbeing.
Another part of conditioning the environment in an enclosure is through the use of mist as well as sprays. For humidity, there is a possibility of putting a damp sphagnum moss or a humid hide box. This is handy because it provides your Ackie Monitor with a specific spot within its enclosure in which it can control its environment’s humidity level. Another way of implementing this is the spraying of the enclosure with a spray bottle containing some water. This results to the formation of tiny droplets of water in the air thus leading to an increase in relative humidity.
Misting can be done once or twice a day depending on the needs of the Ackie Monitor that is under your care. However, if you have a much greater space in the terrarium, the use of a handheld garden sprayer and reptile fogger makes distribution of moisture much easier. These methods will enable friendly and healthy atmosphere for your pet to live in. In the times of molting and during the various phases of reproduction, special attention must be paid to the level of humidity.
During shedding, Ackie Monitors should be provided with higher humidity because if the shedding is not carried out appropriately, it will cause some problems. This can be done more often with mister, or by using a humid hide for the same effect. In breedings seasons some species may need certain level of humidity to induce breeding behaviour in the animals.
Challenges in maintaining humidity
Controlling humidity can be difficult because the water that is present evaporates, the amount of fresh air introduced into the environment is changeable, the source of water and the existing conditions in the environment. In arid areas the air is dry; this implies that likeliness of experiencing difficulties in maintaining high relative humidity is high.
This is mostly connected with an excessive ventilation which can result in low humidity. This is because if the water sources are low and especially if they are shallow they will also be a cause of low humidity. Further, conditions such as room temperature, and humidity levels can also influence the amount of humidity inside the said enclosure. One has to look for a balance and possibly make correct changes.
Here are the following orientations which will enable you to keep humidity in your Ackie Monitors;
- First, in arid zones in which water evaporates, for part of the enclosure, you can utilize the help of plastic wrap or sphagnum moss substrate in this case. This will enable check the cases of rapid evaporation that have been rampant in the market place.
- Second, while it is necessary to have ventilation to avoid fresh air stagnation, its excess leads to low humidity. If the required humidity level is higher, then the position of the vents should be changed or at least they should be only partly closed.
- Third, always check that your water sources like bowls or, misting systems are deep enough especially for evaporation to occur on a large surface area. Low humidity is also caused by wants and inadequate supplies of water.
- Lastly, the temperature and humidity in the room where the microcontroller boards will be located should also be taken into consideration a factor. Changing the room humidity using a room humidifier or changing temperature of the room you have kept your Ackie Monitor will help provide a better atmosphere for this beast.
Conclusion
Some important factors related to Ackie Monitor’s enclosure include misting and spraying methods, applying changes in humidity during the shedding and breeding periods, handling hard issues such as evaporation and ventilation and; the regular testing of humidity levels. Through them you will be in a position of arranging a favorable climate for them.
