air humidifier - safe for rats?

[_ratowner]

Do you, as a rat owner, believe that it could be beneficial to purchase a humidifier? I have heard before that having a humidifier and ownng rats is not a good combination because the humidity can drown your rat´s lungs. I have recently purchased a space heater and notced that the air is actually really dry. I was thinking of possibly purchasing a humidifier so that the rats don´t suffer from dry air/ dry heat in the room that they are in. I have done research on having a humidifier while owning rats and have only seen good feedback, but i still fear that it could damage my rats´ lungs. The space heater is NOT pointed directly at the cage, rather it is pointed the opposite direction. Where would i have to place the humidifier so that it wont damage the space heater or my rats? I have also heard that it has helped individuals rat´s get over respiratory/breatahing issues. I also fear that the humidifier might not mix well with the space heater as it may cause water damage. All feedback is appreciated. I dont want to move forward until i know that it is 100% safe for my rats. I have read that dry air from winter can lead to dehyrdation, respiratory issues and irritation of the eyes, nose, skin, and throat in humans. Is that the same for rats and other pets? What humidifier is best to use? I´ve heard not to use ultrasonic humidifiers as the sound it emits irritates pets. I heard that warm mist is good.

Bottom line: Is it okay to use both a humidifier and space heater in a room containing rats? Is it safe for rats and other pets?

EDIT: I am realizing now that since it is both winter and I have a space heater in the room he is kept in, the air is really dry which could be making my boys respiratory issues worse. Would you say that it is a good idea to get a humidifier in this situation?

Thank you. All replies are appreciated.

 

[SQ]

If the air is dry, a humidifier can help, but does need to be kept very clean.
A cool mist humidifier is likely the safest type

I can not answer any questions regarding a space heater

 

[_ratowner]

Currently reading the older thread https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/warm-mist-or-cool-mist-humidifier.1091/ to see if I can find any more information on the matter but I have not come across anything useful this far.

For a cool air humidifier (if that is what I am supposed to use), are any of these alright. I am open to other suggestions, these are just some that I found. These ones are on the site wish, if you know of any other cool most humidifiers that you know work well, please tell me.
https://www.wish.com/m/c/5a066fb9552354627f41b448
https://www.wish.com/m/c/5a671371061be969c6c5d6b0 (I don't know if this one is a cool must humidifier as the tags are not organized)

Where can one get a hygrometer? Is this one alright? I am open to other suggestions.
https://m.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-Digital-H...r-LCD-Display/273551711457?_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1


Thank you. All replies are appreciated.

 

[_ratowner]

It would be very much appreciated if someone could help me out here as I would like the get the humidifier ordered ASAP.

 

[SQ]

I have no idea …. I have a Honeywell that I purchased 14? years ago at Canadian Tire.
If you want to know if specific ones are any good, you should be able to find reviews online, perhaps by consumer magazines …. or perhaps ask your pharmacist since they are a medical aid
I am not sure if they need to be different sizes depending upon room size but that is something you might want to ask a pharmacist. As for a hygrometer, no idea where I bought mine it has been so long but try reading online reviews comparing different ones.
People often get what they pay for so imo it is good to seek out reviews of products by independent sources

 

[_ratowner]

Probably around 99% of the affordable cool most humidifiers that I have found online are ultrasonic. My question is, if I were to order a cool most humidifier without knowing that it is ultrasonic (if the site tags it wrong), how big of a deal would it be? I don't want to accidentally get an ultrasonic humidifier of it is going to be a constant bother to my rats.

I have read that there are three types of cool mist humidifiers, "evaporative, ultrasonic, and impeller. Evaporative models use a fan to blow air over a wet wick. The cost for a spare wick is around $10, depending on the model. Ultrasonic humidifiers use a vibrating nebulizer to emit water, and they usually operate quietly as a result. Impeller models produce mist using a rotating disk." Which one is best for use with pet rats and compatable with a space heater?

Thank you. All replies are appreciated.

 

[_ratowner]

UPDATE:
I purchased this one. It is a impeller cool mist humidifier. After searching through many humidifiers, this is the ONLY humidifier that I came across that isn't ultrasonic.

 

[SQ]

That is surprising since there are many many different brands and sizes of cool mist humidifiers ….. most pharmacies, department stores such as Walmart, and hardware stores such as Canadian Tire sell them as well as amazon etc. I hope that you will be happy with it.
They need to be cleaned frequently because of bacteria

oh I found this online while looking for something else ….. no idea how good it is but to my knowledge it is a good brand name https://www.amazon.ca/Honeywell-HHM...551738597&s=gateway&sr=8-29&tag=msncahydra-20

 

[_ratowner]

I found it odd as well as I only found one that didn’t state it was ultrasonic within the many that I looked at. I hope that I am happy with it as well. It wouldn’t be too hard to clean I don’t think as it looks pretty easy to disassemble.
Thank you for your feedback and help. It is appreciated. Thank you for the hygrometer recommendation as well.

 

[_ratowner]

Turns out that the order for the humidifier did not go through so i spent all this time waiting impatiently for it to come in so that I can add moisture back into the air for both me and my animals and I found out yesterday that the order didn´t even go through.

I did order another one yesterday after I found that it didn´t go through the first time. I ordered it on ebay this time so hopefully it will come in faster.

All replies appreciated. If you have nothing nice to say, don´t say it.

 

[_ratowner]

This is my first time using an air humidifier with pet rats so if anyone is able to help me out a little that would be very much appreciated, thank you.

The air humidifier that I ordered came in. It is a cool mist air humidifier.

I was wondering a couple things about how to use an air humidifier with pet rats.
How long should I have it on for? All the time? or would maybe an hour in the morning and an hour at night suffice? I am trying to bring moisture back into the air as I have a space heater in the room that is making the air quite dry. I am also wondering if this could help my one boy with his respiratory symptoms.

Thank you in advance.

 

[_ratowner]

boost

 

[_ratowner]

My hydrometer came in the mail, it is really cool actually. It shows the highest and the lowest temperatures within the last 24 hours along with the current temperature. The highest and the lowest humidity within the last 24 hours along with the current humidity. It also has other features including three different ways to display it, hung on the wall, propped up with a built-in kick stand, and also has a magnet to hang it.

 

[_ratowner]

UPDATE:

The small humidifier that I bought a while has stopped working. Thankfully, I had a backup. It was the exact same humidifier but had just never been used yet. That didn’t seem to cut it as the humidity didn’t seem to go above 27% and was staying around the 24% mark and that was getting me worried as I had read that it should be much higher.

Today I was able to purchase a bigger and more expensive Honeywell humidifier from Canadian tire. I got this one: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/...sture-humidifier-0-8-gallon-0435250p.html#srp
It isn’t really anything special. If it doesn’t do any justice I can just return it and buy a different one. It is an evaporative cool moisture humidifier. The reviews seemed good even though there weren’t too many.

A problem arose when I took it to the house and was setting it up. Long story short, my room isn’t the biggest so there weren’t many places to put it. The manual said that it had to be at least 12 inches from any walls and at least 4 feet from the bed. I also kept in mind that I didn’t want it too close to either my boys or any of the other animals. I ended up putting it on the floor somewhat out of the way.

I just set it up so I am not too sure about how well it works. I measured and the opening of the humidifier is about 5 feet (diagonally) away from the closest corner of their cage. Is that too close? There is literally no where else I can put it.

If you have any other questions, I would be glad to answer. All replies are appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Roxy]

I have no idea …. I have a Honeywell that I purchased 14? years ago at Canadian Tire.
If you want to know if specific ones are any good, you should be able to find reviews online, perhaps by consumer magazines …. or perhaps ask your pharmacist since they are a medical aid
I am not sure if they need to be different sizes depending upon room size but that is something you might want to ask a pharmacist. As for a hygrometer, no idea where I bought mine it has been so long but try reading online reviews comparing different ones.
People often get what they pay for so imo it is good to seek out reviews of products by independent sources

Would you happen to know how to switch from warm mist to cool? I just bought a humidifier and nowhere does it say anything about warm and cool mist... I'm sure it's something simple but thought I'd ask anyway...