# Misting system for sulcata??



## Tony the tank (Nov 11, 2011)

Has anyone used a misting system in there indoor enclosure...I'm thinking of installing a misting system in order to raise humidity in my rather lg indoor enclosure.. Humidity in the enclosure on certain days drop to 30% and my humidifier goes through 3 gallons a day and the highest I can get it is 50% lately...(averages about 40%)

My thoughts are to run a very fine misting system early morning , midday and just before lights out..For about a minute each time..hopefully this will put a large amount of water into the air and help with raising humidity..

Right now I run the humidifier and I mist the hay..3 times a day(using a pump mister) ..humidity goes up for a few hrs then rapidly drops down into 40-50% and im not running the forced hot air furnace yet..so it's only going to get worst..

The system I'm thinking about is similar to the misting system used by grocery stores to mist their produce .. But of course with a finer mist...

Thoughts ?

Pros and cons??


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## AnthonyC (Nov 11, 2011)

I think it sounds like a good idea, provided your enclosure is nice & hot. If not your misting system is going to become a cooling system! Yikes! Lemme know how it works for you, Hector. I'm going to be investing in a much bigger misting system too. Like you, I'm sick & tired of constantly pulling the trigger on those damn spray bottles!


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## Tony the tank (Nov 11, 2011)

Im thinking I could plumb it into my hot water system...Or feed it from a 55 gallon barrel with a couple of aquarium heaters..

I don't want to run it for too long as I don't want to dampen the hay...Not sure if itsevenpossible..But I also want to cut down on the dust... It's so dry that the hay after being trampled on by the torts turns into a fine dust... Which covers everything in the enclosure...


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## AnthonyC (Nov 11, 2011)

Hey give it a shot! What the heck! I've learned most things in life through trial & error. I'm really curious how it turns out!


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## Tom (Nov 11, 2011)

Anthony, go to OSH, Lowes or Home Depot and get a small handheld hudson sprayer. They are a life saver.

Hector, I don't think this is necessary or good for adults, especially in winter and with a hay substrate. Babies need humidity and hydration for proper shell growth and good health, but adults do just fine in the dry air. Mine live outside year round here and humidity here is often in the single digits and rarely above the teens. There is very little humidity in AZ either and thousand upon thousands of sulcatas live outside there and thrive.

Once a sulcata is over 6-8", or 10-12" if you really want to go the extra mile, humidity is much less of a factor in their growth and health. By that size I just make drinking water available and occasionally soak them when I get around to it on a warm day.

... just my two cents.


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## Tony the tank (Nov 11, 2011)

Yeah...but hate to invest 2-3 hundred only to realize it won't work....

Wow..I would have thought there would be a few here that used a misting system??


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## nikki0601 (Nov 11, 2011)

I'd get rid of the hay and put something in that will hold the moisture and not mold, some coir or mulch or moss etc


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## EKLC (Nov 11, 2011)

if your enclosure does not have a top, you're fighting an uphill battle. You can make a very cheap dome to put over the enclosure with a PVC frame and clear plastic tarp, that will hold the moisture and heat in nicely.


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## Kristina (Nov 11, 2011)

Ditch the hay, and get one of these 

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Misting-System

I built a similar unit for my Manouria.


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## Tony the tank (Nov 11, 2011)

Tom said:


> Anthony, go to OSH, Lowes or Home Depot and get a small handheld hudson sprayer. They are a life saver.
> 
> Hector, I don't think this is necessary or good for adults, especially in winter and with a hay substrate. Babies need humidity and hydration for proper shell growth and good health, but adults do just fine in the dry air. Mine live outside year round here and humidity here is often in the single digits and rarely above the teens. There is very little humidity in AZ either and thousand upon thousands of sulcatas live outside there and thrive.
> 
> ...




Tom are you sure of that..the reason i was thinking it's to dry for them.. Seems like there always clearing there throats..and anything placed in the enclosure dries up in minutes...head of romain shrivels up in a few hrs..(example made myself a sandwich went into the enclosure to adjust a timer..put the sandwich down for about 5 minute the bread was dry and hard)..


Just want to do the right thing.. What do you think..and it's only going to get worst once I start running the furnace...

Nikki..I use hay as a substrate because there pretty big enclosures and I change the substrate once a week.. Sometimes twice...and that would get really expensive with orchard bark..

Eklc..the enclosure is actually a room with 8 ft ceilings insulated and lined with a plastic vapor barrier...

But thanks for the recommendations..keep them coming..





Kristina said:


> Ditch the hay, and get one of these
> 
> http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Misting-System
> 
> I built a similar unit for my Manouria.



Kristina..I looked at that system.. Just think it would be to small..as I intended to mist both enclosures thats almost 500sqft using one high pressure pump..

But now I'm to sure if I even need to do it..Tom ..tells me humidity isn't as important for a adult sulcata...

As for the hay in the enclosure molding...it never stays wet (even when soaked) for more than an hr.....


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## CtTortoiseMom (Nov 11, 2011)

To see if the humidity issue is what is causing them to clear their throats I would set up a hot air humidifier. Vick's sell's a great one for $30, I have one in every bedroom. I was shocked by the power and heat they kick out.


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## Tony the tank (Nov 11, 2011)

CtTortoiseMom said:


> To see if the humidity issue is what is causing them to clear their throats I would set up a hot air humidifier. Vick's sell's a great one for $30, I have one in every bedroom. I was shocked by the power and heat they kick out.



Ctmom..I have a 2 gallon humidifier 24/7 in there now..I fill twice a day..once in the morning and once in the evening... And it doesn't seem to make a difference....I've run 4 dedicated circuits into the enclosures ..2/20amp and 2/15amp and if I install more humidifiers I'm going to need to run more circuits..and I really don't think the humidifiers will keep up..

I have noticed when I soak everything down they do become more active..and they seem to breath easier..not constantly trying to clear there nares


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## CtTortoiseMom (Nov 11, 2011)

Tony the tank said:


> CtTortoiseMom said:
> 
> 
> > To see if the humidity issue is what is causing them to clear their throats I would set up a hot air humidifier. Vick's sell's a great one for $30, I have one in every bedroom. I was shocked by the power and heat they kick out.
> ...


Oh wow, I didn't know. Sorry, I am learning from you how to house a large tort inside during winter in the Northeast so I don't have anything.


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## SteveP (Nov 11, 2011)

Id like to think I found a simple way to keep humidity in my tank. Its almost completely sealed up to keep both heat and humidity in. I also dump the water dish in the soil mix every few days to keep an area damp. I keep my lights and basking area on one end and the water dish and wet area on the other. I can keep the temp around 90 and humidity around 80%. When the humidity drops, I just add a little water to the substrate.


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## Tom (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm telling you, it does not get any drier than it does here or in AZ. Single digit humidity. Everything here dries in an instant too, like your sandwich. The humidity on my temp/humidity gauge in my night box is always pegged as low as it will go. The adults do just fine with dry. I also bed mine on bermuda hay in my night boxes.

Anyone reading this please note: We are talking about ADULT sulcata tortoises here, NOT babies or smaller juveniles.


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