# Heating a humid Hide???



## kelarned (Dec 13, 2010)

I have read a lot about humid hide boxes, but can't seem to find any specifics on how to heat them so they stay humid. I am transitioning my 3 leos from 10 gallon aquariums (which have been kept humid) to a new tort table that I have been building. 

I have two rubbermaid hides that I plan on using. I also have a misting system that I bought from big apple herp. So I've got the hide and the water, but I now need the heat. 

I have yet to experiment with them, because I wanted to hear some of your thoughts from your experience. I am slightly afraid that putting a heating element too close to the container will melt it. 

Equipment I already have. 2 ceramic heating elements (100 and 160 Watt), several heat lights, 2 Megaray 160 watts (I plan on using these for basking).

I would like to use the 2 ceramic heaters, but again...not sure if they will melt the rubbermaids or heat them enough where they may release fumes or toxins from the plastic.

Thanks in advance for your advice.


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## -ryan- (Dec 13, 2010)

Wow, you've got more wattage for one table then I probably have for my whole enclosure. The ambient heat escaping from the table should be enough by itself to create enough heat that you don't need any extra in the hide box.

The hide box does not need to be a basking spot. In the wild they burrow to find humidity, security, and to cool down. Tortoises and other reptiles, contrary to popular belief, do not need to be hot all of the time. In the wild they adapt to escape the heat, and animals that live in very hot climates can only go out in the heat for very short periods of time before they have to find cool shelters again.

So I would set the enclosure up first and see what kind of ambient temps you have in the enclosure (and the room... it's going to get pretty hot with all of those lights and heaters), before adding any more heating equipment. Obviously you don't want it cold in the humid shelter, because that's asking for problems, but keeping it too warm is also a problem.


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## Madkins007 (Dec 13, 2010)

All you need to do is to heat it just above the ambient temp- if the normal temp is 85, just warm it to about 86ish to warm the moisture. Parking it in a warm area is usually all you need.

You can also make a tent or something similar to help hold heat and humidity close to the table if you are in a cooler room.


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## kelarned (Dec 13, 2010)

Thanks...I guess I should have explained my equipment situation. 

I don't plan on using that much, I just have it. I kept and breed snakes and lizards in my classroom for years. the equipment left over from that. I can't keep the reps in my classroom anymore and the wife didn't want them at home. I convinced her to let me get the torts as long as I gave up snakes and lizards.


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## -ryan- (Dec 14, 2010)

kelarned said:


> Thanks...I guess I should have explained my equipment situation.
> 
> I don't plan on using that much, I just have it. I kept and breed snakes and lizards in my classroom for years. the equipment left over from that. I can't keep the reps in my classroom anymore and the wife didn't want them at home. I convinced her to let me get the torts as long as I gave up snakes and lizards.



I understand now! Sorry you had to give up the lizards and snakes. I have kept lizards over the years, and as they have passed I haven't replaced them. Right now I am down to one mali uromastyx, and she was and is the runt of her litter (very small still). I find that lizards are somewhere in between snakes and torts. I like snakes because they are easy to house and care for, and generally rewarding pets (I only have one right now because of similar restraints), and torts I love because, even though their care is more involved, they are generally extremely rewarding to keep and breed.

I see a lot of people come into the forums who clearly want the best for their torts, but they will set up 600 watts of heating equipment for a small tortoise in a relatively small enclosure. I have two 6' enclosures for tortoises, and each one is heated with two 45 watt halogen flood bulbs, lit with a single small fluorescent, and the red foot has a 30 watt heat pad on his hide spot. These setups are in a basement that stays around 60-65f, so the heat pad is simply to get the hide spot into the low 70's at night.

Just remember, lower wattage is better than higher wattage, not just because of efficiency. Low wattage heat lamps are much safer to operate, can be mounted much closer to the animals (eliminating a lot of heat loss), generally last longer, and will not dry out the enclosure as quickly.


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## Edna (Dec 14, 2010)

My little leos didn't use their humid hide until I added repti heat cable underneath it. Because my room temps are low (low 60s) I had a hard time getting the enclosure warm enough, even with it completely covered. The heat cable, on a rheostat, keeps the temps where my leos are comfortable.


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## Madkins007 (Dec 14, 2010)

TortyQueen said:


> My little leos didn't use their humid hide until I added repti heat cable underneath it. Because my room temps are low (low 60s) I had a hard time getting the enclosure warm enough, even with it completely covered. The heat cable, on a rheostat, keeps the temps where my leos are comfortable.



I love heating cables with thermostatic controllers!


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## Tom (Dec 14, 2010)

People used to always use aquariums, or glass reptile terrariums, for turtles and tortoises. Somewhere along the way somebody started the notion that this was bad because they hold in heat and restrict ventilation. I could not disagree more. I still use aquariums and end up closing up the tops as much as I can to restrict heat and humidity dissipating ventilation. I think large tortoise tables are great for adults and juveniles of small species. Babies need it hot and humid. I cannot make it hot and humid in a wide open tortoise table in a normal house.

To directly answer your question: Just put the hide box on the "warm" side of your enclosure, but not directly under the CHEs or lamps.

In my reptile room the whole room is warm, so I just put it where ever is convenient.


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## Madkins007 (Dec 15, 2010)

Tom-

Doesn't it sort of drive you crazy the way the pendulums swing? 

Aquariums used to be the norm, then got a bad rep for some reason.

Cabbage, spinach, Iceberg, and other foods were used badly (not as part of a variety, etc.) and got the rep as being bad and should not be used at all.

Heating from below was normal enough that there were lots of articles in the early 80s still, then it got a bad rep and is considered bad.

Classic 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater' stuff.


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