Cypress mulch wetness

wellington

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Ok so how do I use that? It’s still an open top container, correct?? Just better bc of more room?
It's not going to be as good as a regular closed chamber. But it will be better then what you have now and yes more room.
You cut holes in the lid that is bigger then the bulbs but not as big as the fixture. Line the rim of the holes with tin foil. This keeps the plastic from melting. Then you arrange the lights/heat over the holes.
Another way is to build a frame from wood or PVC to fit over the box and hand your lights/heat from that frame and then drape plastic over the whole thing.
@Yvonne G can maybe show you a pic of one she did.
 

Fire_bug80

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It's not going to be as good as a regular closed chamber. But it will be better then what you have now and yes more room.
You cut holes in the lid that is bigger then the bulbs but not as big as the fixture. Line the rim of the holes with tin foil. This keeps the plastic from melting. Then you arrange the lights/heat over the holes.
Another way is to build a frame from wood or PVC to fit over the box and hand your lights/heat from that frame and then drape plastic over the whole thing.
@Yvonne G can maybe show you a pic of one she did.
So how would I get the humidity high enough
 

wellington

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So how would I get the humidity high enough
By still wetting the substrate, then the heat warms the wet substrate and causes humidity.
The closing off of the holes by either way I said will help hold in humidity, will help hold it to stay up and wull also hold in heat.
Put the uvb light to go over the middle. The basking light at one end and a ceramic heat emitter at the other end. Put the hide at the same end as the ceramic heat emitter. Food and water in the middle but off to the side.
Use a point and shoot temp gun to be sure the temp in hide is 80. Also set the ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat so it keeps that end at 80 day and night. The basking should heat up the rest during the day. If the basking end gets below 80 at night, you will need to put a ceramic heat emitter on that end too just for night time, or be sure he sleeps in the 80F hide at night and shut him in just for night.
 

Fire_bug80

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By still wetting the substrate, then the heat warms the wet substrate and causes humidity.
The closing off of the holes by either way I said will help hold in humidity, will help hold it to stay up and wull also hold in heat.
Put the uvb light to go over the middle. The basking light at one end and a ceramic heat emitter at the other end. Put the hide at the same end as the ceramic heat emitter. Food and water in the middle but off to the side.
Use a point and shoot temp gun to be sure the temp in hide is 80. Also set the ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat so it keeps that end at 80 day and night. The basking should heat up the rest during the day. If the basking end gets below 80 at night, you will need to put a ceramic heat emitter on that end too just for night time, or be sure he sleeps in the 80F hide at night and shut him in just for night

Ok so do I pour water into the substrate
It's not going to be as good as a regular closed chamber. But it will be better then what you have now and yes more room.
You cut holes in the lid that is bigger then the bulbs but not as big as the fixture. Line the rim of the holes with tin foil. This keeps the plastic from melting. Then you arrange the lights/heat over the holes.
Another way is to build a frame from wood or PVC to fit over the box and hand your lights/heat from that frame and then drape plastic over the whole thing.
@Yvonne G can maybe show you a pic of one she did.
so do I pour water into the substrate on both sides of the tote?
 

ryan57

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It’s not a closed chamber It’s a 10 gallon tank. It’s all I have at the moment. But can I close the top somehow? I just read Tom’s guide.
While I agree with what everyone has posted, tonight I would recommend pouring water in the tank and covering the lights and tank with aluminum foil to keep the heat and humidity in. You MUST have a temp gun so you don't cook the little guy and s/he must have water. I would target like 85 degrees in in the tank and 80% humidity them move the stuff you have to a tote or something else when you have one... tomorrow. You will not need much wattage to make a 10 gallon tank 85 degrees or so. You must experiment and measure. If you want to keep a heating element on all the time without a thermostat, the temperature in the room must remain constant.
 

Fire_bug80

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While I agree with what everyone has posted, tonight I would recommend pouring water in the tank and covering the lights and tank with aluminum foil to keep the heat and humidity in. You MUST have a temp gun so you don't cook the little guy and s/he must have water. I would target like 85 degrees in in the tank and 80% humidity them move the stuff you have to a tote or something else when you have one... tomorrow. You will not need much wattage to make a 10 gallon tank 85 degrees or so. You must experiment and measure. If you want to keep a heating element on all the time without a thermostat, the temperature in the room must remain constant.
Oh I’m absolutely buying a 50 gal tote tomorrow and I just ordered a thermostat from Amazon
 

ryan57

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So... stump has an enclosure outside, kind of a winter house that will be moved outside come spring, the doggie bed where he is spending about 1/3 to 1/2 of his nights and the muggy box where he is every morning, until he goes out or all day/night. Tomorrow he's in the muggy box all day and won't come out except to eat.
 

ryan57

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Oh I’m absolutely buying a 50 gal tote tomorrow and I just ordered a thermostat from Amazon

Stump is just over 8 months 5 1/2" long and 702g this evening. The muggy box as you see will last through year 2 for sure. It's kind of the indoor burrow if you will. Stump now has 3 decent burrows outside in the enclosure and gets grumpy as heck and paces around if you mess with them.
 

wellington

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So... stump has an enclosure outside, kind of a winter house that will be moved outside come spring, the doggie bed where he is spending about 1/3 to 1/2 of his nights and the muggy box where he is every morning, until he goes out or all day/night. Tomorrow he's in the muggy box all day and won't come out except to eat.
Tortoises shouldn't have blankets.
 

wellington

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Just stick with the info you already got from Tom and myself. You don't need to add bunch more info to make things harder for you. 80 is fine for a over all temp. 85 is also fine.
 

Fire_bug80

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Stump is just over 8 months 5 1/2" long and 702g this evening. The muggy box as you see will last through year 2 for sure. It's kind of the indoor burrow if you will. Stump now has 3 decent burrows outside in the enclosure and gets grumpy as heck and paces around if you mess with them.
So the muggy box is what I need to make up? With the tote? How big is it
 

wellington

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Thanks for the great info. What do you suggest for a hide. All I have is a half log I bought with him
Half log is fine. Or you can buy a shoe box size colored plastic box, cut a hole in it for him to go in. You can also build a simple box out of wood.
 

wellington

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So the muggy box is what I need to make up? With the tote? How big is it
Please stick with what has already been discussed. You are just getting more confused and info we already went over. The "muggy box" is actually a humid hide. You need the whole enclosure humid not just a humid hide box.
 

wellington

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50gal.
We have gone over this and you are adding more confusion. He knows the type of tote to get. I already posted a pic of what he needs to find. Just let them take in all the info they have gotten and make all the changes without adding more confusion.
 

ryan57

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The issue I have with you specifically is that you are condescending with regard to the general intelligence of people in your responses. The terminology used is fabricated "human hide", etc. It's as if you're projecting to the community that this is rocket science or something. Honestly, whether you are humanist or creationist we are talking about a species that can adapt and is actually "programmed" with all that it needs to survive. They lived for much longer than the tortoise forum has existed. Right? Treat the future responses as such. Oh, don't walk on that floor surface, don't go out of an enclosure, oh, this, oh that... your tortoise will be Forest Gump if you let it walk around on a hardwood floor. Beat it with that nonsense. I bet my tortoise has walked for a longer distance than YOU over the past two days over every surface imaginable and is growing perfectly. If you are older than 20 or so you are dying. Why not worry about yourself and have a little joy in helping people. The world does not need a no joy in life, doom and gloom response on a tortoise forum. I can't get with the no joy approach and negative outlook when you're supposedly here to help people out.
 
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