DT outdoor enclosure humidity

[cuppidsarrows]

I have a desert tortoise that I have had for about a year. I have been keeping him outside this summer during the day and inside at night. My question is what should the humidity level be at and is that throughout the entire enclosure or is it only in a hide?

Also i was confused as to what substrate to be using so I have been using bark inside and nothing outside.

 

[Crazy1]

Hi cuppidsarrows, Welcome to the forum I live in the Inland Empire (San Bernardino County) we are neighbors. How old is your DT and what's his name? From the looks of his hide he is still fairly small. He should not be on bark it is hard for them to walk on and usually made of Pine or Douglas fir both something that often can cause eye and respiratory problems eventually. A nice blend of Bed a beast (also known as cococnut fiber, or coconut choir) mixed 70% with clean childrens playsand 30% works well or just plain yard dirt as long as you don't use pestisicides or fertilizers (chemicals) in the yard or dirt. Inside I like Cypress mulch (playsand and cypress mulch you should be able to get at home depot or lowes). I would use dirt outside (I like natural outside) Just my preferance. You could replace the floor of your enclosure with hardware cloth and place it right on the ground then put dirt inside it. It works well for my Greek hatchlings. You should have several inches for them to dig down in. Plus during winter you can plant it for spring and summer grazing.

 

[cuppidsarrows]

I actually Have 2 DT they are about a year, one is named Sir and the other is Senior stubs (in hopes of them being boys ) Thanks so much for the advice I had both of them in bark in my indoor enclosure so I will change that. I never thought to use my dirt and we are doing a renovation in my yard and never used fertilizer so they will have a whole new outdoor enclosure by this weekend.

 

[fancrawl]

what should the humidity level be at the entire enclosure??



__________________
Crawl space dehumidifier

 

[Yvonne G]

what should the humidity level be at the entire enclosure??

I think people are putting too much emphasis on this subject. Just provide a humid hide and you should be ok. There's no need to measure the humidity. Look at the desert, where the desert tortoise lives...his "entire enclosure" is very dry. But when he retreats to his burrow, the level of moisture rises. Adding moistened sphagnum moss to the hide or stapling a moist sponge to the ceiling of the hide are a couple of ways to provide the humidity.

According to a GOOGLE search for humidity in the Mojave desert:

"Mojave Desert Climate Dry Tropical Climate (BW)

The Mojave Desert is found at elevations of 2,000 to 5,000 feet, and is considered a "high desert". It is a transition desert between the hot Sonoran Desert to the south, and the cold Great Basin Desert to the north. The climate of the Mojave Desert has extreme fluctuations of daily temperatures, strong seasonal winds, and clear skies.

Temperatures have been as low as 8°F in January and as high as 119°F in August. In May the temperature will begin to climb in excess of 100°F and continue into October. The night temperatures in July and August can at times be in the low to mid 90s.

In late winter and early spring the wind is a prominent feature, with dry winds blowing in the afternoon and evening. Winds in excess of 25 mph, with gusts of 75 mph or more are not uncommon. Although it is windy during all months, November, December and January are the calmest.

The humidity is below 40% most of the year. During most winter nights, and during and after summer rains the humidity can get above 50%.

The Mojave Desert lies in the rainshadow of the Coast Ranges and receives an average annual precipitation of 5 inches. Most of the rain falls between November and April. There is, however, a summer thunderstorm season from July to September with violent and heavy rainstorms possible. In 1986 only 1.5 inches of rain fell on the Eastern Mojave Desert, while in 1983 6.5 inches came down. May and June are usually the driest months.

During cycles of El Niño, as we have experienced in recent years, more rain falls on the Mojave Desert than usual. The runoff has resulted in shallow ponds in the normally dry washes and playas. For the last few years there has been more rain overall than the climate of 20 years ago.

The Mojave Desert experienced very heavy rains in the 1950s, when surface runoff resulted in severe erosion of gullies and washes and heavy silt deposits. A long dry period followed, ending with the present wet period.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, vegetation has grown denser since the early 1970s, most likely due to the increased precipitation. They conclude that the climate of the Mojave Desert hasn't been static, and has experienced many changes this century. Their ongoing research suggests that the recent climate variation has influenced both the landscape and the plants and animals of the desert ecosystem."

So, if you have to have a number, this says the humidity level is usually 40%



Yvonne

 

[tortoiselover]

Interesting info about the desert. Ithink because it is so hot out side a damp retreat is going to be all he gets. Plus I have to take into account the humidity ofthe surroundings as well.