East Hermann's Humidity Question

[irishshake]

So I bought a analog hygrometer . It had said my humidity was 50-60% humidity . 80% after extensive misting.

Then I learned they are garbage.

So I bought a digital one..... 10% . After misting 20% for about 3-4 minutes. Dumping water in allover 40% perfect for at least 2 hours. Except now my black top soil and coir is soaked.

So I bought sponges, little shallow bowls of water, and a humidifier for the room.

Its from 16% to 25% misted 2 times a day.

Ive read its suppose to be between 30-50%?

ALSO: There are certain covered areas in the enclosure that are good humidity and I soak him once a day.

Have I done enough? Summer is dying and cold fall is pretty much here .So he wont get to go outside much longer .

Thank you for your advice.
-Carl

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know anything about Hermann's tortoises, so you can take my response or leave it. Well, you can do that anyway, even if I did know something.

I don't think having a humid environment is all that necessary for the Hermann's tortoise.

 

[irishshake]

Haha yea. Ive heard that too. But Ive read about their wild life environment and it always seems to be in the 60s. Sadly when I hit 10-15% it worries me. And with some people saying that humidity is the cause of pyramiding for other species... It gets me wondering.

 

[irishshake]

Maybe some pictures will help. I did not want to resort to covering it, but ... If I have too . Also I ditched the sponges they did not help any.

.

 

[GBtortoises]

Humidity is very important for Hermann's tortoises. Where are you located? It seems odd that your ambient humidity is only 10-20% normally. Ideally for most Hermann's subspecies the ambient humidity should be in the 50-65%. A little lower is fine as long as the substrate is kept moist and drinking water is always available. A little higher is fine too, as long as the temperatures don't drop to low (below 60 degrees).

 

[Edna]

So I bought a analog hygrometer . It had said my humidity was 50-60% humidity . 80% after extensive misting.

Then I learned they are garbage.

So I bought a digital one.....

The digital ones can be crap, too. If your readings are unreasonable given the amount of water you're adding to your environment, I wouldn't trust the readings.

 

[Jeansie1988]

I don't know anything about these tortoises but awesomeeee enclosure!!

 

[irishshake]

Interesting. I read that putting the probe in a bag of salt water should give a 75% reading after 8-12 hours so tomorrow I will see what its at.

 

[Edna]

My digital hygro is much more responsive than that. It drops about 8 degrees when I open the lid of my incubator, then nudges back up to 76% within a few minutes of closing the lid again. If I spray water on the probe it goes to 99% very quickly.

 

[irishshake]

Thats strange, what brand is it again sorry? I bought an Exo terra digital one; It is half hygrometer/ half thermometer. Maybe that is my problem....

 

[GBtortoises]

You can buy reliable, inexpensive digital hygrometers in any hardware store or big box store (Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart). They're usually much less than any of the "pet shop" brands. I like Springfield model #91551. I've used these for years and am confident in them.

 

[Edna]

Thats strange, what brand is it again sorry? I bought an Exo terra digital one; It is half hygrometer/ half thermometer. Maybe that is my problem....

Mine is the Exoterra digital hygrometer. $16.99 from lllreptile.com

 

[irishshake]

Well 8-12 hours later.... 56%

Broken? Well, I got a gift card to Walmart so thats where I am headed today.

 

[irishshake]

Got a new one , springfield , 40% it is at now. Thanks everyone.