How do I boost humidity in tank?

[Tortalini]

Hey I just bought a bigger tank for my red foot and i've been having trouble keeping the humidity up. I live in Ohio so I don't know if its the cooler weather that's doing it or if it has something to do with the tank. I bought a fogger to put in the tank, but it l makes huge puddles on my tank floor. I'm having to mist the tank every 20 minutes which is getting really tiresome. Any suggestions would be great!

 

[jsheffield]

Any degree that you can cover the tank to enclose it will improve the humidity.

J

 

[Tortalini]

I've tried that, but I can only cover a small portion of the tank because of the heat lamp fixture.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Whats the size of your tank? With a lid, maybe you can cut back on the size of your lighting, heating. All your heat & humidity - with no lid - are just escaping out the top like a chimney.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I just recently converted a tank for my yearling. You'll have to make a top to hold the humidity in. I built this one, it's wood with quarter inch foam board liquid nailed to the bottom to protect the wood and help insulate it. Once you've got it covered you need to pour like a gallon of water into your substrate. Just make sure the top layer of your substrate is dry.

 

[Tom]

I've tried that, but I can only cover a small portion of the tank because of the heat lamp fixture.

As you are seeing, there is no way to do it with an open top. You need to buy or build a closed chamber with the heat and lights inside.

 

[bluewolf]

Hey I just bought a bigger tank for my red foot and i've been having trouble keeping the humidity up. I bought a fogger to put in the tank, but it l makes huge puddles on my tank floor. I'm having to mist the tank every 20 minutes which is getting really tiresome. Any suggestions would be great!

Am in between the glass tank from the pet store and the 4x4 coming from Amazon. IOh and my tortoise hates glass,it is cool to the touch so seemed to lose heat. If the habitat is big enough to need the lites higher isn’t that difficult?

I did dump a bunch of water on the coconut soil beneath 2 other layers of substrate. Boy was it ever humid!! I don’t have a top yet so I found the right size books to cover it. I did not have it perfect but the glass was very moist next morning.

Keep all these expert posts and pics coming. I am so glad for the info and directions on how to do it

 

[SPILL]

The warm air from the furnace wrecks humidity levels. Like others have said, cover as much as possible if you can't cover completely.

Deeper substrate, stirred daily helps. Live plants in the enclosure will help. If you're able to sacrifice some floor space a large container of water that the tort can't access will raise humidity some as the water evaporates. They won't propagate as well as if they had soil, but spider plants can be rooted in containers of only water.

Raising the humidity level of the whole room may also be beneficial. Live plants in the room, a humidifier, and buckets of water kept near heat vents could help.

 

[bluewolf]

I just recently converted a tank for my yearling. You'll have to make a top to hold the humidity in. I built this one, it's wood with quarter inch foam board liquid nailed to the bottom to protect the wood and help insulate it. Once you've got it covered you need to pour like a gallon of water into your substrate. Just make sure the top layer of your substrate is dry. View attachment 283340 View attachment 283341

i love this top. Thanks

 

[bluewolf]

As you are seeing, there is no way to do it with an open top. You need to buy or build a closed chamber with the heat and lights inside.

am I getting you right that you hang the heat and lights inside the habitat but beneath the top that blocks the loss of heat and humidity?

 

[Tom]

am I getting you right that you hang the heat and lights inside the habitat but beneath the top that blocks the loss of heat and humidity?

This is how a person might make a workable compromise with an open topped enclosure, but it would be better to have a real closed chamber with a solid top and front opening doors.