Hudmidity?

[jdub]

Currently my setup uses timothy hay as a substrate bedding. This is where my little torts reside at night. The humidity usually stays around 40-50% but then recently i noticed that its been extra dry. Is there an easy way to up the humidity without wetting the hay? I didn't want to wet the hay because it would cause it to rot. At the moment i have a saucer with water under the heat lamp. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to do the trick.

 

[dannomite]

I think this is the reason people don't recommend hay as a substrate, you can't moisten it without it molding. Perhaps its time to consider a different substrate? I found live plants in my enclosure helps with humidity too. If you used a more soil-like substrate you could moisten it as needed. I guess that depends on the kind of tort you have too.

 

[jdub]

I currently have three sulcata's right now and i'm considering using half coco coir and half play sand. only thing is i'm afraid that the sulcata's might get compacted if they accidently ingest the sand. so i'm just trying to avoid sand in general.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Generally speaking the tortoises don't get impacted from using eco-earth and sand. They would have to eat 100% sand to get impacted. Most of us recommend eco earth and play sand as a substrate. That's how we keep the humidity level up. I personally use fine grade orchid bark for my substrate but it's getting kinda hard to find. I certainly would get rid of the hay and get a decent substrate that will hold humidity and that the tortoises can live with...hay is simply not a good substrate for Sulcata...

 

[jdub]

oh... okkay thanks maggie. i'll definitely do that. there's just so much information on net which makes some stuff contradicting.

 

[russian]

Does having a moist substrate cause shell rot though?

 

[Yvonne G]

The lights and heaters quickly dry up the top layer, leaving a nice moist underlayment, which the tortoise digs down into in his hiding place. Unless you get it too wet and it stays wet, you don't have to worry about shell rot.

Yvonne

 

[jdub]

ah.. okkay sounds good. so 50% play sand and 50% bed a beast would good?

 

[Crazy1]

A 50/50 ratio is ok or a 70/30 ratio of bed a beast and sand is fine also. Soak the bed a beast then squeeze out the water and mix with the sand. Then you add a glass of water and mix when it starts to dry out. Which may be every several days to once a week depending on your ambient humidity where you live. I got a very good humidity gauge from Egg Cartons.com and it really didn’t cost much.

 

[jdub]

hmm... and what humidity reading should i aim for sulcatas?

 

[Jentortmom]

I like the 70/30 ratio of soil/sand seems to work well. I use a spray bottle and mist it and stir it to get everything moist. I've read quite a few sulcata caresheets, all tell you humidity, but none ever tell you a good range, but looking around on here I would say somewhere between 40-50%, I saw a post with someone having there humidity higher but I really don't know if that is to high. Sorry I couldn't help more with the ranges.

 

[jdub]

no prob. thanks though if that range is doing well for you then i have an idea of where to get it.

 

[iridedumped]

i use a tropic aire reptile humidifier and it works pretty well IMO.

here what it looks like
http://www.mushbox.com/tropic-aire.html

 

[Millerlite]

mine ranges from 30% to 80% the 80% is just where the clovers are, but they can choose to stay there if they want, i found it to work out really well.

 

[jdub]

oh... yah mine only ranges from 30-40 most of the time it lingers at 30. but i'm in the process of changing my substrate from hay to 70/30 bed a beast and play sand to see how it goes. thanks for all the awesome replies!