Humidity issues

[Clock_Radio]

Ok so now that in my last thread i got everything i needed as fas as lighting and heating issues but now i'm starting to work on my humidity, i believe i should have a humidity of about 80 correct? and correct if me i'm wrong but the humidity is pretty much just how moist it is inside the enclosure correct? i know my enclosure is fairly bare but i'm struggling pretty hard to get my humidity over 50 >_<! i know that live plants will help but how do i exactly go about choosing a good plant or even where to get the plant at? and do i need to change my substrate or add anything to it to have live plants? right now its only repti bark any info to help my humidity is greatly appreciated!

 

[Missy]

I did not read your other post. Are we talking about a hatchling? Not sure what you are keeping your tort in but you can cover one end with plastic glass-plexyglass. Cocoanut choir holds moister well and plain dirt mixed in is good too. You can put spagnum moss in the hide and or a sponge atached to the top of the hide and keep moist. Plants help but be careful to not use plants that have chemicals in them. Keep a spray bottle near by and mist the substrate and the tort several times a day. I hope this helps.

 

[Clock_Radio]

ok well the tort i will be getting is a small red foot, aprox. 4-4.5 inches in length from my work and this is my set up so far



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[DeanS]

If you can mist your animals on a regular basis (at least 3-5 times a day) then 50% humidity is good enough!

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

I had a similar problem and i went to home depot and bought a piece of plexi-glass 18x24 and put it over one half of enclosure.Keeps the moisture in and it bumped the temp up!And as Deans mentioned you can mist him a couple times a day.

 

[Clock_Radio]

yeah, looks like i'll be taking a trip to the hardware store this week, will the plexi glass effect the uvb light at all? and can the light still rest on it or should i then find a way to hang it a couple inches above the plexi?

 

[Madkins007]

First of all, a heads-up. The drier your natural climate, the harder the correct humidity is. This includes what your normal indoor climate is like. Some respected keeper once said something to the effect that you can almost predict the degree of pyramiding by how far north the keeper lives.

Here in Omaha, I have to fight hard to keep them humid/hydrated indoors, and harder outside in the summer. I don't always win.

Many of the humidity-boosting tricks you read about, including Fife's 'spray them several times a day' trick seem to work great in Florida, or on the coasts and less well further north.

But- that is really kind of OK. Simple pyramiding (no softness or overall shape deformity) seems to be purely cosmetic. I'll fight it tooth and nail, but I no longer consider it a sign of failure.

Covering the habitat helps- the more you cover, the more heat and humidity you trap- but the worse the air quality gets, so do not cover more than about 3/4ths without a plan.

Most UVB will not pass most plastics. I suggest using polycarbonate (Lexan) where the lamp is and cutting out a circle big enough to allow light, heat, and airflow.

 

[Clock_Radio]

Hmmm, well on that note, as far the UVB through plastic and bad air quality through covering most of the tank, i will not be covering any of the tank just yet, first we will see how the humidity is once i get some live plants as well i'm going to be getting some moss to put in there sometime this week if i can find some good moss, we had some at work but it was rather browning and i didnt want to spend the money on it. right now the tank is sitting at about 55 humidity

 

[TKCARDANDCOIN]

What size tank are you using?I have my two Hatchling redfoots in a 75 gallon and i hung a ceramic heat emitter and a uvb bulb from the bracket on the tank.I wrapped the cord around it a couple of times and used zip ties to secure it.I then covered one half with the plexi glass and left the other half open and i am holding at about 55 percent humidity using peat moss/sand mix and spaghnum moss(mosser lee).this set up works well for me and i mist once or twice daily and water the plants a couple times a week.

 

[Kristina]

First off - the Repti Bark. That stuff is nasty and I would not use it for several reasons. First - it leaches color and will stain your tortoise. Two - it does not hold moisture well and will mold fairly quickly. Three - it can be very dangerous if ingested.

I would use a coconut coir substrate (the stuff that comes in a brick, Eco Earth, Bed A Beast, etc) personally. It has worked wonderfully for my torts that need higher humidity. The surface dries out fairly quickly, so shell rot is prevented, but underneath it stays nice and damp for when they burrow into it. Other keepers prefer either cypress mulch (you can use the big bags from Home Depot, Lowes etc. that costs $2-3 a bag) or orchid bark. Both are much better choices. Get some Mosser Lee sphagnum moss (also availabla at Home Depot/Lowes) and moisten it so that it is damp but you can't squeeze water out of it, and stuff your hide with it. Keep it damp by misting it daily, and also mist your tortoise directly on the carapace several times daily.

You can use plants off this list - http://www.africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm Just print it off and take it the store with you, and make sure to pick plants that will thrive in high humidity/low light. You can bury the plants pot and all in the substrate. Watering the plants helps raise the humidity as well.

 

[turtle crazy]

I use coconut coir (eco earth) mixed with cypres mulch from Home Depot. It works well as the top layer dries so that shells dont stay too wet. I also mix the substrate 2 or 3 times a week. In the past here in NM it has been hard to keep the humidity up as we have very low humidity. I now have an automatic misting system. It comes on 3 times a day for 5 minutes each time. My enclosure in my living room is 3x13.5 ft. I also have two large hides with moss in them. The redfoots I have like to come out and play in the rain when it comes on. They are much more active now and the humidity gets up over 90% after the rain and drops to about 60%. My hides are staying about 80 to 90%. The mister has made a big difference. I used to just mist by hand a couple times a day. My redfoots are much more active now.

 

[Clock_Radio]

kk all sounds good, and i'm using a 40 something, its 36 by 16 by 17 or something like that

 

[Livingstone]

I would use a coconut coir substrate (the stuff that comes in a brick, Eco Earth, Bed A Beast, etc) personally. It has worked wonderfully for my torts that need higher humidity. The surface dries out fairly quickly, so shell rot is prevented, but underneath it stays nice and damp for when they burrow into it.

^^^^^^Taken right from Kyryah's post. This is what you need, works 100%. You must water down the coconut and mix it so its uniform in wetness once every two weeks.