Humidity, no good?

[keiraliang]

So I got this fogger and put in my Red-foots enclosure because I read a lot of stuff tells me that red-foots are from forest and need a lot of humidity.

Now, my enclosure is humid. but they just keep digging deeper and deeper try to sleep under the mud. so deep that I can't see them now.

Do they not like it or...?

I read about digging deeper is for more humidity...so why don't they stay on the ground since it's pretty humid now.

Tell me why~~~...

 

[yagyujubei]

They're digging because they prefer to hide when they sleep. They're not digging for humidity.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

Good point yagyujubei, what's the hide situation like?

Also, how humid has it become in there? Sometimes those foggers tend to cool the air temperature a bit, so it could be that your tort is digging down to self-regulate its temperature.

 

[keiraliang]

They're digging because they prefer to hide when they sleep. They're not digging for humidity.

yes, They always hide when they sleep, but since I put this fogger, they hide A LOT deeper..very deep very deep..

 

[Balboa]

Like Peanut said,
I'm questioning your temps now, that's the trouble with foggers. Humid air is tougher to heat than dry, and will require more watts.

 

[Madkins007]

You have to be careful with foggers. The fog they produce is not humidity*, cools the air by about 20 degrees and is harder to breathe than humid air. I never use ultrasonic-produced fog without giving it plenty of time to be vaporized into true humidity- aiming it into a hot box or into a plant or something.

*= If you can see it, it is not humidity- mist, fog, condensation, steam, water vapor, etc. are not humidity. Some of them are evidence of humidity, but without some energy (usually in the form of heat) to kick the vapor into merging with the air, it will dissipate without becoming humidity.

 

[terryo]

Through trial and error, I have found that the more plants you keep in your enclosure, the higher the humidity. The humidity in my vivarium is always in the low 80's, and the temp. is in the high 80's to 90 throughout the viv, except in the hide, where it's a bit lower. There is always condensation on the sides of the tank. Every now and then I have to open the top a few inches to lower the humidity a bit, yet the substrate is not muddy. I only spray the torts and the plants, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon when they come out to eat. They are both pretty active now during the day, and go in their hides late in the afternoon for the rest of the night. So I think the key to high humidity, is lots of plants, and to cover most of the top with Plexiglas.

 

[tortoises101]

The digging all has to do with microclimates. RF's dig to conserve energy. Digging and excavating microclimates also help them retain the amount of fluid in their bodies and gives them a comfortable sleeping place.