Humidity question

[Otishermansmummy]

Hi
Could anyone confirm what the humidity of the enclosure should be for a hermann tortoise.
Thanks
Mandy

 

[GBtortoises]

While mine are kept indoors in the late fall through early spring, I try to maintain the room humidity level somewhere between 55-65%. As high as 75-80% is acceptable for Hermann's. Admittedly, it is difficult for me to maintain humidity above 55% on a regular basis since the room that my tortoises are in is affected by my home heating which is dry. So I run a humidifier 24/7 and spray the tortoises (hatchling to adult size) twice daily, soaking their substrate well about once a week.

 

[Otishermansmummy]

Thanks for your reply, I think I will need to try different substrate to get some humidity in my little ones enclosure, it's pretty dry at the moment with only 30-40%, being new to tortoise keeping, different sites have conflicting information, so it's quite confusing what's right and wrong. I shall mist his enclosure every couple of days and continue with bathing everyday and see how we go.
Thanks once again
Mandy

 

[ctomaselli]

Hi Mandy
I am having the same issues as you are. It's been difficult trying to keep the humidity past 40 degrees in my enclosure. I decided to get a glass top for my enclosure as I think that will be the only way to keep the humidity in. I have a 2 month old Hermann and I know its important for hatchlings to be warm. I will let you know if that works. I am buying it from home depot. a 24" x 36" costs $14.00 and if it works well, I will probably buy tempered glass as someone suggested it is much tougher than reg glass and I won't have to worrry about it breaking easily. Good luck with yours.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I keep my substrate damp and if my tortoise was a hatchling I would mist often, but she's an adult so I just keep her substrate moist and the humidity is about 60%. Ambient temp is 85 degrees...

 

[ctomaselli]

Hi Maggie, quick question. Do you dampen all the substrate in the enclosure or just the hot side? Half my enclosure is cypress mulch and the other half is sphagnum moss. The cypress mulch is on the hot side and I dampen and mist that area whenever necessary. Should I keep the whole enclosure moist?

 

[j156ghs]

I use a 30-inch-long tank for my year-old Hermann's and one side is out of the basking lamp area and stays quite moist. When the basking and/or ceramic heater is off, the humidity will rise to at least 50% and up to 75% with the temperature around 70 F. He often seems to prefer the drier side of the habitat, though sometimes he appears to have fallen asleep under a lamp and then the makes a dash to the more humid, cooler area. So this set-up works well for us. I mist the ground near the basking lamp daily, but just a slight mist, not a soaking, and try to include his shell in the process. With other habitats, I have found that mold can be a problem when I have used a glass top (or anything that essentially seals the enclosure). I find that so long as air circulates freely, I never have mold or fungus, which I view as more of a threat to a tortoise than low humidity.