Humidity
- Thread starter Kybry00
- Start date
Sorry, but with a proper enclosure a humidifier is not needed and actually shouldn't be used. A closed chamber will hold humidity with just damp substrate. The mist and humidifier if you must use, should be warm air not cold.
A humidifier should not be blowing directly into a tortoise enclosure. They should not be breathing those micro-droplets. That is not the same thing as humidity.
Oh my God thank you so much for being here for mel you guys are heaven sent I don't know what I do without you guys thank you so much I will not ever do that again oh my poor babies I'm a idiot just like the rest I always thought I was better than other keepers but it goes to show that I'm just as bad and it's really embarrassing
Yeah I took the stupid course with that one character he made me go see you Demi to take a Russian tortoise class on husbandry and all of the above and he said he had 30 years of experience this and that and really I still didn't get the information I need like for instance I would like to know what exactly where they come from what environment that they come from so I can mimic exactly where they come from it's as simple as that other than that I'm stuck in the dark like everybody else trying to figure this out in the meantime our babies are suffering and it drives me absolutely insane I literally cannot sleep at night
Now let me take a picture of my enclosure outside according to tom it's not the proper standards I just blew all this money on making this garden and I didn't do it right I'm pretty upset cuz this is just way too much no matter what I do it is not going to make these babies happy unless they go back to where they came from the only way they'll be happy is what I honestly my true heart believe
Even Google won't even show me the exact location of where they're from if I'm going to do this I'm going to do this right and not guess at this **** it is not ******* Fair they are never going to be happy unless it mimics exactly where they're from I'll even make a waterfall I am a made a shallow waterdish out of cement then I heard that wasn't good enough what's good enough is going to mimic The rain that's when they get that's when they want to drink if they hear water sounding like the rain so if I have to mimic that I will believe they should be indoors only at night and even that however that setup is as long as they have the lights and stuff is pretty much okay in my book as long as they're outside all day in an enclosure that mimics where they're from
The Russian tortoise has an enormous range and they live in myriad environments within that huge range.
Historically, when people seek to mimic what they perceive as the "natural environment" of their species, it does immeasurable harm. In some cases, like sulcatas and leopards, people mistakenly trying to house them in what they perceive as "desert-like" conditions, kills an enormous percentage of the babies that hatch annually. Our understanding and perception of what happens in the wild is largely speculative and mistaken.
Oxnard is not like Kazakhstan. You can't make it like Kazakhstan and should not try. The wild is a harsh, relentless, deadly and unforgiving. It is so bad that only a fraction of 1% of the babies that hatch annually survive to adulthood. In some areas of the wild range, conditions are so harsh that Russian tortoises can only be active for six weeks in spring and another size weeks in fall. The other 40 weeks of every year are spent aestivating or bruiting underground. Not something I wish to emulate. I wish to emulate the best parts of those 12 weeks a year where conditions are good. I intentionally eliminate certain aspects of the wild like dehydration, starvation, predation, disease, and unfavorable weather conditions.
What I have found best is to look at the tortoises in our hands and assess what works best here, in our captive environments, and what doesn't. We've been housing these animals here for decades, so what housing practices yield positive results, and what housing practices yield poor results? Over time, with much study, observation, conversation, and experimentation, some of us have been able to figure out what is "optimal" vs. what is "survivable", or in some cases, not survivable. I don't want your tortoise to survive. I want your tortoise to THRIVE. You don't have to understand every detail of how they live in the wild, and you don't have to attempt to duplicate the wild. Instead, give your tortoise what is known to be best and help it thrive. Have some fun with decorations and innovations that might mimic some of the "good" parts of the wild that you can learn about, but don't stress over trying to duplicate something that is poorly understood but the vast majority of reptile keepers.
Here is one example: Seasonally, in the wild, they go months with no water at all. Many tortoise species do. They can "survive" this, but this isn't "good" for them. I am not going to deprive my tortoises of water for months at a time because that is what happens in the wild. Instead, they benefit from good hydration, and I give it to them.
It bothers me to see you so stressed and upset. It is wonderful that you care so much and want to do your best for your tortoise. That is as it should be for everyone. But take a deep breath and relax a little. Tortoise keeping should be fun and enjoyable. Once you have a good set up, with whatever adjustments are needed for your area and your species, you can just sit back with a cool drink and enjoy watching your tortoise be a tortoise in its large, well-designed tortoise environment that you have created. Your tortoise will be well fed, hydrated, kept at the correct temperatures, and all of its needs will be met. You can just enjoy his or her company at that point.
Here is the product of decades of study, experimentation, and effort. I learned these things the hard way. You don't have to:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
tortoiseforum.org
THIS. And fortunately Russians are one of the more forgiving species for us Humans making mistakes with them, so give yourself a break. It will likely handle whatever you throw at it (god knows most pet owners keep them in horrible consolations for years or decades.
I have a neighbor who keeps a CDT in a 3’ x 4’ ish box in her smoke filled living room on towels. No idea what, if any, heat source it has, and despite all odds he’s been there 12 years and when he’s outside in the yard, which is when I see him, he seems active, alert, and interested in people and things around him. i would not is that anyone keep their tort this way, but they can survive a lot, for better for worse…
