humidity

[tinkerbell1189]

Sooo when I bought tinkerbell from the reptile shop, I also got her enclosure which included 'everything' I need..

But since doing research and looking on the forum I have changed alot of things. The substrate was bark chippings, but I now have cypress mulch on order. She had a tiny shallow water bowl, which I am now swapping for a shallow reptile pool with a ramp, as she kept trying to get in her water bowl to soak but its too small. I got her a cuddlebone and she has a hollow half tree trunk which she sleeps under. She has a plate I feed her off.

Her enclosure is indoors (I live in a cold climate) The bottom is a plastic tray and the rest is enclosed with metal bars from which a uvb light and heat lamp hang off. My question is what about humidity? Does she need any humidity? What should I be doing?

 

[GBtortoises]

How big is your Russian tortoise?

 

[tinkerbell1189]

She is 2years old, so not very big, I'm not sure of the exact length of her she fits into the palm of my hand easily and weighs 150g.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Russian tortoises, like other semi-arid or arid land tortoises, need a dry climate with a humid microclimate. In other words, when they're out and about, they should have low humidity (about 20-40%), but when they're in their burrows they should have a higher local humidity (about 50-60%). This is good for their respiratory system and their skin. The way to get that is to keep them in a dry part of the world (mid-content places), but give them a moisture-holding substrate like cypress mulch or coconut coir. That way, their ambient air is fairly dry, but the burrows that they dig will feel a bit more humid.