Humidity

[Jenn16]

So I just got a 3 month old leopard tortoise and I am trying to regulate the humidity in the enclosure. I have read Tom's beginners thread on care for a baby Leo tort. I have the heating well monitored to the temps outlined in the care sheet. but I can not seem to get the humidity high enough. For Substrate I am using topsoil, cypress mulch and some sphagnum moss for the hides. I also do regular misting to keep things nice and moist. She is in a 50 gallon terrarium, it does have some ventilation on the top around the lights, but we have covered most of it.

Any suggestions would be great!

 

[Tom]

I was never able to get much more than 50% humidity with the lights outside and on top like that no matter how much I covered the top. That is why I switched to closed chambers.

PM Heather (Team Gomberg). She has had success doing what you are attempting.

 

[juli11]

Why do you need humidity over 50% the hole time? Paradalis needn't a so high humidity. Sometimes you can make the enclosure wet for pretend the rain. After that your tort would be more active. But she needn't it every time…

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Re: RE: Humidity

Why do you need humidity over 50% the hole time? Paradalis needn't a so high humidity. Sometimes you can make the enclosure wet for pretend the rain. After that your tort would be more active. But she needn't it every time…

Have you been successful in raising smooth leopards with humidity less than 50%?

 

[juli11]

Yes sure. In Africa it is so dry that they find animals with reins problems because they don't get water. I think you have to make one part of the enclosure wetter. Than you can look what your tort like. Or a other solution is you buy some plants for example small succulents and plant some grass. So you get a "normal savanna" humidity.

 

[Tom]

Yes sure.

You need to back this up. Show us pics and explain how you did it. No one else with any conventional dry set up is able to do it with leopard hatchlings.

We keep them more humid than what they appear to see in nature because it helps them to grow smooth and naturally in our decidedly un-natural indoor enclosures.

Also, according to some of our African members, and according to what I saw in South Africa when I lived there for four months, its not dry at all. We had days there that would make South Florida seem dry. No doubt its dry some of the time in some areas, but its not all dry all of the time. Regardless of what does or doesn't happen in nature, what we have right here in our own homes is what DOES or what does NOT work in captivity. Dry does not work, humid and hydrated does.

 

[vanilla13gorilla]

I agree with tom on this ... I use his outline care program and have no issues with my GPP and GPB.. smooth and healthy. Don't get me wrong, it took WEEKS to get the humidity to be steady at 80%... I had to buy a humidifier, water my substrate daily, provide 2- 200 watt overhead heaters, 2 - 12 volt fans to circulate the heat, thermostat, gauges, etc.. At first I was overwhelmed, but now I can keep humidity at 80% all day, in a covered enclosure with no humidifier.... just need to add some water to the soil once awhile... I suggest,, don't rush it.. some people here on this forum can magically make stuff happen overnight, being an engineer.. that's garbage. All things take time to be stable.. I have the proof in the pudding to prove it.

 

[Jenn16]

Thank you everyone for your input!

 

[bellamia]

I have some grass and baby's tears growing in the substrate and 5 real plants I spray them daily and my humidity stays at 95%.