humidity

[adann16]

How do I get my humidity in my 40 gallon tank to reach the 40% it needs to be? I'm trying to get it right before I bring the sulcata baby home. Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi adann16, and welcome to the Forum!

A 40 gallon tank is not very big. You're going to need something much bigger. Remember, when measuring for how many gallons it holds, the depth is measured, not the floor space. You don't need depth, you need floor space.

You may need to cover the tank in order to keep the warm, moist air inside and the cool air from the room outside.

 

[adann16]

The tank is only temporary right now until we can build the enclosure.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Welcome!
Glass traps heat and humidity well, but try spraying water on the sides so that it'll stay.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You need closer to 80% humidity. Keep the substrate moist, and cover the top with glass or aluminum foil, looks funky, but it works...

 

[Tom]

40% is much too low and will result in pyramiding.

Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[FLINTUS]

Guys, before everyone starts shouting at the person for low humidity, we need to know what species it is. 80% for a testudo species for example constantly would be pretty disastrous. Many species in the wild are found in 40% humidity for much of the year, even in their burrows. So, I would say that it is likely to be too low, but can you please tell us the species?

 

[Tom]

Read her second sentence Flintus...

 

[Tom]

80% for a testudo species for example constantly would be pretty disastrous.

No it wouldn't. Many people are doing this with excellent results. They just don't want to argue, fuss and fight about it, so they don't talk about it here. I know people doing this with hermanni, russians and marginateds, and nothing but 100% health and smooth growth. I'm not one of those people, and I'm not promoting it since I haven't done it myself, just reporting what I have seen.

 

[FLINTUS]

Apologies, completely missed that lol.
Humid hides have been proven to work even with testudo species, but a constant 80% humidity throughout the enclosure, all the time, with no dry area, would not work well in the long run, as the keratin will become too dense, as well as the possibility of shell-rot. Maybe it would work for hatchlings well though?
The problem with 'the humidity method' for tortoises that on the face of it, come from relatively dry climates, is that there are very few captive OLD high humidity raised tortoises, so if there are long term affects, it is not easy for us to see.

 

[bouaboua]

Try to make a simple lid to put on top of the tank. a piece if plywood, a pieces plastic or any material that will make your tank become a closed chamber.

 

[FLINTUS]

Try to make a simple lid to put on top of the tank. a piece if plywood, a pieces plastic or any material that will make your tank become a closed chamber.

Plywood isn't great as it doesn't cope well with moisture. Do you have something like a cold-frame cover? They are very useful.

 

[Tom]

Apologies, completely missed that lol.
Humid hides have been proven to work even with testudo species, but a constant 80% humidity throughout the enclosure, all the time, with no dry area, would not work well in the long run, as the keratin will become too dense, as well as the possibility of shell-rot. Maybe it would work for hatchlings well though?
The problem with 'the humidity method' for tortoises that on the face of it, come from relatively dry climates, is that there are very few captive OLD high humidity raised tortoises, so if there are long term affects, it is not easy for us to see.

Yes. This is the theory proposed by those who have never tried these methods, but disagree with them on some sort of emotional level. Unfortunately for these people, the facts and reality simply do not back up their claims and forewarnings of what they think is happening, or is going to happen in the future. There has been no shell rot, no keratin thickening, no sky falling. What there has been is smooth growing, healthy tortoises. I'm sorry Flintus, but reality does not back up Andy's well worded, vehemently defended, yet profoundly false assertions.

 

[mikeh]

Apologies, completely missed that lol.
Humid hides have been proven to work even with testudo species, but a constant 80% humidity throughout the enclosure, all the time, with no dry area, would not work well in the long run, as the keratin will become too dense, as well as the possibility of shell-rot. Maybe it would work for hatchlings well though?
The problem with 'the humidity method' for tortoises that on the face of it, come from relatively dry climates, is that there are very few captive OLD high humidity raised tortoises, so if there are long term affects, it is not easy for us to see.

Yes, constant very high humidity does cause thickening of keratin. I had a leopard housed in a constant very high humidity 85-95%(with indirect heat only, no heat lights crating lower humidity area) thru fall and winter, and while the tortoise didn't pyramid, the keratin did in deed come in thick and the growth rings failed to form properly. Now that he has been outdoors almost full time since spring (with substantial day-night humidity fluctuations) the growth is coming in thinner with better ring formations while still smooth. The winter and spring growth is noticeably different.

Conclusion: Humidity fluctuations aid the keratin to set in correctly.

 

[FLINTUS]

Yes. This is the theory proposed by those who have never tried these methods, but disagree with them on some sort of emotional level. Unfortunately for these people, the facts and reality simply do not back up their claims and forewarnings of what they think is happening, or is going to happen in the future. There has been no shell rot, no keratin thickening, no sky falling. What there has been is smooth growing, healthy tortoises. I'm sorry Flintus, but reality does not back up Andy's well worded, vehemently defended, yet profoundly false assertions.

@Tom , there have been many cases of thicker keratin being reported-just look below your post as an example. Have your hatchlings for instance had x-rays? I would be willing to bet that they have denser keratin. While this does not appear to have any other affects apart from making them heavier-and possibly putting more stress on joints as a result- this is very different to what they'd have with wild growth. Yes, Leopards and Sulcatas will be in high humidity some of the time, yes I agree with you that some humidity is beneficial for smooth growth and hydration, BUT the shell MUST be given time to dry out. This is the case even for forest species. Even chelonoidis sp. and kinixys sp. can, and will, get shell rot if kept in CONSTANT high humidity. You think I don't use high humidity with my species? That would be incorrect. However, I also offer them a choice to dry out, and they generally choose to take that every day.
Shell rot has been seen in many species raised in 'saturated' conditions without a chance to dry out, numerous accounts can be found on this forum. Pardalis seem to be the main exception to the rule.
I don't agree with Andy-I personally believe that he is too aggressive sometimes, and that he is reluctant to accept other methods- , but I don't agree with you or the many others which promoted 'constant high humidity' before you either. I am in the middle, believing that humidity is beneficial to smooth growth, but it is not the only factor in a healthy tortoise, and that they must be given 'drying out' time, like they'd have when they come up to the surface in the wild.
Luckily, I believe that yours do get drying out time, so I think that is why you are getting good results.