Keeping heat and humidity

Kathy holder

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Montana
How can I keep the substrate damp in my Russian Torts enclosure? I use coir, cypress, and a little aspen shavings. The heat will stay at or around the 70's but the humidity drops down from the 50's to 40's if I'm not continually misting. The substrate dries out to the bottom of the enclosure. Substrate is about 3-4 inches deep.
 

Tom

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Misting the surface does very little, as you have seen. You need to dump water into the enclosure. How much water and how often varies a lot, so you'll have to judge that and make adjustments throughout the year.

I often dump the water bowl (If no poop…) into the enclosure and then rinse it and refill. In some enclosures, doing this daily maintain the desired substrate moisture. Others need more. Some of my closed chamber need less.
 

Kathy holder

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Location (City and/or State)
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Thanks, I do this, but didn't know if I should or could dump water in daily. Had a fear of shell rot. I only pour enough water to dampen all the substrate and mix it up so it all gets damp. I make sure there's no poop. I read also to shut off both the heat and UVB at night I leave the heat on at night. Would this help with the drying out to shut it off or would this not help? Be to cold for my little Russ the Russian.
 

Gillian M

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A warm welcome to the forum, @Kathy holder .

Please spray the enclosure with water daily, particularly if you live in a dry climate. (I live in Jordan, where the climate is extremely dry. Therefore I spray my tort's enclosure with water every day, to keep up humidity).


Any pics of your tort and his enclosure, would enable us to give you advise more easily.
 

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