Keeping humidity

[charl19]

I’m building a cover to enclose my Sulcata. I have a few questions about the humidity. The substrate I use is cypress mulch and top soil mixed with orchid bark on top.

How much water do you add daily to keep rite humidity level?
How does the baby Sulcata no get suffocated if it’s a closed up?
I’m building my cover out of wood. How will I keep mold from growing on it?

Thanks for the help

 

[Tim Carlisle]

I'd love to see a pic of your enclosure before going into much detail, but I can address the mold aspect briefly. The toxic molds typically grow dark, damp spaces. If your enclosure is near a window, sunlight is the #1 best mold killer / prevention. Your substrate should be turned every couple of days as well, and the enclosure cleaned / wiped down regularly. I do mine weekly, generally on Sundays.

As far as how much water to add.... that really depends on a lot of factors. You will want to get a digital humidity gauge to keep the humidity level northward of 80%. You will need to experiment to determine how much water is needed to maintain the levels in your particular setup. A lot of folks will simply mist the enclosure with a spray bottle a few times a day. Others will use ReptiFoggers. Depends on your enclosure, budget, and how much time you have to devote to daily maintenance of the enclosure.

Your enclosure does not need to be sealed air-tight, so there's not too much concern about your tort getting enough oxygen. Again - I can't go too much into detail about this without seeing your setup.

Hope all that was clear as mud.

 

[Tom]

I’m building a cover to enclose my Sulcata. I have a few questions about the humidity. The substrate I use is cypress mulch and top soil mixed with orchid bark on top.

How much water do you add daily to keep rite humidity level?
How does the baby Sulcata no get suffocated if it’s a closed up?
I’m building my cover out of wood. How will I keep mold from growing on it?

Get rid of the soil.

1. No way for us to know how much water to add. It depends on your rate of evaporation in your enclosure. Some enclosures require a gallon a day. Other enclosures require half a cup once a week. Many factors determine this rate: Room humidity, ventilation in the room and the enclosure, temperature, what heating and lighting you are using, etc...
2. Because its not air tight. You are reducing ventilation to hold in heat and humidity, not creating a hermetically sealed box.
3. You'll have to try the wood and see how it goes. You can use kitchen counter top paint on it, but it will take weeks to dissipate the fumes. Personally, I wouldn't use wood. Use plexiglass-glass. Or better yet, don't try to close in the top. Buy or build a proper closed chamber with the lights inside and doors that open on the front, made of expanded PVC. Like these: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/new-stack-of-animal-plastics-closed-chambers.165626/#post-1600958

 

[brian.le02]

No where near as an expert as other people but,
I had the same issues and concerns as you once don’t worry there are so many people here to help haha you will get your answers in no time.... I have a baby sulcata and when I got him he had some decent pyramiding but it’s been a month or two and I think he’s having good progress to getting rid of them. But my digital thermometer/hydrometer reads that it is around 90 degrees wittt a humidity of 93% I’ve learned he likes it hotter I don’t use the thermometer as much as I use but everyone once in awhile I will stick it in to make sure everything is correct but Now I can usually tell on how it feels and how the substrate looks I also add a few pitchers of water every week and a half I use cyphers mulch and coco coir
In no time you will know everything about your tort and his likings but I am also still learning more and more about my little tort and I love it!

 

[charl19]

Hey , brian.le02
Do you have any pictures of your enclosure?
How did you get rid of the pyramiding?

 

[brian.le02]

Hey , brian.le02
Do you have any pictures of your enclosure?
How did you get rid of the pyramiding?

Yes of course sorry for the late response but of course I would gladly show you it’s fairly simple but in the morning I will show