Lighting help

[Dune]

Hi!

I recently purchased a baby russian tortoise from a local and im getting him next friday. I want to make sure everything is good and ready for him. I do multiple questions though that would really help me in deciding on the setup.

I have purchased a 36x18x12 glass enclosure with a mesh ceiling. I have attached an image of the enclosure below. Here are some of my concerns/questions.

I have tried to read pretty much everything on enclosures, lighting, and overall care specifically for babies but i still feel underprepared/overwhelmed with it all. My biggest worries currently is maintaining temp, and what lights I should use(duhhhh).My plan currently is to get a dual fixture that has a ceramic heat lamp and a basking lamp. The ceramic heat lamp will be for maintaining a nice temp at night and incase the little guy needs some warmth. I live in a old house that doesnt insulate temp well and the thermostat likes to play with my emotions and change the temp randomly. (Always stays in the 63-70 range). The basking lamp obv is for basking during the day. My third light ive thought about getting is a T5 10.0 reptile light. Ill link everything im planning on getting now. Fyi im getting a lot of stuff from amazon except likely the basking lamp, likely will go to the hardware store for that. I live far from any large towns and cities so im forced to be a consumer to the bald gazillionaire with a weird laugh and possibly telekinetic powers. (Ifykyk)

UVB
Ceramic Lamp
Dual Light Fix

Sorry for the rant, finally on to my questions.

1. Do I need a light thermostat for the basking and ceramic light? Ive read a lot of tom's post and he recommends a 65w incandescent flood bulb. But im afraid im going to go into my nearest hardware store which is 45 minutes away and buy the wrong wattage light and then have to drive back and return the bulbs, then do the whole process over again. Would it be easier to just buy a high enough wattage bulb then let the thermostat decide what temp to keep it at? A light thermostats dependable? Ive heard that they turn off when it gets too hot.

2. How long do i need to keep the uvb on? Ive heard 12 hours from others and from what Tom said in one of his post keep it on for 2-3 hours. (Dont quote me on that, also tom you the man!)

3. Is keeping the ceramic on or even getting one necessary? I dont want to overdo it but im willing to bite the bullet so the little guy gets the best possible setup. Is it important to keep on at night to maintain the temp? Ive heard 68-72. My house just has issues maintaining a temp which im fine to handle but obviously a baby tortoise is a lot more susceptible to danger with a fluctuating temp. Honestly i think i just answered my own question. But im gonna keep this question anyway.

4. Not directly about lighting but should i keep my dudes soak tub near the basking light so it maintains a good temperature? Or does it really matter since the humidity will do that for me.

5. Maintaining humidity. Do i just need a spray bottle or should i get those automatic electronic humidifier doohickies for reptiles. Also how long do i spray for and whats a good humidity to keep it at especially for a 3 month old russian.

Anyway appreciate anyone who responds. Sorry for the rant. Also ive gotten timers for the lights, humidity readers, a infared thermometer, and a basking rock to put under the lamp, and im going to the store tomorrow to buy some plexiglass or some sort of cover for the mesh top to maintain temp.

Hope yalls year is going good.

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Forum!

Here has the best most up-to-date info, plus there are a lot of decades of expert tortoise keeping represented by the various members here. Everyone will do their best to help you help your tortoise to have a happy healthy life.
.
For your own peace of mind don't listen to the "advice" given by other sources, like: pet shops, social media sites, many of the YouTube videos, and even most veterinarians. They're still using old info that doesn't work as well as what you'll find here.

Study the info in the links offered. All those head-exploding details will show you how to help your tortoise to thrive.

And, ask a lot of questions.
Hint: Run it by the experts before you buy new equipment or whatever - their expertise will save you a lot of stress, time, and money.

Have you had a chance to read this yet? It will give you a lot of ideas about how to best keep your new tortoise, not the least of which is that babies NEED a closed chamber.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Dune]

Woah! Thank you so much, these answer all my questions.

 

[COmtnLady]

Hatchlings need a closed chamber with humidity and temperatures higher than an adult needs, and they need it for the first two to three years of life. That is of prime importance.

In the upper right corner of pages is a search feature, drop a couple words into it and bring up lots of good info. Because here is a work in progress, ask questions if you run across conflicting info. We had to start somewhere, too.

Do NOT use sprayers, misters, or foggers. They put droplets into the air, not humidity - and droplets can cause respiratory distress and diseases.

Here's another important info sheet that Littleredfoot collated for easier use.

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Take a little time and read through the care sheets, they'll explain a lot. Then ask questions.

 

[COmtnLady]

Cover the "mesh" top so that your enclosure will retain heat and humidity. Don't worry about ventilation - every time you put food in, take the tortoise out for its daily soaks, or otherwise open the top there will be more than enough air exchanged.

Read through the care/info links before you invest any more.
*Yes you need the UVB tube light, and a CHE or two depending on size of enclosure, to keep the temps up and consistent. Then you'll also want a light for illumination and/or basking.
*The time for the UVB, indeed, only needs to be 3-4 hours.
*But the CHE will keep the heat up where it needs to be and may need to be on all the time.
*You will need the meters in the care sheet so you can measure exactly what's going on.
*Thermostats, or at least timers will help balance things also, turning the various lights and heat off and on, tell you what it is at tortoise-level, etc..
*The glass box will only work for the couple years while your tortoise is a baby. It really isn't big enough for an adult. They need to be able to walk around to digest food well and keep strong.


As for humidity -
This is what I have used for years. It is easy once it is set up well.

You need the coco coir to keep your humidity steady. Think of it like a sponge, the base layer that holds water. And you need the bark to provide a living-surface that is as dry as is possible to prevent shell fungus.

First, soak a brick of coco coir in warm water, in a clean bucket, until the brick completely falls apart and there are no hard lumps left. Then squeeze the water out using your hands, and pack it tightly into the bottom of your enclosure. I use about three or four inches of coco coir with two to three inches of orchid/fir bark on top of that. The water that is left in the coco coir will evaporate up through the substrate and keep the humidity at the level that you want it to be.

When the gauges you have tell you that the humidity is starting to drop down, pour a cup of warm water into the corners (not on the main surface of the bark). Don't flood the floor of your enclosure - you can always add more, but it is a huge pain to remove excess. Put a cup or two of warm water into each of the corners of your closed enclosure, wait an hour or so, and watch the gauges to see how far that brings the humidity up. Add more if it doesn't bring it up to the right amount of humidity. It won't take you very long before you know how much is enough. It is fairly easy to do.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

1. Do I need a light thermostat for the basking and ceramic light? Ive read a lot of tom's post and he recommends a 65w incandescent flood bulb. But im afraid im going to go into my nearest hardware store which is 45 minutes away and buy the wrong wattage light and then have to drive back and return the bulbs, then do the whole process over again. Would it be easier to just buy a high enough wattage bulb then let the thermostat decide what temp to keep it at? A light thermostats dependable? Ive heard that they turn off when it gets too hot.

I think the best course of action is having the CHE and basking light on seperate domes. This is beacause you want to have the CHE on a thermostat but not the basking light. Also, you may need to hang them at diffrent heights. For the basking light, to a certain extent you can control the basking temperature by raising or lowering the lamp.

2. How long do i need to keep the uvb on? Ive heard 12 hours from others and from what Tom said in one of his post keep it on for 2-3 hours. (Dont quote me on that, also tom you the man!)

12 hours is outdated advice that is based on two things: 1) UVB lights used to be weaker and more unreliable, 2) People thought that basking light and UVB have to always be on at the same time. This is not true, since in nature UVB only peaks during few hours per day. In a nutshell, 3 hours is enough with modern day UVB tubes. Make sure to get a reliable T5 UVB tube from a well known maker like Arcadia or ZooMed. They are tested and know to be safe, while some off brand ones can't be guaranteed. For a russian tortoise you want the tube with 12% UVB.

3. Is keeping the ceramic on or even getting one necessary? I dont want to overdo it but im willing to bite the bullet so the little guy gets the best possible setup. Is it important to keep on at night to maintain the temp? Ive heard 68-72. My house just has issues maintaining a temp which im fine to handle but obviously a baby tortoise is a lot more susceptible to danger with a fluctuating temp. Honestly i think i just answered my own question. But im gonna keep this question anyway.

if you have a thermostat on the CHE it will only kick on when necessary. So yes, I would have one as a back up for the peace of mind. Best case scenario, it won't even turn on most of the time but you have it when you need it.

4. Not directly about lighting but should i keep my dudes soak tub near the basking light so it maintains a good temperature? Or does it really matter since the humidity will do that for me.

Do you mean the water dish in the enclosure for self soaking and drinking or the soaking tub you use to give him soaks?

5. Maintaining humidity. Do i just need a spray bottle or should i get those automatic electronic humidifier doohickies for reptiles. Also how long do i spray for and whats a good humidity to keep it at especially for a 3 month old russian.

A closer chamber paired with pouring water in the substrate is the safest way to maintain humidity. As COmtnLady said, humidifiers are not a good choice for tortoises.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi!

I recently purchased a baby russian tortoise from a local and im getting him next friday. I want to make sure everything is good and ready for him. I do multiple questions though that would really help me in deciding on the setup.

I have purchased a 36x18x12 glass enclosure with a mesh ceiling. I have attached an image of the enclosure below. Here are some of my concerns/questions.

I have tried to read pretty much everything on enclosures, lighting, and overall care specifically for babies but i still feel underprepared/overwhelmed with it all. My biggest worries currently is maintaining temp, and what lights I should use(duhhhh).My plan currently is to get a dual fixture that has a ceramic heat lamp and a basking lamp. The ceramic heat lamp will be for maintaining a nice temp at night and incase the little guy needs some warmth. I live in a old house that doesnt insulate temp well and the thermostat likes to play with my emotions and change the temp randomly. (Always stays in the 63-70 range). The basking lamp obv is for basking during the day. My third light ive thought about getting is a T5 10.0 reptile light. Ill link everything im planning on getting now. Fyi im getting a lot of stuff from amazon except likely the basking lamp, likely will go to the hardware store for that. I live far from any large towns and cities so im forced to be a consumer to the bald gazillionaire with a weird laugh and possibly telekinetic powers. (Ifykyk)

UVB
Ceramic Lamp
Dual Light Fix

Sorry for the rant, finally on to my questions.

1. Do I need a light thermostat for the basking and ceramic light? Ive read a lot of tom's post and he recommends a 65w incandescent flood bulb. But im afraid im going to go into my nearest hardware store which is 45 minutes away and buy the wrong wattage light and then have to drive back and return the bulbs, then do the whole process over again. Would it be easier to just buy a high enough wattage bulb then let the thermostat decide what temp to keep it at? A light thermostats dependable? Ive heard that they turn off when it gets too hot.

2. How long do i need to keep the uvb on? Ive heard 12 hours from others and from what Tom said in one of his post keep it on for 2-3 hours. (Dont quote me on that, also tom you the man!)

3. Is keeping the ceramic on or even getting one necessary? I dont want to overdo it but im willing to bite the bullet so the little guy gets the best possible setup. Is it important to keep on at night to maintain the temp? Ive heard 68-72. My house just has issues maintaining a temp which im fine to handle but obviously a baby tortoise is a lot more susceptible to danger with a fluctuating temp. Honestly i think i just answered my own question. But im gonna keep this question anyway.

4. Not directly about lighting but should i keep my dudes soak tub near the basking light so it maintains a good temperature? Or does it really matter since the humidity will do that for me.

5. Maintaining humidity. Do i just need a spray bottle or should i get those automatic electronic humidifier doohickies for reptiles. Also how long do i spray for and whats a good humidity to keep it at especially for a 3 month old russian.

Anyway appreciate anyone who responds. Sorry for the rant. Also ive gotten timers for the lights, humidity readers, a infared thermometer, and a basking rock to put under the lamp, and im going to the store tomorrow to buy some plexiglass or some sort of cover for the mesh top to maintain temp.

Hope yalls year is going good.

Hello! I’m glad you’ve found those links helpful so far! That housing link covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers because some of the topper options in there might be good for your tank! Though foil might do the trick too, you’ll just have to monitor your humidity closely.
This has different closed chamber options:

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

That common keeping error thread can be handy too, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

As touched on above, I wouldn’t get a duel fixture, I’d consider running some temperature checks before confirming you need a CHE, Russians don’t usually need one unless your house gets particularly cold? That said, they aren’t a bad purchase to have on hand in the event your basking bulb isn’t keep ambient temp quite where it needs to be.

To answer some of your questions:

1. With the basking light, it does ideally work best off of a thermostat, your basking light is acting as your ‘sun’ which you don’t want turning on&off all day, it’s why it tends to be recommended to find the right height and watt to created the desired basking temperature directly underneath.
Your CHE however(if needed) will need to run on one 24/7.

2. 4 hours from noonish is sufficient, again as mentioned above, the full 12hrs is a bit outdated.
With the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense

Back with the less updated bulbs, I can see why it was recommended to have on longer as they aren’t as reliable, the new good quality t5 bulbs are fine though.

3. As I say it’s not usually necessary for a Russian no, they aren’t a bad thing to have on hand, but perhaps you could run temp checks both day and night to see what your range is first?

4. When you say soak tub, do you mean water dish? For a water dish a clay terracotta saucer is safest, you can keep it near basking bulb if you like but I wouldn’t put it directly underneath, just so your guy can bask without having to self soak

5. The lukewarm water pour method is best at maintaining your humidity(covered in housing thread) avoid misters/foggers.

Hope this all helps! Please ask any further questions you may have! Welcome to the forum

 

[Daffodil]

Not to be a downer, but, if you haven't already set up your enclosure, you might look at Animal Plastics' enclosures. They seem to be about the same price as the reptile terrariums, at least the one I initially got for my Russian. (It was a 4'x2'.)

I _wish_ I'd just bought a closed enclosure for my baby Russian from the very beginning. I never was able to get my original mesh-top terrarium to the best heating or humidity. I put aluminum foil on top so it also looked kludgy. I would have saved a lot of money and time by just getting the right thing from the beginning. But! I know some folks are successful getting a glass terrarium set up right. I'm not a diy-er, though, and couldn't seem to get a good, consistent environment.

A month ago, I finally admitted defeat and switched to a closed enclosure, designed for tortoises.

It's been like night and day for my little Russian. He is out and exploring all day. He doesn't bury himself in his hide for 23 hours of the day. He eats so much. He's gained 8 grams in 2 weeks after not gaining anything for 3 months in the original mesh enclosure.

_I_ don't have to constantly try to tweak things to keep the temp and humidity consistently at an optimum level. I'm not buying more stuff to try to get the right set up. The enclosure pretty much just runs itself!

So, yeah. I wish I'd known about closed enclosures from the beginning!

I got one of Mark's Smart Enclosures. An Animal Plastics could be more economical but you need to install the lighting, heating, etc.

36" Long Series

The all new AP Signature series cage line features a proprietary design engineered for a classy look with "EZ Build" features. The AP Signature Series (APS) features an inset/overhang look, unique and proprietary to Animal Plastics. You will be able to identify an APS cage from 20 feet away...

apcages.com

 

[Dune]

Not to be a downer, but, if you haven't already set up your enclosure, you might look at Animal Plastics' enclosures. They seem to be about the same price as the reptile terrariums, at least the one I initially got for my Russian. (It was a 4'x2'.)

I _wish_ I'd just bought a closed enclosure for my baby Russian from the very beginning. I never was able to get my original mesh-top terrarium to the best heating or humidity. I put aluminum foil on top so it also looked kludgy. I would have saved a lot of money and time by just getting the right thing from the beginning. But! I know some folks are successful getting a glass terrarium set up right. I'm not a diy-er, though, and couldn't seem to get a good, consistent environment.

A month ago, I finally admitted defeat and switched to a closed enclosure, designed for tortoises.

It's been like night and day for my little Russian. He is out and exploring all day. He doesn't bury himself in his hide for 23 hours of the day. He eats so much. He's gained 8 grams in 2 weeks after not gaining anything for 3 months in the original mesh enclosure.

_I_ don't have to constantly try to tweak things to keep the temp and humidity consistently at an optimum level. I'm not buying more stuff to try to get the right set up. The enclosure pretty much just runs itself!

So, yeah. I wish I'd known about closed enclosures from the beginning!

I got one of Mark's Smart Enclosures. An Animal Plastics could be more economical but you need to install the lighting, heating, etc.

36" Long Series

The all new AP Signature series cage line features a proprietary design engineered for a classy look with "EZ Build" features. The AP Signature Series (APS) features an inset/overhang look, unique and proprietary to Animal Plastics. You will be able to identify an APS cage from 20 feet away...

apcages.com

Thx for telling me about this. I havent touched the repartium i bought and honestly its making me second guess buying everytime i look at it. Im gonna call the store in the morning and ask if i can return it, all i did was cut the packing straps off. We shall see.

Otherwise, i looked into the plastic enclosures. They look awesome. Im thinking about getting the t3 36x24x12. Do you think the basking shelf is necessary? Im not sure how well itd fit in a 12' high enclosure. Im gonna look through the forum now and see if anyone has had similar questions.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thx for telling me about this. I havent touched the repartium i bought and honestly its making me second guess buying everytime i look at it. Im gonna call the store in the morning and ask if i can return it, all i did was cut the packing straps off. We shall see.

Otherwise, i looked into the plastic enclosures. They look awesome. Im thinking about getting the t3 36x24x12. Do you think the basking shelf is necessary? Im not sure how well itd fit in a 12' high enclosure. Im gonna look through the forum now and see if anyone has had similar questions.

No, basking shelf is not necessary for tortoises.

And I suggest to get a 24" tall enclosure - much easier to install lightning and heating properly. T5 10.0 (or Desert 12%) UVB lamp needs to be installed at 18-20" from substrate, basking lamp around 12" (account for the socket and lamp height as well).

 

[Dune]

Okay, i decided to wait on spending my entire paycheck on a bunch of stuff and rather just go to home depot and buy a Storage container and DIY the rest. I have it linked above but the dimensions are 39x21x17. I have two issues now.


First is my 24w and inch UVB t5 10.0 says at 18 inches it provides 3 UVI, 65 UVB, 143 UVA. There is also an option to dim it if necessary. My three questions on this is, 1 is that enough for a 3 month old russian and do i still keep it on 3-4 hours at midday, i have heard some people keep theres on 12 hours a day at that height. 2 is a 24 inch large enough for that container?

Second, i have yet again read mixed reviews some from this forum (tbf was posted 10 years ago) that a 50 gallon container is too large for a baby. Tell me the truth here. Even the lady at my local reptarium who seemed to act very knowledgeable about everything tortoise and even had a tortoise tattoo said a 48 inch enclosure is too large and they wont find their basking spot. In my opinion, i feel like thats a load of BS... i mean babies hatch in the wild right and they must have to trek long distances to find good shade, water, place to sleep, and also a good spot to bask sooooo 39 inch cant be too big right? I mean millions of years of evolution or whatever the number is and too big of an enclosure is deadly? I dont know im not an expert thats why im asking you guys. Anyway thanks for the help so far.

Also this container is temporary, i plan to bite the bullet and my roommate and i are gonna build a bigger enclosure ourselves in the coming months. Whilst the animal plastics and marks smart enclosures look very appealing, i feel like a DIY enclosure would go a lot longer way for my little dude + i can make it HOW I want it. Anyway, again thanks to everyone for responding. Yall are seriously awesome. Ive been on a lot of different community forums and by far this is nicest and most approachable.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Okay, i decided to wait on spending my entire paycheck on a bunch of stuff and rather just go to home depot and buy a Storage container and DIY the rest. I have it linked above but the dimensions are 39x21x17. I have two issues now.


First is my 24w and inch UVB t5 10.0 says at 18 inches it provides 3 UVI, 65 UVB, 143 UVA. There is also an option to dim it if necessary. My three questions on this is, 1 is that enough for a 3 month old russian and do i still keep it on 3-4 hours at midday, i have heard some people keep theres on 12 hours a day at that height. 2 is a 24 inch large enough for that container?

Second, i have yet again read mixed reviews some from this forum (tbf was posted 10 years ago) that a 50 gallon container is too large for a baby. Tell me the truth here. Even the lady at my local reptarium who seemed to act very knowledgeable about everything tortoise and even had a tortoise tattoo said a 48 inch enclosure is too large and they wont find their basking spot. In my opinion, i feel like thats a load of BS... i mean babies hatch in the wild right and they must have to trek long distances to find good shade, water, place to sleep, and also a good spot to bask sooooo 39 inch cant be too big right? I mean millions of years of evolution or whatever the number is and too big of an enclosure is deadly? I dont know im not an expert thats why im asking you guys. Anyway thanks for the help so far.

Also this container is temporary, i plan to bite the bullet and my roommate and i are gonna build a bigger enclosure ourselves in the coming months. Whilst the animal plastics and marks smart enclosures look very appealing, i feel like a DIY enclosure would go a lot longer way for my little dude + i can make it HOW I want it. Anyway, again thanks to everyone for responding. Yall are seriously awesome. Ive been on a lot of different community forums and by far this is nicest and most approachable.

Yeah zone 3 is perfect, 4hrs will be fine and yes that size will be fine too

yeah be sure to check the dates of the threads, this forum is over 15 years old now and a lot has changed in terms of care recommendations. A 4x2ft enclosure is a perfect starter size, you’re right that is an outdated view, I think the reason some people still think smaller is because babies do prefer what feels like an enclosed space, this doesn’t mean size though, it’s more about coverage, be sure to provide plenty of little hidey spots so baby can feel nice and secure, hatchlings prefer to spend most their time in the undergrowth in the wild

I’m so glad you’re liking it here! It really is an awesome community

 

[Dune]

Sorry for asking a bunch but i was curious about one thing and is if this type of cypress mulch is okay? Ive heard cypress mulch is pretty good but ive also heard whoodchips can be bad. Little guy gets here friday, really excited. Doing testing right now!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Sorry for asking a bunch but i was curious about one thing and is if this type of cypress mulch is okay? Ive heard cypress mulch is pretty good but ive also heard whoodchips can be bad. Little guy gets here friday, really excited. Doing testing right now!View attachment 386413

Cypress mulch is a good substrate - great at holding humidity, long lasting, mould resistant. Some wood chips substrates (beech chips, aspen shavings, coco husk) are, indeed, not recommended.

The drawbacks of cypress mulch are:
1. Wet mulch sticks to tortoise and food. This means increased risk of ingestion (and following intestinal blockage). Take precautions - don't put food on a slate, but in a shallow bowl on a slate, use flat large pebbles around the food slate, make a low hill out of substrate with feeding slate on top.
2. When mulch dries out, there is a noticeable amount of wood dust and small fibers. Do monthly turnovers (mixing lower and top substrate layers) to keep substrate evenly dump.
3. Sometimes, when tortoise burrows down and comes back mulch sticks around eyes and mouth. Usually, it doesn't bother tortoises but pay attention to it when doing daily soaks (rinse and clean the little cute tortoise face).

To be honest, aforementioned is applicable to any substrate.

 

[Dune]

Hey alex! Hope your day is going good. Im replying to your message because youve been the most helpful. Not that anyone elses replies wasnt equally as helpful. Grtting sidetracked yikes.

After some testing, the current readings for my setup is around 80-90s on the hot side and low 70s on the cold side, oh and basking spot is sitting at a comfortable 96/97. Big thing ive realized is the humidty on the cold side according to my digital temp readers is 96% and 70% on the hot side. You know why this is? I have opened the top up and it stays at around that humidity for like awhile, and as soon as i close it back up it beams up to that humidity. I put two fake broadleafs plants in that corner, would thay have anything to do with it? Ive heard of people struggling to get to a high humidty but not the other way around. Also at night temps get to around 65-68 which ive heard is good. Everything ive looked at makes me believe the temp is good just the humidity is interesting... Any ideas and again appreciate the help.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hey alex! Hope your day is going good. Im replying to your message because youve been the most helpful. Not that anyone elses replies wasnt equally as helpful. Grtting sidetracked yikes.

After some testing, the current readings for my setup is around 80-90s on the hot side and low 70s on the cold side, oh and basking spot is sitting at a comfortable 96/97. Big thing ive realized is the humidty on the cold side according to my digital temp readers is 96% and 70% on the hot side. You know why this is? I have opened the top up and it stays at around that humidity for like awhile, and as soon as i close it back up it beams up to that humidity. I put two fake broadleafs plants in that corner, would thay have anything to do with it? Ive heard of people struggling to get to a high humidty but not the other way around. Also at night temps get to around 65-68 which ive heard is good. Everything ive looked at makes me believe the temp is good just the humidity is interesting... Any ideas and again appreciate the help.

With humidity it's simple:
1. Air can hold finite amount of water vapour before it starts condensing.
2. Hot air can hold more vapour than cold.
3. Humidity can be absolute (mass of water molecules in a volume unit - e.g. mg/l) or relative - how much of water vapour is in the air from a theoretical maximum at given temperature)
4. So if, let's say, air contains 0.01mg of water vapour per liter (absolute humidity) then it could be 100% of relative humidity in 40F and 30% of relative humidity in 70F.
5. Usually hygrometers show relative humidity. And when you have a temperature gradient you will also see relative humidity gradient.

70-90% gradient is a little bit higher than you want (usually 60-80% is considered optimal) but isn't harmful when you keep temperatures high enough. For a baby Russian tortoise in high humidity environment I would keep nightime and cold end temperatures closer to 75F. A ceramic heat emitter on thermostat set to 75F would do the job.