need help raising humidity and temperature at night

[dragnikla]

So i'm preparing for a sulcata hatchling that we will be getting in a few weeks. I have just finished setting up the enclosure, and testing the lights. My question is how do i keep humidity up at night. The enclosure is very small because she will be very small and i want it to grow with her. The total dimensions are 12"Wx12"Hx43"L. Being so small I was hoping it would be easier to trap heat and humidity, but without the day light on it plummets. I have a 75 watt exo terra night bulb and a 100 watt powersun bulb. I went with powersun because of the size of the enclosure, and because the trex had warnings about it being super strong, so I figured maybe for Christmas when we get a bigger enclosure we will go with that one.

Anyway i'm using eco earth and topsoil (turns out i'm allergic to cypress mulch go figure) i have plenty of live plants, and frog moss (although maybe I should add more). the room temperature is 80 degrees, and the cool end of the enclosure reads 77 degrees and 77% humidity with no light. With the night light (which is at the other end of the enclosure) it raises to 78 only after about 15 minutes. With the powersun and night light it is now 79 degrees with 88% humidity. 10 minutes ago I misted everything and the humidity raised to 90%. However when I turn off the MVB the temperature in the warm side goes down to 85 degrees but the temps in the cool side stay the same. Is there a problem if the cool side stays around 78 but the humidity fluctuates? The warm side also doesn't seem to be staying as warm as I expected. Under the bulb is great, but even 2 inches away from that spot the soil is frigid. It reads 85 degrees but i dont buy that. I am going to get an analog hygrometer so i can move it around and test to be sure, but the enclosure doesn't seem to be warm enough or humid enough. What should i do to raise the humidity in the entire enclosure?

I have 5 hides set up 2 of them have moss in them one is a natural burrow, and the other 2 are under bridges with a little bit of coir/topsoil mix. 3 of them are in the warm side. the mvb is 15 inches away from the substrate right now, i can only lower it 3 more inches, but i don't relish burning myself on the lamp when i reach my arm in the enclosure, and the temperatures are perfect in the basking spot so i didn't want to lower the lamp. should I add another layer of substrate? would it stay moist longer or hold heat on the surface better? i can add sphagnum moss to the hides, but that doesn't do anything for the rest of the enclosure. also my frog moss dried out really quickly within 5 hours i had to spray it. should i water it instead? I dont want to start a mold hatchery, but i can't think of any other way to raise the humidity.

By the way the enclosure is 2 small storage boxes put together; long and narrow. my lamp is only on one end of the enclosure, I don't like wires, and its so small that if i had 3 lamps i wouldn't be able to see into the enclosure. is there any small (like triple x small) lamp that i could clamp to the cool end to raise the temperature a bit?

I'm worried because this is a trial run on a comfortable day. we usually have extremely humid summers, and recently the room temps have been around 87 (so i'm guessing the cool end would be 85), but come fall and winter I dont want our tortoise to freeze.

sorry for the long book, but any advice you could give would be great.

---

So i'm preparing for a sulcata hatchling that we will be getting in a few weeks. I have just finished setting up the enclosure, and testing the lights. My question is how do i keep humidity up at night. The enclosure is very small because she will be very small and i want it to grow with her. The total dimensions are 12"Wx12"Hx43"L. Being so small I was hoping it would be easier to trap heat and humidity, but without the day light on it plummets. I have a 75 watt exo terra night bulb and a 100 watt powersun bulb. I went with powersun because of the size of the enclosure, and because the trex had warnings about it being super strong, so I figured maybe for Christmas when we get a bigger enclosure we will go with that one.

Anyway i'm using eco earth and topsoil (turns out i'm allergic to cypress mulch go figure) i have plenty of live plants, and frog moss (although maybe I should add more). the room temperature is 80 degrees, and the cool end of the enclosure reads 77 degrees and 77% humidity with no light. With the night light (which is at the other end of the enclosure) it raises to 78 only after about 15 minutes. With the powersun and night light it is now 79 degrees with 88% humidity. 10 minutes ago I misted everything and the humidity raised to 90%. However when I turn off the MVB the temperature in the warm side goes down to 85 degrees but the temps in the cool side stay the same. Is there a problem if the cool side stays around 78 but the humidity fluctuates? The warm side also doesn't seem to be staying as warm as I expected. Under the bulb is great, but even 2 inches away from that spot the soil is frigid. It reads 85 degrees but i dont buy that. I am going to get an analog hygrometer so i can move it around and test to be sure, but the enclosure doesn't seem to be warm enough or humid enough. What should i do to raise the humidity in the entire enclosure?

I have 5 hides set up 2 of them have moss in them one is a natural burrow, and the other 2 are under bridges with a little bit of coir/topsoil mix. 3 of them are in the warm side. the mvb is 15 inches away from the substrate right now, i can only lower it 3 more inches, but i don't relish burning myself on the lamp when i reach my arm in the enclosure, and the temperatures are perfect in the basking spot so i didn't want to lower the lamp. should I add another layer of substrate? would it stay moist longer or hold heat on the surface better? i can add sphagnum moss to the hides, but that doesn't do anything for the rest of the enclosure. also my frog moss dried out really quickly within 5 hours i had to spray it. should i water it instead? I dont want to start a mold hatchery, but i can't think of any other way to raise the humidity.

By the way the enclosure is 2 small storage boxes put together; long and narrow. my lamp is only on one end of the enclosure, I don't like wires, and its so small that if i had 3 lamps i wouldn't be able to see into the enclosure. is there any small (like triple x small) lamp that i could clamp to the cool end to raise the temperature a bit?

I'm worried because this is a trial run on a comfortable day. we usually have extremely humid summers, and recently the room temps have been around 87 (so i'm guessing the cool end would be 85), but come fall and winter I dont want our tortoise to freeze.

sorry for the long book, but any advice you could give would be great.

sorry about the crazy font

 

[movealongmosey]

Hello,
Im fairly new to this site but have learned some helpful tricks to trapping humidity. I have a redfooted tortoise about a year old , and at night I turn off both the uvb and infrared light and mist down the whole enclosure. After that I put a towel on top to trap the humidity, and it works like a charm. If your worried about the enclosure not being warm enough I usually put a simple heating pad (set on low) underneath his sleeping area. I hope this helps!

Katie

 

[dragnikla]

Hello,
Im fairly new to this site but have learned some helpful tricks to trapping humidity. I have a redfooted tortoise about a year old , and at night I turn off both the uvb and infrared light and mist down the whole enclosure. After that I put a towel on top to trap the humidity, and it works like a charm. If your worried about the enclosure not being warm enough I usually put a simple heating pad (set on low) underneath his sleeping area. I hope this helps!

Katie

How many inches of substrate are you using?
what about airflow and possible suffocation if it gets too stuffy in the enclosure while i'm sleeping. i've been able to raise the humidity by misting the furnishings more so than the soil or the plants. it seems like i can solve one problem or the other. either cover the top to trap humidity, (but then there is no heat so that would be cold in winter), or keep the light on and add another to raise temps, but then my humidity escapes. I thought that the heating pads couldn't be used with the small storage boxes. i know for a large enclosure pig blankets could be used. but are you talking about an under tank heater? and if so is it safe to use under plastic? what if i put the towel only over the cool side i could trap humidity, but is it dangerous to have a cool humid area for the tort to be in? i thought it would have to be warm and humid or cool and dry so as to prevent respiratory infections.

Does anyone know if 90% humidity (which i was able to achieve tonight) in a 70 degree enclosure is dangerous for a hatchling. i want high humidity, but i also want warmer temps associated with that humidity. i'm assuming that cold and wet isn't good.

 

[Tom]

I think you are over thinking this too much. If you have an 80 degree room temp and a damp substrate, you are probably good to go. 5 hides sounds like too many to me in such a small enclosure. Sounds too "busy" for my taste. When I want to cover the top to trap humidity, I just cover the 2/3, or so, that is not under the light. This allows for some air exchange, but holds in some humidity as well.

Other things:
1. If you are keeping it damp you also need to keep it warm. Even in winter and at night.
2. Don't forget to soak daily.
3. Spray the carapace until dripping wet at least twice a day.
4. Use a flat rock under the basking light. Get some flagstone or sandstone.

It sounds like you've got the general idea and it is awesome that you are so dedicated to perfection. It is already obvious that you will succeed.

 

[dragnikla]

I think you are over thinking this too much. If you have an 80 degree room temp and a damp substrate, you are probably good to go. 5 hides sounds like too many to me in such a small enclosure. Sounds too "busy" for my taste. When I want to cover the top to trap humidity, I just cover the 2/3, or so, that is not under the light. This allows for some air exchange, but holds in some humidity as well.

Other things:
1. If you are keeping it damp you also need to keep it warm. Even in winter and at night.
2. Don't forget to soak daily.
3. Spray the carapace until dripping wet at least twice a day.
4. Use a flat rock under the basking light. Get some flagstone or sandstone.

It sounds like you've got the general idea and it is awesome that you are so dedicated to perfection. It is already obvious that you will succeed.

ok great so stop worrying. yeah it is busy but most of the hides are functional pathways and covered in food so i was hoping she would graze like a wild tortoise. so if i can get the cool side to stay around 77 at night is that warm enough with a damp enclosure. I was thinking that i should be able to feel a difference in the air in the enclosure, and the room temp by sticking my hand in. and touching the moist soil it felt cool, but if the thermometer reads anything above 75 im good for night?

This is going to be one of Richard's tortoises so i didn't want her to have a great start and then have me botch the rest of it, and make her sick and moldy. Definitely set and planning to do 2.,3. and 4. as far as when we say warm, talking about hatchlings, i'm not sure she will be warm enough especially if i'm spraying her till she's wet. The cool side always stays between 77 and 79 during the day and the "warm" side is 81, 83, 85 (in the hides), and 95 under the basking spot if I turn on the extra heat light i can get 103 under the lamp, but the other temps don't change at all. Do you think it is best to spray in the morning when she gets up and eats or basks or at night when she goes into one of the hides to sleep?