opinions needed!!!

[Camdens tortoise]

This is our 1st tort so we are trying to get his enclosure regulated, which, is EXTREMELY frustrating! LOL Ive already gotten a few opinions but want to see what all my options are. The temperatures are good everywere except under the plexiglass lid where the coco fiber is. This was intended to be his humid hide but the temperature is averaging 73 degrees with a humidity of 50-60%.I would like it to be 80 degrees with a humidity of about 70% in there. Ive been spraying it down 5-6 times a day and its not helping the humidity at ALL. The light fixture on the left is the CHE bulb and I moved his hide under that so now his hide is at about 85 deg with 70% humidity which is perfect (except that I want the hide in the coco fiber under that lid!). The fixtures on the right is his basking bulb and UVB tube and it is staying 95-100 degrees under there. So pretty much everything is the way I wanted it and the way he needs it EXCEPT under the lid. I just CANT get it warm enough under there to produce humidity. Its a wood table but it is lined with pond liner so it should be holding moisture and it has cypress mulch and coco fiber...both which are known to hold moisture yet my habitat is still way too dry. HELP!!!!! (sorry for the crappy pictures, hard to get pics of the whole thing)

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Before i comment, what type and size of Tort is this enclosure housing?

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Looks like a sulcata hatching..but the pics on my phone are small...

 

[Camdens tortoise]

sorry, yes, its a sulcata hatchling!

 

[wellington]

Take a look at Toms threads. They are below in my post. Most likely the hide where the plexiglass is will only get to the right temp with some kind of heat in it. Cut a hole in the wood top, just big enough for a CHE fixture fits over it. Line the rim of the hole with tin foil and place a fixture with the CHE in it over the hole. Temps cannot go below 80 with the correct humidity of 80% or your tort will get sick. Humid and cold is not good. Hope this helps.

 

[Camdens tortoise]

okay, thank you! I have a private message in to Tom now and also received advice from the breeder that I got him from but I really just need to get it warm under the plexiglass. Didnt think about cutting a hole...that might just work. Ill have my husband look at it and see if the wood is large enough to accomodate the fixure. Thanks!

 

[bmt123]

You might want to try sphagnum moss in and around the hide it tends to help with humidity.

 

[Camdens tortoise]

I do have it in the hide but the hide doesnt seem to be the problem. The problem is that I want to put the hide back under the plexiglass lid where the coco fiber is and the temperature is not warm enough or humidity high enough. I think were going to try cutting a hole and placing the light in there to get it warmed up. Hopefully this will work because I want to keep him healthy and its harder than I thought! LOL

You might want to try sphagnum moss in and around the hide it tends to help with humidity.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

You need to either add another heat source

OR

Enclose the top completely minus holes around the current lighting. A fully enclosed enclosure or "closed chamber" will keep both your humidity and your heat stable throughout