Solution for humidity problems? Could an invertebrate trick work for tortoises

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

A little background info: I am a new tortoise keeper (got my tortoise in February, has been my dream pet for over 10 years). But before toroises, I was quite deep in the invertebrate world. I have been keeping bioactive terrariums with isopods and other local invertebrates for about 6 years and got my giant african land snails (Achatina Iradalei to be exact) in 2020. These have helped me with my tortoise hobby, since I am already used to foraging for food, buying pet supplies and overall keeping a pet that is not as common as your regular hamster or a dog.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience of closed chamber enclosures outside the tortoise world (I am not a pro or anything, I have just found what works for me). This is how I keep the humidity up in my snail and Isopod terrariums:

1. I sewed a big bag out of some net fabric meant for making bug nets, filled it with washed LECA gravel and sew that bag shut. Then I soaked the bag in water and placed the dripping bag at hthe bottom of the enclousure. This provided me with a drainage level and a water reservoir at the bottom of the enclousure, where my snails couln't get into.
2. I rehydrated some cococoir bricks and packed them pn top of this drainage level.
3. When the substrate started to dry, I would mix it and fill up the reservoir a bit. I needed to to this about once a week at max. This way I was able to upkeep a humidity of 80 to 90% with minimal effort.

My question is, could this same work with tortoises if the bag was made to be a bit more heavy duty? Is there something else that would need changing? Has anyone tried making a water reservoir/drainage layer to their tortoise enclosures? I haven't found anything like this on the forum so it would be interesting to see what you think

 

[jaizei]

Look through @Madkins007 old posts; he had a large bioactive setup at one point.

 

[wellington]

I don't remember seeing anything like what it sounds like you did. Those with a bioactive substrate maybe could do the same. However, that seems harder than just a closed chamber with damp substrate that when done right only has to have the substrate dampened about once a week maybe less, depending.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Look through @Madkins007 old posts; he had a large bioactive setup at one point.

Thanks I will have a look! I am not planning to do a bioactive set up curretly, just wondering if it was possible. Of course the best conditions for the isopods I currently have (Tranchelipus rathkei) contains so much rotten wood, leaf litter, bacteria and fungi, it would surely cause some problems for my tortoise and the other way around.. Mostly I was wondering whether somebody has made a water reservoir

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I don't remember seeing anything like what it sounds like you did. Those with a bioactive substrate maybe could do the same. However, that seems harder than just a closed chamber with damp substrate that when done right only has to have the substrate dampened about once a week maybe less, depending.

Yeah, It really depends. As I said once a week is the max during summer in a heavily planted enclousure. But I also have one Isopod closed chamber with just a few small pothos propagations, no heating or UVB that I haven't had to dampen ever since it was set up like 2 years ago and the humidity has stayed up from the materia added to the enclosure once a month (damp leaf litter, new wood etc.)

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds like it would work. You need to give it a try and keep us in the loop. It might be something for us all to consider.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

It sounds like it would work. You need to give it a try and keep us in the loop. It might be something for us all to consider.

I will probably try it outdoors first, since I am making a brand new enclousure there so it will be easier to implement