Star hatchlings-substrate and humidity

[A V]

Hi all. My first post here I'm from India and I got a star hatchling. It's about 2" big. I'm concerned about the humidity requirement and the substrate.
Regarding the humidity, I've seen plenty of sites talking about star hatchlings needing 80% humidity and to contradict that there are sites talking about stars getting respiratory problems if kept at 80% humidity. What could be correct here. please help!
For the substrate, I've heard people use orchid bark/coconut coir with top soil......to maintain proper humidity. Is there any other less messier option too?
Thanks a ton.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum, @A V .

Please post pics of your tort and his/her enclosure. This will enable the experts here to help you more easily.

And, read the "Beginners Mistakes" Thread.

@Yvonne G
@Tom

please help. Thank you.

 

[Neal]

My experience with orchid bark is that it is the less messy of most other types of reptile-friendly substrates.

80% is a good relative humidity level for a young star. You may see problems if the temperature drops too low, so we on the forum generally recommend a low temperature of nothing less than 80f.

My stars seem to prefer warmer temperatures, so the lowest temperature my young ones are exposed to is 85.

 

[Tom]

Everything Neal said.

There is a lot of incorrect and conflicting info out there in the world. Our info here on this site is up to date and reflects new knowledge that has been obtained through years of experimentation, trial and error.

This thread is titled for sulcatas and leopards, but I raise my stars identically.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

These will help too:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-star-tortoise.159167/

Less grass for a star, but some grass is good.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/