Substrate
- Thread starter A.Yaj
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Those two are my favorite. You just have to keep dumping water into it to keep it moist. Covering the top of the enclosure as much as you can will also cut down on evaporation and keep the humidity inside the enclosure where you want it.
Coco coir is great thats what i use as well.
A.Yaj said:
Yes, that's what I do. I have actually poured pitchers of water into the enclosure and then churned it. The coir can hold a lot of water.
Its a vicious cycle in an open topped enclosure in a dry room. The heat bulb causes evaporation which cools things, so you add more heat. Then when it gets too dry, things are too hot. You add water since your substrate is now too dry, and on and on it goes...
In my open enclosures, I just dump water into them. It all saturates and absorbs in time. Some people need a gallon a day. Others just need a cup every few days. It just depends on many factors and you have to watch it and maintain it.
In my open enclosures, I just dump water into them. It all saturates and absorbs in time. Some people need a gallon a day. Others just need a cup every few days. It just depends on many factors and you have to watch it and maintain it.
I can get away with using half a spray bottle (on the stream setting) to "top off" my substrate every morning, but I live in a fairly humid climate. It's worth noting that it's not the end of the world if the top layer of substrate is dry in some spots. Tortoises love to burrow, and if your substrate is deep enough, it'll still be moist underneath.
Jacob said:
Go with Tom's advice.
1. Make sure you have a thick layer of substrate. Thinner layers dry out more quickly. 4-6" is nice if you can do it.
2. Cover almost the entire habitat. I recently used an analogy that seems to have helped- think of the warm, humid air as small helium balloons, the size of peas, desperately trying to escape. Your job is to keep as many as you can right up against the tortoises. How much of the top would you have to cover to trap enough balloons that they 'back-filled' and pressed against the torts? (BUT- fresh air flow is important as well, so loosing some balloons is OK.)
3. Dump lukewarm to warm water in the substrate, 'filling' it to about a couple inches from the top. You don't need to stir it in.
4. Wait for the magic to happen.
Here is what will happen: The heating system will dry out the air and top layers of substrate. The dryness will wick moisture from below. The substrate will act as a massive wick and 'throw' the moisture into the dry air. The warm, humid air will try to rise out of the habitat, and be trapped by the cover. The warm, humid air will cause the wicking process to slow down, making fewer of the imaginary balloons.
Once you get the balance even partly right, it pretty much runs itself. Keep the substrate 'charged' with water- but don't flood it- and as the air needs it, it will 'steal' it from the substrate.
Thick substrates help, and buried substrate heaters help a lot as well. The heaters speed things up enough that there are always so many of the danged balloons that you can afford to lose a lot more.
1. Make sure you have a thick layer of substrate. Thinner layers dry out more quickly. 4-6" is nice if you can do it.
2. Cover almost the entire habitat. I recently used an analogy that seems to have helped- think of the warm, humid air as small helium balloons, the size of peas, desperately trying to escape. Your job is to keep as many as you can right up against the tortoises. How much of the top would you have to cover to trap enough balloons that they 'back-filled' and pressed against the torts? (BUT- fresh air flow is important as well, so loosing some balloons is OK.)
3. Dump lukewarm to warm water in the substrate, 'filling' it to about a couple inches from the top. You don't need to stir it in.
4. Wait for the magic to happen.
Here is what will happen: The heating system will dry out the air and top layers of substrate. The dryness will wick moisture from below. The substrate will act as a massive wick and 'throw' the moisture into the dry air. The warm, humid air will try to rise out of the habitat, and be trapped by the cover. The warm, humid air will cause the wicking process to slow down, making fewer of the imaginary balloons.
Once you get the balance even partly right, it pretty much runs itself. Keep the substrate 'charged' with water- but don't flood it- and as the air needs it, it will 'steal' it from the substrate.
Thick substrates help, and buried substrate heaters help a lot as well. The heaters speed things up enough that there are always so many of the danged balloons that you can afford to lose a lot more.
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