Temp and humidity questions

[threeheadedshadow]

Okay so I have a few questions regarding the overall temp and humidity for my redfoots enclosure.

I previously was living in a basement where the overall room temperature was around 65 which was great for the enclosure. What I mean is with the ceramic heat lamp on at night the enclosure was 80 with 80% humidity. During the day with the heat light and ubv it was 80 with 80% humidity.

I have since moved to a second floor apartment where the temperature is much greater, around 70+\- and the enclosure has reacted different with the same bulbs and conditions. I no longer use the ceramic heat coil because at night the enclosure would get 90+ with a low 40% humidity. Without it it stays at 73 with 80% humidity. During the day with the heat light I am at an ambient 90 with hot spots around 98+\- with a humidity of 60%. Now I have noticed the redfoot babies do appear to bask in the light until they get too warm and go into their hides for awhile under these conditions. Regardless of what the humidity gauge says there is visible moisture on both ends of the tank so I think the humidity is higher then what the gauge says. Now if i don't have the spot light on the and just the ubv the temp is around 73-75 with a 80% humidity.

However, the torts don't seem as active and stay in their hide. Almost like they enjoy the high temps more?


Anyone have insight on which is best for the babies?

 

[DutchieAmanda]

I'd recommend using a thermostate on your CHE, to keep the temperature stable and prevent overheating. It takes a bit of experimenting to find the perfect temperature for your torts.

What type of gauges do you use? The analog ones are known to be a bit unreliable.

Your torts are really cute! Do you keep them as a pair? In that case, be careful. They don't always do well in pairs and could hurt each other.

Good luck!

 

[Anyfoot]

Okay so I have a few questions regarding the overall temp and humidity for my redfoots enclosure.

I previously was living in a basement where the overall room temperature was around 65 which was great for the enclosure. What I mean is with the ceramic heat lamp on at night the enclosure was 80 with 80% humidity. During the day with the heat light and ubv it was 80 with 80% humidity.

I have since moved to a second floor apartment where the temperature is much greater, around 70+\- and the enclosure has reacted different with the same bulbs and conditions. I no longer use the ceramic heat coil because at night the enclosure would get 90+ with a low 40% humidity. Without it it stays at 73 with 80% humidity. During the day with the heat light I am at an ambient 90 with hot spots around 98+\- with a humidity of 60%. Now I have noticed the redfoot babies do appear to bask in the light until they get too warm and go into their hides for awhile under these conditions. Regardless of what the humidity gauge says there is visible moisture on both ends of the tank so I think the humidity is higher then what the gauge says. Now if i don't have the spot light on the and just the ubv the temp is around 73-75 with a 80% humidity.

However, the torts don't seem as active and stay in their hide. Almost like they enjoy the high temps more?

View attachment 164298
Anyone have insight on which is best for the babies?

What uvb is it. You need to put your CHE on a thermostat. Make sure every part of your enclosure is between 80f and 90f. Ideally 82f to 88f. Humidity needs to be around 80%. They are probably basking under the light because the rest of the enclosure is not warm enough. Are you sure it's 90f In the hide? They also get dosile when it's too hot. In the wild they will seek for cooler areas when it's too hot. Please get a stat for your CHE.

 

[threeheadedshadow]

Any specific thermostat recommended?

 

[NDevon]

Any specific thermostat recommended?

Personally I use two Habistat Pulse Proportional thermostats, 1 is the normal one the other is high range which I find easier to get 'spot on' with the temperature. There are others available and this isn't the cheapest, but I found it so stable when I needed to get a second I got the same brand.

 

[Madkins007]

One of the problems with a lot of care sheets is that everyone's situation can be different enough to mess things up. I found that here in Nebraska I had the best luck using a small ceramic heat emitter that was on all the time, and a larger one set on both a timer and a cheap ZooMed thermostat for daytime (night temp drops are OK within reason.

It can be tricky to balance humidity, substrate, and temps. Damp substrates can be cold and clammy, warm air rises and takes humidity with it, and so on. There are some options discussed at www.tortoiselibrary.com. (I don't make ANYTHING from the site, but retyping, or even cutting and pasting the info is just annoying enough after doing it a hundred times that it is easier to just point you there.)