worried im going to be a bad tort momma :(

[Nonameredfoot]

Ive been walking on egg shells since I got my little tort...im worried im going to be a terrible tort momma...im worried im going to let him get sick (im having a hard time keeping the temp and humidity up where it should be, its not as low as it could be but its not high either and spraying his tank is making it damp ...theres a lot more to these guys than the pet store led me to believe and now im getting paranoid!

 

[cemmons12]

Welcome to the forum! What kind of tort do you have? What kind of lighting do you use? What is the temp of the enclosure?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Welcome to our little slice of heaven...whole bunch of folks here who'll help you become the very best tort momma!

 

[wrmitchell22]

Welcome to TFO, relax tell us what kind of tort you have and maybe we can put your mind at ease or help you out with ideas?

 

[Torty Mom]

We are here to help, and even though it may seem hard and that you can't do it, once you get a little more comfortable, it will, I promise become easier. You will be a great tortie momma! No worries

 

[Nonameredfoot]

Well I have a Red Foot, people on the forum have estimated it to be about 2 years. I have a 75w basking lamp and UVB on during the day and at night a 45w heat bulb. Yesterday I was home all day and sprayed the tank about 5-6 times, the heat and temp stayed up to about 75(hum) and 85(heat) well today I have to get back to work so I can only spray it once in the AM and then maybe 2 times in the PM, when I get home and then again when I go to bed. This morning the temp was down to 65 and the hum was down to 50...I sprayed the tank and when I got back the hum went down to 40, I just called the petstore and told them it might not be the right pet for me as I cant keep the hum up and they suggested soaking the coconut substrate, so I just dumped a bowl of warm water in and mixed it into the subtrate, it helped for about 5 mins, its right back to 50 now. My room is not heated and my parents wont allow it to be placed anywhere else. Im already attatched so I dont want to have to give it back..what other choices do I have? I asked if it would be okay to hook up a humidifier and they are in disagreement about that as well as the electric bill is already going to be high with the bulbs and heating. Thank you all so much! advice and tips more than welcome...worst comes to worse I might have to exchange it for another critter than can handle less humidity...I really dont want to but im trying to think of whats best for the tort...I feel like i'll be letting it down though

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Few just checked again the hum is up to 65 at least...maybe im being overly paranoid lol, but I def already care about and it dont want it to get sick. Is it okay to wet the substrate daily?

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Nvm even with the soaked substrate its down to 60 again...but good news! its still got an appetite ate all of it tort chow!

 

[tyler0912]

You can tell you obviously want the best for your tortoise....
R-E-L-A-X we was all the same with our first tortoise....Q'S Q'S Q'S
Have you ever thought about buying a reptile mister/fogger....
Not the cheapest thing but does the job,
You can set when it comes on and how long for...how old are you...Whats your name?
Also...WELCOME!! xx
heres a mister/fogger..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzUvgIiJhU&feature=player_embedded#at=145
Or a cheaper humidifier!
This ones okay if you have fake/real plants for this to drip onto! --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1ejRP4QZKq8#at=73
Both of these from...
http://www.bigappleherp.com

 

[Madkins007]

I'd recommend some heating coils or rope in the substrate. They will heat the water in the substrate and cause it to rise as both warmth and humidity. Bonus- because it is always being formed and rising past the tortoise, it is easier to trap and very effective.

There are similar ideas at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com

 

[Nonameredfoot]

Thanks Tyler, Im Jme. I actually just went down to petco today and got a fogger I havent set it up yet but will be later tonight. Im 23 but living at home right now cuz I just graduated and am searching for a job so my parents are a little peaved that I have all these electrical needs that they didnt wanna deal with lol, I dont even wanna see the electrical bill for this month (not what I expected for electrical needs LOL)...im actually feeling incredibly better tonight know I have the fogger, I think this is going to be a huge help! and am not nearly as worried as I was before. Thank you for the link, I'll take a look

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I think I saw those at the petstore too Madkins but wasnt sure how to use it. Ive been looking up the reptifogger after I purchased and set it up and most people have been saying they crash after a couple weeks of use, I hope thats not the case but if it turns out to be I will def look into the coil! Thanks for the advice

 

[fhintz]

Hi there,

Humidity was a big challenge for me and my redfoot at first as well. A lot of days it dipped into the 20s even, so you're doing better already. I've ended up using a humidifier. In my experience, heat lamps and a humidifier really don't use that much electricity. I really never noticed any kind of jump in my bill after getting my tortoise settled in.

Best of luck,

Frank