Dry substrate

T0rtug@

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After reading more through this very insightful forum I have learned that I should keep a cool, dry area for my Tort aside from a warm, humid area. I am having no issues keeping my hatchling Greek's humidity up (reaches 80-99% at times, at which point I open the lid to his enclosure). My issue is that my night temps go down to as low as 72F with humidity still in the 70's%. I am using coco coir as a substrate and as you know, it retains moisture well. What other substrate can I use that will keep the cool end of the enclosure dry? Can I just place that substrate on top of the already moist coco coir? My tort spends most of its time burrowed on the warm end. The only time he ventures away from the warm end is to eat, and his eating area is in the middle of the enclosure.
 

Yvonne G

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It's ok for your hatchling to have an overall temp of around 80F. You can worry about a warm side/cool side when he gets a little older. Here's a very good care sheet for Greek tortoises:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/

It mainly talks about full grown tortoises, but for babies you can go with this care sheet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

He talks about caring for baby Russians, and it would be the same for baby Greeks.
 

T0rtug@

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Thanks for your input YvonneG, but I have already read the care sheets extensively. I just need advice on a safe substrate I can use that will keep an area of the enclosure dry and cool.
 

ascott

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You say that the enclosure drops in temps to the low 70's....so, why don't you simply begin to only wet the warmest/basking side....let the remainder of the enclosure dry out some....then you will be able to keep the dry area the farthest from the warm/moistened side?
 

T0rtug@

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You say that the enclosure drops in temps to the low 70's....so, why don't you simply begin to only wet the warmest/basking side....let the remainder of the enclosure dry out some....then you will be able to keep the dry area the farthest from the warm/moistened side?
That is what I have since done ascott. Coco coir retains moisture extremely well, and its still humid even after not moistening it for days. I'm sure it will dry out eventually.
 

tortdad

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70 is too low, your baby is going to get sick. Get a thermostat for your heater


0.0.1 Redfoot (Spike)
0.0.1 Cherryhead Redfoot (Bruce Wayne)
1.0 Sulcata (Hal Jordan)
 

ascott

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As tortdad shared, the temps are not healthy for the tort...so whilst you wait for the substrate to get to a desirable moisture you can add a night time heat source, this will allow you to maintain a temp in the night that won't fall below 80...
 

Tom

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After reading more through this very insightful forum I have learned that I should keep a cool, dry area for my Tort aside from a warm, humid area. I am having no issues keeping my hatchling Greek's humidity up (reaches 80-99% at times, at which point I open the lid to his enclosure). My issue is that my night temps go down to as low as 72F with humidity still in the 70's%. I am using coco coir as a substrate and as you know, it retains moisture well. What other substrate can I use that will keep the cool end of the enclosure dry? Can I just place that substrate on top of the already moist coco coir? My tort spends most of its time burrowed on the warm end. The only time he ventures away from the warm end is to eat, and his eating area is in the middle of the enclosure.

Understand that you are talking to people here that don't keep greeks and have no idea what a night temp of 70 will do to a greek in wet or dry conditions. I don't keep greeks either, but their care is similar to russians which have kept a lot of. You don't need a cool dry side. You don't need a dry side at all. That is someone's opinion and you should be asking what that opinion is based on. I let all of my russians, both hatchlings and adults drop down into the mid 60's at night and they are on damp coir or orchid bark, or outside in an irrigated enclosure with damp dirt. Its 51 outside right now where my russians are and it rained yesterday.

Do you think night temps stay 80 where greeks come from? I don't. Is it humid and rainy there sometimes with cold nights? Yep. Do cooler night temps and damp substrate make them sick? Not any of mine over a span of decades. Tropical tortoises like sulcata and leopards are a different story. Those and other tropical species DO need warm nights. Mediterranean species do not.

Also: If your tortoise never leaves the warm side, that is a sign that your basking and ambient day time temps might be too cool. Try raising the basking temp and raising ambient and see what happens. Ideally they should be moving back and forth from the cool side to the warm side to thermoregulate. If they are always on the hot side, its usually because they don't feel warm enough.
 

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