Humidity in sealed chamber for baby

[JacobK]

Putting my baby Charlie into a 4x2x2 PVC sealed enclosure today. CHE on a thermostat, incandescent basking lamp & UVB strip bulb on a timer, orchid bark substrate, hides and planter plate as water bowl. My question is how do I maintain the correct humidity of 80%, and is there a way to automate it?

Also if anyone has wattage recommendations for CHE & Incandescent basking bulb for this size enclosure since it's a pretty standard size, I would love to know what has worked for you! Thanks in advance! attached are some pictures of Charlie aka Charles.

He is barely 2 inches. Eating a lot, pooping, moving and grooving. The biggest enclosure I can possibly keep in my downtown los angeles loft apartment is 8x2x2, so I know I will have to rehome him someday, but I did rescue him and I feel like I want to at least give him the best year or 2 I can and make sure he grows beyond his fragile baby stage. Looking forward to creating some connections on this forum here and sharing Charlies progress as well as having any questions answered along the way. Thank you all!

 

[wellington]

I usually always use a 100 watt che. Incandescent flood for basking I use a 65 watt. However my torts are now adults and not in a closed chamber. You may want to get a 65 and a lower watt and see which works best in the closed chamber. The other one just save for later use.
Wet the substrate. Get it really wet but not puddling. Mix it up so bottom and top is wet. Sulcatas don't seem to get shell rot unless using a peat moss type substrate.

 

[wellington]

Just an FYI. You will not be able to keep him for long due to your apartment. It would be easier to rehome him while he is still small then when he is bigger.

 

[JacobK]

Just an FYI. You will not be able to keep him for long due to your apartment. It would be easier to rehome him while he is still small then when he is bigger.

I am totally open to rehoming as soon as I find a suitable candidate who will actually provide all the proper care, in the meantime I am happy to take care of the lil fella.

Another question anyone know of safe cleaning products? This enclosure was purchased used and housed a monitor lizard before. I want to thoroughly clean it before Charles gets in there

 

[wellington]

I personally would just use dawn dish soap and water and rinse/wipe well.
If nothing can seep into any wood, etc, then you could do a watered down bleach or Lysol solution. Just be sure to wipe/rinse everything off so no bleach is left and let any smell air out.
When you do try to find it a home, try finding someone on this forum that's not a newbie that only posts to get freebies to resell.

 

[Tom]

Putting my baby Charlie into a 4x2x2 PVC sealed enclosure today. CHE on a thermostat, incandescent basking lamp & UVB strip bulb on a timer, orchid bark substrate, hides and planter plate as water bowl. My question is how do I maintain the correct humidity of 80%, and is there a way to automate it?

Also if anyone has wattage recommendations for CHE & Incandescent basking bulb for this size enclosure since it's a pretty standard size, I would love to know what has worked for you! Thanks in advance! attached are some pictures of Charlie aka Charles.

He is barely 2 inches. Eating a lot, pooping, moving and grooving. The biggest enclosure I can possibly keep in my downtown los angeles loft apartment is 8x2x2, so I know I will have to rehome him someday, but I did rescue him and I feel like I want to at least give him the best year or 2 I can and make sure he grows beyond his fragile baby stage. Looking forward to creating some connections on this forum here and sharing Charlies progress as well as having any questions answered along the way. Thank you all!

I know you meant closed chamber, not sealed chamber, but just makin' sure you aren't sealing it airtight...

Only your thermometer can tell you the correct wattage bulb, but 65 watts is a good starting point. The CHE and thermostat should keep it no lower than 80 at night, and the flood bulb should heat the whole thing up warmer than that during the day. I like sulcata babies to get into the low 90s in the heat of the day. If the 65 watt bulb starts to over heat the whole chamber into the mid to high 90s, you will need to get a lower wattage bulb, or run the 65 watt bulb through a rheostat to reduce the power going to it. You can plug the light fixture into the rheostat, and then plug the rheostat into your light timer. Its really easy, so I hope that doesn't sound complicated.

Basking temperature need to be loud 95-100 directly under the bulb. Check this by laying a digital thermometer directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour or more. Adjust the height of the bulb/fixture, to get the correct basking temperature. Alternatively, you can run the bulb through that rheostat we talked about, and simply dial in the correct temperature with any wattage bulb.

In a closed chamber with lightly damp substrate, the humidity should stay up easily all by itself with no effort from you. If it is lower than 80% at any time, check the dampness of the substrate, and reduce the ventilation if necessary. You should not need to spray or run a humidifier.

I like to clean and disinfect between animals with either dilute bleach, dilute ammonia, a product called F10, or 12% peroxide. Simply rinse well and air it out before use when you are done scrubbing. Ideally, a scrub with hot soapy water will "break the protein barrier", as my vet instructor explained, before the disinfecting solution is applied. It really is best to do both, but not everyone one wants to spend that much time and effort.

 

[JacobK]

I know you meant closed chamber, not sealed chamber, but just makin' sure you aren't sealing it airtight...

Only your thermometer can tell you the correct wattage bulb, but 65 watts is a good starting point. The CHE and thermostat should keep it no lower than 80 at night, and the flood bulb should heat the whole thing up warmer than that during the day. I like sulcata babies to get into the low 90s in the heat of the day. If the 65 watt bulb starts to over heat the whole chamber into the mid to high 90s, you will need to get a lower wattage bulb, or run the 65 watt bulb through a rheostat to reduce the power going to it. You can plug the light fixture into the rheostat, and then plug the rheostat into your light timer. Its really easy, so I hope that doesn't sound complicated.

Basking temperature need to be loud 95-100 directly under the bulb. Check this by laying a digital thermometer directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour or more. Adjust the height of the bulb/fixture, to get the correct basking temperature. Alternatively, you can run the bulb through that rheostat we talked about, and simply dial in the correct temperature with any wattage bulb.

In a closed chamber with lightly damp substrate, the humidity should stay up easily all by itself with no effort from you. If it is lower than 80% at any time, check the dampness of the substrate, and reduce the ventilation if necessary. You should not need to spray or run a humidifier.

I like to clean and disinfect between animals with either dilute bleach, dilute ammonia, a product called F10, or 12% peroxide. Simply rinse well and air it out before use when you are done scrubbing. Ideally, a scrub with hot soapy water will "break the protein barrier", as my vet instructor explained, before the disinfecting solution is applied. It really is best to do both, but not everyone one wants to spend that much time and effort.

Okay amazing thank you! Yes there are vents on the enclosure not sealed thank you
One last question, previous owner seems to have glued whatever these fake tiles are into the bottom of the enclosure should I be worried about moisture creating mold or something I really can’t tell what they are made of but it’s certainly not tile. Very thin and fake

 

[JacobK]

*photos of enclosure*

 

[Tom]

Okay amazing thank you! Yes there are vents on the enclosure not sealed thank you
One last question, previous owner seems to have glued whatever these fake tiles are into the bottom of the enclosure should I be worried about moisture creating mold or something I really can’t tell what they are made of but it’s certainly not tile. Very thin and fake

I would probably leave it. Your substrate will be resistant to any kind of growth, so that should inhibit that sort of thing.