humidity

[tortguy521]

hi i have two redfoot tortoises but im having trouble keeping the humidity up i have a habbamister and i spray the tank and the humidity will go up for about an hour and then it goes way back down and i cant keep it up the avarge humidity is about 50% so can anyone help me.

thanks.

 

[desertsss]

In addition to misting a good idea is to pour water over the substrate so that the top layer will dry out but underneath will still stay moist. This will keep up the humidity for a while.

 

[Crazy1]

tortguy521, on your post http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-7089.html regarding RF enclosures it was suggested you read www.redfoots.com for how to set up your enclosure. I may have missed it but have you explained or posted pics of your set up? what type of substrate are you using? Type of bulbs? Temp on cool end and on hot end? Does your habitat (pen) have a top or is it open?

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

What percent of your enclosure is uncovered (aka doesn't have a glass or Plexiglas lid)? Humidity can easily dissipate unless contained. You need airflow, but not much. Redfoots come from the stale, humid, warm underbrush of rim of the South American rain forests

 

[Madkins007]

Ahhhh... Dr. Cosmonaut is not quite right on this. Fresh air is a definite plus. There is a big difference between the stale air of a natural tortoise hide and a typical indoor tortoise habitat. Covering a humid habitat makes for molds, mildews, smells, and lots of other nastiness. Bad air leads to pneumonia and other diseases.

Here is the deal- treat humidity like you do light and heat- drier areas (60-70%) and very humid (90+%) areas. To accomplish this, you may need to try several things at once.

One idea for a high humidity area is the 'humid hide'. Take a plastic box big enough to hide in and a little bigger. Attach the lid and cut a tortoise-sized hole in the side. Line it with slightly dampened sphagnum moss or toweling. Hang what is basically a big sponge on the side. A good sponge is made by sewing more moss in a linen bag and soaking it before hanging it. You can use regular sponges, but the tortoises often eat them. Park the hide in the hot side of the habitat.

If the floor of the habitat is warmed to a few degrees warmer than the air somehow (which is a good idea anyway!), pour water into the substrate so it 'pools' at the bottom. It will warm up and rise through the substrate to humidify from the bottom up (misting humidifies from the top down, and quickly dissipates in the air.) As a bonus, the substrate itself is not wet or clammy this way.

Set up an aquarium in the habitat. Take a big, heavy container of water (that cannot tip over) and use an aquarium heater to heat it a bit warmer than the air. Adding a bubbler will help even more. You may as well put some fish in there, too. If they jump out, they make great snacks!

Set a warm mist vaporizer near the habitat and use big flexible tubing to duct it from the humidifier to the habitat, near the ground level. Put the humidifier on a multiple-setting timer so it runs for about 15 minutes every hour and adjust as needed.

A couple warnings.
- Most misting or sprayer systems actually COOL the water and the air as the work. A typical ultrasonic humidifier can cool things 10 degrees easily.
- Do not let the soil or substrate get cool and wet. If you cannot keep it pleasantly warm and damp, keep it dry. When I do not warm my substrate from below, I find that a VERY small area under the heat light feels nice and warm, but only a little ways away it gets almost chilly fast, especially in the winter.
- Covering the tank and misting or wetting the substrates are common answers, but they really do not meet the tortoise's needs adequately. They want humidity- water vapor in the air- not cold wet feet, or water droplets everywhere, or nasty air, or a chilling fog. It may not be easy, but we owe them to try.

Disclosure notice: Right now, my two habitats violate most of these guidelines but once I can get them outside for the summer, I will be building a habitat using the guidelines from Vinke's "South American Tortoises", similar to what I posted here.