jcalpacagirl34
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2016
- Messages
- 29
I am a new tortoise owner and have some some research before adopting but still have questions. I have a 1 year old red foot tortoise and am having trouble maintaining the humidity level in the 70%-90% range where it should be. i mist his enclosure daily but try not to do it too much since wet substrate can cause shell rot. i have only had him since this past sunday (Nov. 6th, 2016) and his eyes have already started weeping (they were clear when i got him) so i know i am already making mistakes. I have a gauge the measures temp and humidity. The humidity seems to stay only in 40% range and even after i mist him it will rise but only for a few minutes then it goes back down. I read the substrate plays an important role in maintaining humidity so right now i am using cypress mulch. I keep the heat bulb on 24/7 and the uvb light 12 hours per day, even tho that does not play a role in keeping him warm...just thought i would throw that in. his enclosure is custom made and is almost identical to the zoo med habitats. It does not have a lid/top to it except on the hide box. The dimensions are 2 feet wide by 4 feet long and 10 inches high. i have an aquarium that i no longer use so i had the idea to take the screen top from that and place it across the part of the enclosure i want to stay warm. it probably won't do anything to help but i think it's worth a shot. i'm kind of out of ideas at this point and am starting to get frustrated and stressed out so any and all advice/suggestions are welcome at this point. Thank you.