Recommendation for temp and humidity

[Donna Shaw]

Hi,

I have a year old Hermann tortoise called Stella. She has been a bit lethargic recently and sleeping in her hide or burrowed down during daytime. I keep her temps at 35c under the heatlamp during day, cold end is usually around 20 - 25c. At night I drop this down to 20c under the heatlamp. I dont measure humidity in the enclosure and wonder if this could be the problem. She is in a tortoise table but no lid which I wonder if she could be losing humidity due to this. I do spray her enclosure twice s day to mist it down
I'm also wondering about buying a new temp probe to check the temps are correct. Can anyone recommend accurate thermometer and hygrometer please?

 

[Tom]

Here is how I recommend they be kept:

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tortoiseforum.org

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tortoiseforum.org

 

[Donna Shaw]

Thanks Tom, you were very helpful when I first got stella and she wasnt eating properly. Thsnks for the links which are very useful. What I'm looking for specifically is a suggestion or link to a thermometer and hygrometer that will be accurate. I keep finding ones then when I read reviews I am concerned over accuracy, what do others use for their little hermanns??

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom, you were very helpful when I first got stella and she wasnt eating properly. Thsnks for the links which are very useful. What I'm looking for specifically is a suggestion or link to a thermometer and hygrometer that will be accurate. I keep finding ones then when I read reviews I am concerned over accuracy, what do others use for their little hermanns??

Copy that. I get mine from the hard ware store. Usually they sell the "Accu-Rite" brand, but they are similar to this:

 

[Donna Shaw]

Copy that. I get mine from the hard ware store. Usually they sell the "Accu-Rite" brand, but they are similar to this:
View attachment 292662

Perfect, thanks Tom ?

 

[Donna Shaw]

Copy that. I get mine from the hard ware store. Usually they sell the "Accu-Rite" brand, but they are similar to this:
View attachment 292662

 

[Donna Shaw]

Like this one?

 

[Tom]

Perfect, thanks Tom ?

No problem. You can move it around all over the enclosure to see what temps and humidity are right where the tortoise is actually going to be.

They also make some with a wireless remote probe. These work too. You can leave the base in a convenient place for reading it, and just move the little probe around the enclosure.

 

[Tom]

Like this one?

That one looks great.

 

[Donna Shaw]

Thanks, you really helped me last time and Stella's appetite is much improved, the coco coir has helped massively. She seems happy enough, but is much more active outside than inside so I figure it must be something in her enclosure that shes not 100% happy with. I have a thermostat to measure the temp and a temperature gun but when I checked the other day it was 41c under her basking lamp and the thermostat hadn't switched it off so either my thermostat is out or the temp gun is out! Thanks for your help again ?

 

[Tom]

Thanks, you really helped me last time and Stella's appetite is much improved, the coco coir has helped massively. She seems happy enough, but is much more active outside than inside so I figure it must be something in her enclosure that shes not 100% happy with. I have a thermostat to measure the temp and a temperature gun but when I checked the other day it was 41c under her basking lamp and the thermostat hadn't switched it off so either my thermostat is out or the temp gun is out! Thanks for your help again ?

You are welcome. Glad to be of service.

Sometimes you can never figure out why they seem to like one enclosure more than another, but no harm in observing and trying to optimize everything.

 

[Donna Shaw]

You are welcome. Glad to be of service.

Sometimes you can never figure out why they seem to like one enclosure more than another, but no harm in observing and trying to optimize everything.

I got up this morning and my basking lamp has gone and so has my thermostat! I knew something weren't right, anyway went to pet store early this morning and replacement bulb bought and stella is happy and eating her breakfast! Thanks Tom, as always, very helpful!

 

[Jennamilligan]

I got this IS it ok?

 

[Tom]

I got this IS it ok?

I can't tell from the packaging, but if that is plain coco coir with no additives, then yes, it should be fine.

 

[Jennamilligan]

That IS what it is, but it was dry and hard vacume packed.....had to wet it , it IS still very damp, IS that ok? This IS so hard having an animal when no thought went into before hand....believe me i am doing m'y best and want to do right by her/him

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

That IS what it is, but it was dry and hard vacume packed.....had to wet it , it IS still very damp, IS that ok? This IS so hard having an animal when no thought went into before hand....believe me i am doing m'y best and want to do right by her/him

That's just how they do it. I get a 10 gallon cube in a 1 gallon bag thanks to the miracle of dry vac-packing!

 

[Jennamilligan]

That's just how they do it. I get a 10 gallon cube in a 1 gallon bag thanks to the miracle of dry vac-packing!

So IS it ok that she/hé IS on it? I dont have to wait for it to dry out at all?
She loves thé basking light, and loved her bath, was very active just After thé bath

 

[Jennamilligan]

Yayyyy she IS eating now, thank you so much everyone

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

So IS it ok that she/hé IS on it? I dont have to wait for it to dry out at all?
She loves thé basking light, and loved her bath, was very active just After thé bath

It's fine. It's no different than walking on the grass after a good rain. Basking light will dry it out fairly quickly. Always a good idea to give it a light misting in the early morning to mimic the morning dew and raise the humidity a little. Human homes tend to be very dry (20% humidity) compared to nature (usually 50% humidity in the mornings, 30% in the afternoon).

 

[Jennamilligan]

I have turned thé lightning off for thé night IS that correct? IS it normal that she hasnt hidden under anything to sleep, she has gone into her food bowl..
I know i am panicky, but i hâte not knowing what i am doing. Whenever i have Taken in an animal,i have Always studied their needs before hand.....this IS awful