Best Way to Keep Substrate Moist?

mandymg86

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Belleville, IL
Hello! We just switched our Hermann's Tort to a blend of Repti-Bark, Rainforest substrate, and Eco-Earth (coconut). When we adopted, he was on Cypress and we hated it. Aside from a spray bottle to keep things damp, do you have any other recommendations? It's holding moisture very nicely but I'll need to do something tonight/tomorrow.
 

jsheffield

Well-Known Member
Moderator
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
3,114
Location (City and/or State)
Westmoreland, NH
A covered enclosure is the best way to keep temperatures and humidity constant.

Jamie
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Coverning the top will help prevent the moisture loss and also create some needed humidity.

To keep the substrate damp, you have to dump water into the substrate. How much and how often varies tremendously with each enclosure, home, the season, current weather, etc... I like to dump the water bowls into the substrate daily, assuming there is no poo in the bowl. In some cases that is enough, and in other case more or less might be needed. As you've seen already, spraying the surface does very little.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
He's currently in the Zoo Med Tortoise House (two of them together, so 72"L x 24"W x 12"D). The hides on each end are closed, but the main lids have an open fence-type lid.
Those aren't good tortoise enclosures. As you'll soon see, damp substrate will rot them, and they usually leak the water you dump into them all over whatever is below them. They are also too open for a baby, and too small for an adult. The indoor enclosure for an adult hermanns tortoise should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4x8'.
 

mandymg86

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Belleville, IL
Those aren't good tortoise enclosures. As you'll soon see, damp substrate will rot them, and they usually leak the water you dump into them all over whatever is below them. They are also too open for a baby, and too small for an adult. The indoor enclosure for an adult hermanns tortoise should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4x8'.

We'll definitely work on getting something different. We adopted him (he's now 6 years old) about a month ago and they gave us the enclosure.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
We'll definitely work on getting something different. We adopted him (he's now 6 years old) about a month ago and they gave us the enclosure.
The enclosure is way too small for a adult tort. Some keepers prefer big plastic tubs and cover them with a small green house. An outdoor enclosure for warm summer days will be great too.
Please don`t be upsetted about my advice. I know you are working on a bigger enclosure and that is great ! Can you please post some pics of your tort and the enclosure ?
 

mandymg86

New Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2019
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Belleville, IL
The enclosure is way too small for a adult tort. Some keepers prefer big plastic tubs and cover them with a small green house. An outdoor enclosure for warm summer days will be great too.
Please don`t be upsetted about my advice. I know you are working on a bigger enclosure and that is great ! Can you please post some pics of your tort and the enclosure ?

I'm not upset, at all! We're new tort owners and we're very particular with our husbandry with our other reptiles, so any advice is welcome. I can take a picture this evening of the enclosure and of Ted.
 

New Posts

Top