Feel like a steam room inside the enclosure

[paemaker]

Hi folks. For the past month, my baby sulcata has lived in the new enclosure, a closed chamber enclosure. I've put all the light bulbs inside the enclosure and completely shut the lid. I've used coco coir and usually sprayed some water on it about 2-3 times a day to keep humidity high. Sometimes it goes up to a low 80% in the daytime and it can go to a low 90% in the night. The most important thing is when I spray some water, leave the bulbs on, and close the lid for 10 minutes or more, then I open the lid again and put my hand in to feel how hot it is. I feel as if I was in a steam room. It's hot, but not too, and very humid. I can't imagine how hot it is for my tortoise but he hasn't acted weird lately. I guess the enclosure has no cool area because I can see the temp is around 91-92f although it's on the other side of the light bulbs. So far when I think it's too hot and too humid, I leave the lid slightly open. So is that what it should be?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Humidity of 80-90% is just right for a sulcata baby. Temperatures are a bit high. Out of the basking area they need to be around 80-85F.

Do you use something besides the lamps for heating? Maybe CHE with a thermostat?

I have the same problem - when lights are on the temperature rises up beyond comfort zone. And yes, I just leave the lid slightly open and let thermostat do it's magic. Humidity still stays above 90% which is fine for my redfoot.

Can you post a photo of the enclosure? It's hard to guess what can be done to help with the temperatures.

 

[wellington]

You shouldn't have to open it to get temps correct
If the enclosure is not too small, then the basking area, in one end should be 95-100. If it's higher, use a lower watt bulb or raise the light if there is room
The rest of the enclosure should be 85, use a thermostat for any other heat, not the basking light.
The lights should be an incandescent flood for basking, tube fluorescent for uvb and for small tortoises, che for added heat and night heat.

 

[paemaker]

Humidity of 80-90% is just right for a sulcata baby. Temperatures are a bit high. Out of the basking area they need to be around 80-85F.

Do you use something besides the lamps for heating? Maybe CHE with a thermostat?

I have the same problem - when lights are on the temperature rises up beyond comfort zone. And yes, I just leave the lid slightly open and let thermostat do it's magic. Humidity still stays above 90% which is fine for my redfoot.

Can you post a photo of the enclosure? It's hard to guess what can be done to help with the temperatures.

No, I don't use anything else besides heating lamps. I haven't considered that much since my enclosure might be too small for my tortoise. My problem is probably the same as you that it gets very hot as time passes by. If I don't leave it open, it will go very high as well as the humidity. That's why I call it a steam room. Maybe the root cause is my enclosure size is too small.

And please don't mind me about those lamps. I'm saving money to buy a T5.

 

[paemaker]

You shouldn't have to open it to get temps correct
If the enclosure is not too small, then the basking area, in one end should be 95-100. If it's higher, use a lower watt bulb or raise the light if there is room
The rest of the enclosure should be 85, use a thermostat for any other heat, not the basking light.
The lights should be an incandescent flood for basking, tube fluorescent for uvb and for small tortoises, che for added heat and night heat.

I guess it might be too small because my thermometer is always on the opposite side of the heating bulb or it's all about a heating bulb. You can see from the photo from the above comment that the heating bulb which is in the middle is just an incandescent bulb. Not the one you suggested. This is the lowest-wattage bulb I have and it's not a basking spot which is 100w. I used to use it and I could see the ambient temp got up to 100f even when I left the lid open.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

In my very limited experience with closed chamber enclosures (my RF all live outside) I found it helpful to have a hatch or a sliding door built into to top. So that I could open it up a little if needed. I sometimes had too much condensation building up from too much humidity. Because I'd added too much water.
You want humid. But not soaking wet.
Everyone has to tweak and adjust things until they get it all correct.
Once you have what works for you figured out, your life will get easier and your tortoise will be happy too.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I guess it might be too small because my thermometer is always on the opposite side of the heating bulb or it's all about a heating bulb. You can see from the photo from the above comment that the heating bulb which is in the middle is just an incandescent bulb. Not the one you suggested. This is the lowest-wattage bulb I have and it's not a basking spot which is 100w. I used to use it and I could see the ambient temp got up to 100f even when I left the lid open.

Can you remove the 100W heating lamp? (Is it really a heating lamp? Looks like a usual LED to me). And just leave the incadescent? Or temperatures get too low?

Usually 65W incandescent lamp is used for basking spot. And it may provide enough heat alone.

The one I mentioned is ceramic heat emitter (CHE), which doesn't give any light and can be used at night too. They are not expensive.

Just to mention, UVB lamp should be on for 2-3 hours a day. I hope you replace it with T5 soon.

 

[wellington]

I agree with Zeropilot. As long as you are using the correct lights, not coil or halogen, but incandescent, even a regular incandescent, a tube for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for night and added day heat, then you are doing fine, and tweak what you need to, to get it where it needs to be

 

[TammyJ]

All I know is the coil type bulb is wrong, and maybe the enclosure is too small .

 

[wellington]

Yeah, a few changes need to be made ASAP. Get the correct lighting and heating.

 

[zovick]

No, I don't use anything else besides heating lamps. I haven't considered that much since my enclosure might be too small for my tortoise. My problem is probably the same as you that it gets very hot as time passes by. If I don't leave it open, it will go very high as well as the humidity. That's why I call it a steam room. Maybe the root cause is my enclosure size is too small.

And please don't mind me about those lamps. I'm saving money to buy a T5.

The coiled bulb could be damaging your tortoise's eyes. You should just remove it until you get the T5 bulb.

 

[paemaker]

In my very limited experience with closed chamber enclosures (my RF all live outside) I found it helpful to have a hatch or a sliding door built into to top. So that I could open it up a little if needed. I sometimes had too much condensation building up from too much humidity. Because I'd added too much water.
You want humid. But not soaking wet.
Everyone has to tweak and adjust things until they get it all correct.
Once you have what works for you figured out, your life will get easier and your tortoise will be happy too.

You're absolutely right! that's why I always ask you guys in this forum. I started making things right for my tortoise a month ago and it has gone quite well but not smoothly. Now I've got to deal with a new problem, so I'm looking for solutions.

And I'm trying to get the right humid too, I don't pour water but spray some water at some time.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The coiled bulb could be damaging your tortoise's eyes. You should just remove it until you get the T5 bulb.

The poster mentioned that a new, correct T5 would be happening soon

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You're absolutely right! that's why I always ask you guys in this forum. I started making things right for my tortoise a month ago and it has gone quite well but not smoothly. Now I've got to deal with a new problem, so I'm looking for solutions.

And I'm trying to get the right humid too, I don't pour water but spray some water at some time.

With orchid bark substrate. You can just pour a little water into the corners and that releases humidity through evaporation.
It makes spraying totally unnecessary

 

[paemaker]

With orchid bark substrate. You can just pour a little water into the corners and that releases humidity through evaporation.
It makes spraying totally unnecessary

Sadly I just removed it after I got a new enclosure. Now I'm using coco coir. Can orchid bark be on top of the coco coir? Will that work?

 

[TammyJ]

Sadly I just removed it after I got a new enclosure. Now I'm using coco coir. Can orchid bark be on top of the coco coir? Will that work?

Oh dear.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Sadly I just removed it after I got a new enclosure. Now I'm using coco coir. Can orchid bark be on top of the coco coir? Will that work?

Yes, this will work. Coco coir holds moisture well enough. It's just much more messy than orchid bark. Spraying substrate top is a bad thing for redfoots, they easily get plastron fungus when kept on wet surfaces, so pouring water in corners is the best option (start slow, as you don't need a swamp either )

 

[paemaker]

Yes, this will work. Coco coir holds moisture well enough. It's just much more messy than orchid bark. Spraying substrate top is a bad thing for redfoots, they easily get plastron fungus when kept on wet surfaces, so pouring water in corners is the best option (start slow, as you don't need a swamp either )

I always think sulcata love walking around quite wet-damp substrate and that's the reason I spray the whole area. I guess what you recommended to me is better. Keep the center drier than the edge and corners.

 

[SuzanneZ]

The coiled bulb could be damaging your tortoise's eyes. You should just remove it until you get the T5 bulb.

Yes. I had a coil type on my new Russians and very shortly their eyes were swollen nearly shut. Read on TF the reason why. Took it away and they were fine in no time.

 

[paemaker]

Can you remove the 100W heating lamp? (Is it really a heating lamp? Looks like a usual LED to me). And just leave the incadescent? Or temperatures get too low?

Usually 65W incandescent lamp is used for basking spot. And it may provide enough heat alone.

The one I mentioned is ceramic heat emitter (CHE), which doesn't give any light and can be used at night too. They are not expensive.

Just to mention, UVB lamp should be on for 2-3 hours a day. I hope you replace it with T5 soon.

Sorry, none of these bulbs are 100w. The left one is a normal LED bulb I added to brighten the enclosure. In the middle is an incandescent bulb from Exo Terra. I don't know if it's different from normal ones but it does its job. I feel it provides more ambient temperature because it's round and the heat goes around the bulb but my tortoise loves sleeping under it.

The CHE, I planned to buy it a long time ago. I didn't buy it because the temp at night is 78-79f and according to Tom's care sheet, it's still okay for tortoises to live. However, I'd to know what you think too!

You mentioned how long should the UVB lamp be on. I leave in on for about 8 hours a day. I know it doesn't make the bulb itself last long. How do you come up with 2-3 hours a day?