Growing my torts shell smoothly and humidity

[prelyt]

I am familiar with the fact that a hot dry environment will contribute to pyramiding, but my question is does my tortoise's entire terrarium need to be at 80% humidity? I am having a hard time getting the whole tank there, but where he sleeps during the nighttime temperature is about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and 85% humidity. Is it okay for him to hang out in the drier parts of his tank at day as long as he always sleeps where its warm and humid?

 

[wellington]

From the results I have seen over the few years on here, my short answer is yes, the whole enclosure. It just doesn't seem to work as good if it's just a hide. The easiest way to achieve the right temps and humidity is a closed chamber. At least cover 3/4 of it if you can do all of it.

 

[prelyt]

From the results I have seen over the few years on here, my short answer is yes, the whole enclosure. It just doesn't seem to work as good if it's just a hide. The easiest way to achieve the right temps and humidity is a closed chamber. At least cover 3/4 of it if you can do all of it.

Thanks for the reply! This is great to know. I was debating if I wanted to make a lid for it not. I would say its more than the hide that is humid, its about 20% of the whole tank that is at 80% or higher. I will play with some ideas and try to come up with a cover that will work with my lights.

 

[Tom]

I have tried it the way you describe and its better than growing them in all dry conditions, but I still got some mild pyramiding that way. When I switched to closed chambers that were all humid all the time, the pyramiding stopped and I was able to grow them smooth. That had been my experience...

 

[prelyt]

I have tried it the way you describe and its better than growing them in all dry conditions, but I still got some mild pyramiding that way. When I switched to closed chambers that were all humid all the time, the pyramiding stopped and I was able to grow them smooth. That had been my experience...

Great to know. What age is okay to start keeping a sulcata outdoors all day weather permitting? Do I want to wait until he has developed a little bit more in his humid enclosure, or is it recommended he can stay outdoors as long as its a hot sunny day?

 

[Tom]

I don't go by age. I go by size. Hatchlings only go out for an hour or so. As they gain size I leave them out longer and longer, weather permitting. Once they are 5-6", I leave them. Outside most of the day and bring them back in at night. Once they hit 8-10", I move them outside full time with proper heated night boxes.

 

[Millerlite]

I covered half the enclosure with plexi for my mountain tortoises. Other half was screen. It worked pretty well. Also deeper substrate will help with humidity. Keeping it moist all the way through.

Kyle

 

[scubaMO]

Deeper substrate? Moist substrate? Please do explain! What kind of substrate is best/recommended??

 

[Dizisdalife]

Deeper substrate? Moist substrate? Please do explain! What kind of substrate is best/recommended??

There is a section under Enclosures dedicated to substrate. To read more you can use this link: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forum-131.html

 

[prelyt]

I use coco coir on the bottom layer and cypress mulch on top of it. it stays fairly moist.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I like orchid bark the best of anything, and I keep all the substrate moist eliminating the need for a 'humid hide'.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

For my fully enclosed humid chamber, I use a 50/50 by volume mix of organic peat moss(decomposed sphagnum moss) and organic, manure free top soil. If using this make sure it is top soil, not potting soil. Potting soil often has those white bits of perlite that tortoise just have to eat and die from.
Also I have a Tupperware type box with a hole cut in the side for access that is filled with wetted sphagnum moss. With this setup, I also have a Reptifogger rigged with a hydrostat pumping fog into the enclosure to maintain an 80% humidity throughout the entire enclosure. At times I fluff the substrate but that's really just a result of my cleaning the enclosure. My Little Ricky never seems interested to “dig" anywhere other than his humid hide. The number one most important thing with this set up is that you maintain a hot environment. 85°f and more on the hot/basking side. Here is my Little Ricky at about 18 months. He doesn't look to be having too much of a pyramiding issue to me in this setup, but I've seen countless others not raised like this that do. what do you think?

 

[prelyt]

For my fully enclosed humid chamber, I use a 50/50 by volume mix of organic peat moss(decomposed sphagnum moss) and organic, manure free top soil. If using this make sure it is top soil, not potting soil. Potting soil often has those white bits of perlite that tortoise just have to eat and die from.
Also I have a Tupperware type box with a hole cut in the side for access that is filled with wetted sphagnum moss. With this setup, I also have a Reptifogger rigged with a hydrostat pumping fog into the enclosure to maintain an 80% humidity throughout the entire enclosure. At times I fluff the substrate but that's really just a result of my cleaning the enclosure. My Little Ricky never seems interested to “dig" anywhere other than his humid hide. The number one most important thing with this set up is that you maintain a hot environment. 85°f and more on the hot/basking side. Here is my Little Ricky at about 18 months. He doesn't look to be having too much of a pyramiding issue to me in this setup, but I've seen countless others not raised like this that do. what do you think?

Wow, what a great looking tort! I have the repti-fogger as well and love it. It does a great job keeping the humidity up as well as my substrate moist. My enclosure has an open top, but I am thinking up a way to keep it covered that will work with my lights set up. It isnt 80% humid in the whole tank, but it is in his humid hide where he also likes to dig.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I'll see if I've got a full shot of his enclosure. I used a sheet of 3/4" plywood cut by home-depot to be a cage that is 2'x2'x4'. The front is glass sliding doors like from the back of a display case. I wish I could have made it a full 4'x4'x8' but it's in my office here at the house and space is limited.

These are when I first set it up without the tortoise and I was establishing my heat/humidity parameters.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I'm wrong on the timing. If you look behind the aloe in the corner you can see his little head poking out.
One day that same aloe looked at him funny, so he ate it.

 

[ElfDa]

What a beauty!

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