How to get humidity right

[susaniddon]

My rescued torts are in 4ft viv, trying to bring the humidity up. I have fine orchid bark as substrate, to prevent the wood getting ruined I have used cat litter trays to put the bark in , the thing is the gauge I have in the hot end is showing humidity of pehaphs 20% less than the one at cooler end. Which do I go with? The one at hot end is about an inch off level of substrate, the one at cooler end is about 6inches off substrate level, sitting on top of hide. Humidity reads from 44 to 70, end to end, also how often do I need to rewet the bark. At moment I am struggling with this. They are spur thigh , Nabul ones.

 

[wellington]

They as in more then one needs to not be housed together. Seperate enclosures asap.
4x4 for is too small unless they are hatchlings upto about 2 years of age.
The humidity will always be a little lower on the hot end.
For young ones the humidity should be around 80% add more warm water if it's not. Adults can be 50-60%.
Only you can tell how often the substrate needs to be wetted. When it starts to look to dry and humidity dropping a bit then it's to dry.

 

[susaniddon]

Sorry, each one is in separate 4ft viv, they range in age from 1yr to 3yrs, finding I have to wet the bark almost daily, getting it done as part of daily routine now when the torts are in their daily bath.

 

[Yossarian]

If your vivariums are the standard ones with Melamine laminate surface, the melamine is waterproof, you just need to use a suitable silicone sealant to seal all the corners and seams. Then you can water the substrate just like you would water a plant.

 

[Tom]

My rescued torts are in 4ft viv, trying to bring the humidity up. I have fine orchid bark as substrate, to prevent the wood getting ruined I have used cat litter trays to put the bark in , the thing is the gauge I have in the hot end is showing humidity of pehaphs 20% less than the one at cooler end. Which do I go with? The one at hot end is about an inch off level of substrate, the one at cooler end is about 6inches off substrate level, sitting on top of hide. Humidity reads from 44 to 70, end to end, also how often do I need to rewet the bark. At moment I am struggling with this. They are spur thigh , Nabul ones.

Electrically generated heat tends to dry out the air. This is normal. Your gauges are correct.

If things are staying too dry, you need to add more moisture to the substrate more often. Every enclosure is different, so you must judge this by feel in your own enclosures. If the substrate is already suitable damp, then the problem is too much ventilation, and you can reduce this by partially covering the vent holes with tape or something. It takes some trial and error to fine tune things and get them just right, but you are doing much better than most people already. Imagine how dry your babies would be if the top were completely open, like on a table.