Humid hides

[Laura77]

Ok I've been reading about humid hides...... So here's another question ...

Is it just there hides that have to be humid or there whole enclosure, how much water to use and is it warm or cold water


Thanks Laura

 

[bikerchicspain]

It all depends on the species, some need more humid conditions than others.
I also have another theory, if the tort is captive bred and is bred in a dry environment then they may not be use to humid conditions, although care sheets state that species natural habitat is humid.

Mine have a humid enclosure but dry hides, All mine were wc I think, as I have rescued them from people or being unwanted pets.

I think that you should have a bit of both, so that the tort can choose..

 

[Madkins007]

Ok I've been reading about humid hides...... So here's another question ...

Is it just there hides that have to be humid or there whole enclosure, how much water to use and is it warm or cold water


Thanks Laura

Humidity is created by combining water and energy, usually as heat. You can get a lot of relative humidity at low temps, but most of the torts that like humidity also want it rather warm.

The starting temp of the water is not as important as how you are going to convert it to humidity. If you are going to pour it into the substrate and let the overhead heaters convert it, you'll want to start off with warm water, and be aware that it will only convert the top layers of water.

Heating the bottom of the substrate, with a heater under the habitat, or in the habitat under the substrate, will heat the water that settles in the bottom of the habitat and cause warm humidity to rise up. Doing it this way can start with cold water, but warm water works faster and does not drag the habitat temps down with it.

For a humid hide, you can use some spongy material in the hide and get it nice and moist, then position the hide in a warm area or have some sort of heater in it. Try to avoid letting the tortoise rest on a wet surface, though.

The problem with this hide is that some tortoises a.) don't particularly like overly high humidity, and b.) some tortoises prefer slightly cooler night temps.

As far as hide or whole habitat, it would help to know what kind of tortoise you have, about how big it is, and what sort of habitat it is in.

 

[Laura77]

Thanks for the reply's I'm still confused lol

I haven't got a tort yet as I'm researching all I need to know first however I plan on getting a horsefield tort and plan to keep him on a tort table although he will have access to outdoors providing the weather is ok

Laura

 

[coreyc]

Here is a pic of mine all it is a tupperware bowl I cut a hole in the side and put sphagnum moss in side and keep it damp I have it on top of a heat pad so it is around 85 ish inside

 

[Laura77]

Ahhh thanks Corey so if his hide is humid, is his enclosure ?


Laura

 

[Tom]

Your question is sort of hard to answer, because many people do it very different ways and all of them have success at it. It also depends largely on the climate and weather where a person lives. Its very dry where I live, so I lean pretty heavily on keeping things damp and humid. But I also have to keep things warm all the time to prevent the respiratory problems that could be associated with cold and damp conditions. If I were you, I'd get in contact with the people who keep your chosen species and have a climate similar to yours and ask what they do. Even with that info as a good starting point, you will still have to fine tune things in YOUR enclosure. Often the tortoise and his behavior will tell you what you need to do. For example, if you provide a humid hide and your tortoise is almost always in it, that COULD mean that you need to bump up the humidity in the rest of the enclosure a bit. If he/she avoids the hide and almost never goes in it, it could mean that things are too humid and you need to let the rest of the enclosure dry out a bit. It could also mean that he just doesn't like the hide for a variety of reasons. What I'm saying is that there are a lot of factors that would all need to be weighed out and considered, in order to make a good informed decision.

I'll also say that when a new keeper moves into this realm of asking hard to answer, opinion based questions, it is a good indicator that they have been doing lots of research and are understanding what they are reading very well. You are on your way to becoming a great tortoise keeper!

 

[DeanS]

My set-up isn't all that different from Corey's...at least on the surface. I use coco coir as my ONLY substrate, and I soak it EVERYDAY. I have a 160W Powersun at one end...over the basking slate, and a 100W CHE over the hide. My overall humidity is around 80%...Given the compact space inside the hide...it has to be higher...maybe 90-95%. I keep the CHE and Powersun on all day (while the babies are outside), so as not to encourage any mold or mildew.

 

[Laura77]

Cheers for the info guys !!

I do really want to learn as much as poss before I buy my little guy I couldn't bare the thought of him falling I'll or worse though anything I've done wrong this really is a great site. I've been trying to track down a local breeder for info and the possibility for me to view there set up but it seems there are none in Scotland !!

Laura