Humidifier?

[Isa]

The substrate in Hermy's house is Aspen, there is a humid hide but he never goes in it. I want to buy a humidifier for during the winter. I would start it at night when I get home. I found one super good, it does not make any sound Perfect for Hermy.
What are your opinions on humidifiers.
Thank you

 

[GBtortoises]

What type of substrate is in the hide box? None of my Hermann's, except hatchlings and yearlings will use a humid hide box. Even those that do seem to prefer a potting soil/coconut coir mix in it as a substrate. Oddly, it's the same substrate outside of their hide box but they won't bury themselves in it, except when they're in the hide box!

As far as a humidifier I would just make sure that it doesn't not create too much humidity to the point where the enclosure is constantly damp. I would also be concerned about the constant up and down humidity levels from day to night if you're only going to run it at night.

 

[Isa]

It is aspen, but there is a wet sponge glued at the top.
I would put the humidifier only during the winter because since it is very cold, the heater is almost always on. It would be in Hermy's room and not in his enclosure. THe mist would not go in his enclosure since the humidifier would be 7-8" from his enclosure. You have a good point with the constant up and down of humidity level being a concern, I have not thought about that. It would not be super humid, I would put it on low, just so it is not to dry in the room. When a tortoise goes to bed in his humid hide for the night, isn't the same thing? Like it is super humid during the night, and not so much during the day?

 

[GBtortoises]

A humidifier in the room will definitely help. I have one in the room where my tortoises are but it struggles to keep the humidity at 50% with all the lights on during the daytime and the humidifier runs 24/7. But it does help because it would be much drier in the room without one at all. Obviously the smaller the room the more effective the humidifier will be too. With a whole room humidifier you shouldn't have to be as concerned about dampness in your enclosure. I was initially under the impression that you were going to put the humidifier or pipe it directly into the enclosure. Okay for tropical species, a bit too much for Northern Mediterranean species like your Hermann's.
There is a diffence between humidity which is in the air and moisture which is in the soil. Young tortoise of most (maybe all) species benefit greatly from moisture within their substrate to help keep well hydrated. Humidity in the amount of moisture in the ambient air. It is also beneficial but too much is not good. Humidity in the air is much more difficult to maintain and control than moisture in the substrate . Moisture can be added to the soil by watering it and mixing the soil up. If you just spray the top of the soil the water is not going to soak completely to the bottom before much of it evaporates into the air causing a temporary increase in humidity. The problem with adding just humidity to the air is that it will have little effect on moistening the substrate unless you absolutely fill the enclosure with enough moist air to create a constant fog! Obviously that isn't good either because at that point everything will be dripping wet all the time. But if you use a combination of humid air (supplied by a humidifier) in conjunction with spraying and mixing the soil so that there's some moisture at all levels of the substrate you will be able to maintain both well. As far as the amount of moisture in the substrate for Northern Mediterranean species it should feel damp when touched but not obviously wet. You should not be able to see any water. The substrate will just appear darker because of being damp. It will take some playing with the amount of water to figure out what is working best for you.
I use a substrate of 65% organic potting soil, 20% coconut coir and the rest sphagnum moss and leaf litter. I spray it lightly twice daily and soak it good (and mix it up) about twice a week. After the lights have been on for about 8 hours the top 1.5-2cm of substrate is somewhat dry from evaporation. The bottom 5cm is still moist. That is how I prefer to keep it.

 

[Isa]

Thanks a lot for the all the info GB, maybe I am going to buy it tomorrow .

 

[bettinge]

I have a humidifier in my tort room, and the highest setting I have (unless I want it to run all the time) is 60%RH. It goes thru more than a gallon a week for a 10x10 foot room.
Be sure to buy one, in my opinion, that has a humidistat so you can select the humidity you want. You will not need to turn it on and off if it has a humidistat, as it will monitor and maintain humidity levels automatically.
If the windows in your room are old and get cold, the humidity will condense on them quickly and create a puddle. I had to put plactic film over the windows to keep the moisture away from the glass.