Humidity

[navycop2004]

I have a closed enclosure for my Redfoot, What's a good fogger or humidifier to use for her enclosure? I had one before and it broke, and all the reviews for most of them say they all leak or break within a few months, just getting opinions, thanks

 

[wellington]

They shouldn't be used. In a closed chamber, one shouldn't be needed anyway. Pour warm water into the corners, just enough that the bottom layer gets damp, leaving the top dryer, so shell rot doesn't happen, which RF are prone too. This should keep the humor up, specially in a closed chamber. You should only have to do this maybe once a week. When humidity starts to drop, add a little more.
If you insist on using one, it should be a warm air one.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have a closed enclosure for my Redfoot, What's a good fogger or humidifier to use for her enclosure? I had one before and it broke, and all the reviews for most of them say they all leak or break within a few months, just getting opinions, thanks

Hello!
It seems that Mistking is often recommended in older forum threads (disclaimer - I have no experience with it).

And a newbie question:
But, can you tell me more about your enclosure? I was pretty sure that for closed type enclosure external humidifiers are not required and damp lower substrate layer is enough. My limited experience is somewhat proves that (humidity stays at 95+%), but my enclosure is only 1.5 feet high.
The only case with closed type enclosure and low humidity I've seen so far is when enclosure vents were open.

 

[mojo_1]

My enclosure is 2' tall after closing off the vents the humidity stays between 80-90%. I also have a mistking setup that runs about 15 seconds 3 times a day. It helps the humidity.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hello!
It seems that Mistking is often recommended in older forum threads (disclaimer - I have no experience with it).

And a newbie question:
But, can you tell me more about your enclosure? I was pretty sure that for closed type enclosure external humidifiers are not required and damp lower substrate layer is enough. My limited experience is somewhat proves that (humidity stays at 95+%), but my enclosure is only 1.5 feet high.
The only case with closed type enclosure and low humidity I've seen so far is when enclosure vents were open.

I've never used misting, but I've seen posts by Tom advising against it because breathing in moist air isn't good for tortoises.

 

[Tom]

I have a closed enclosure for my Redfoot, What's a good fogger or humidifier to use for her enclosure? I had one before and it broke, and all the reviews for most of them say they all leak or break within a few months, just getting opinions, thanks

I run bone dry substrate, but have a water dish and a humid hide in my Animal Plastics closed chambers. With aspen bedding substrate the humidity stays around 80%.

This enclosure has 3 vents on the back on a vent on each side that are all wide open.

When I hear someone say they have a closed chamber, but still need to mist or run a humidifier, it doesn't add up. In my tortoise enclosures with orchid bark substrate, I don't ever mist or wet the substrate at all. It stays plenty damp just from the tortoises tracking their water out of the bowl. I can't add any additional water or it will turn into a wet swamp.

Humidifiers can be used in the same room as a tortoise enclosure, but they shouldn't be blowing directly into a tortoise enclosure. With a closed chamber, this should not be necessary. Misting should not be necessary either.

I would suggest reducing ventilation instead of running a humidifier. Post pics of the enclosure and we can make suggestions.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Agreed.
Most of us find that once we get our closed chamber enclosures tweaked just right, humidifiers and misters are a totally un needed complexity. Even misting at all is not required.
For pets that REQUIRE a mister...Like dart frogs or old world Chameleons, the very best brand is MISTKING. I highly recommend the brand. But don't buy a system for your tortoise. Just try adjusting your setup

 

[navycop2004]

Hello!
It seems that Mistking is often recommended in older forum threads (disclaimer - I have no experience with it).

And a newbie question:
But, can you tell me more about your enclosure? I was pretty sure that for closed type enclosure external humidifiers are not required and damp lower substrate layer is enough. My limited experience is somewhat proves that (humidity stays at 95+%), but my enclosure is only 1.5 feet high.
The only case with closed type enclosure and low humidity I've seen so far is when enclosure vents were open.

I have an 8x4x4 PVC enclosure. Used to have a humidifier but like I mentioned no longer have it, I spray her enclosure once a day. But Have not poured water in the corners yet. I use the eco earth forest floor with coconut fiber.

 

[navycop2004]

Agreed.
Most of us find that once we get our closed chamber enclosures tweaked just right, humidifiers and misters are a totally un needed complexity. Even misting at all is not required.
For pets that REQUIRE a mister...Like dart frogs or old world Chameleons, the very best brand is MISTKING. I highly recommend the brand. But don't buy a system for your tortoise. Just try adjusting your setup

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have an 8x4x4 PVC enclosure. Used to have a humidifier but like I mentioned no longer have it, I spray her enclosure once a day. But Have not poured water in the corners yet. I use the eco earth forest floor with coconut fiber.

I use ZooMed Forest Floor (cypress mulch, technically), non-mixed. Last time I poured water maybe 2 weeks ago. When humidity goes down, I just mix lower/higher substrate layers.
Spraying enclosure doesn't help much (gives non-lasting humidity boost) and wet substrate surface is not really good for the redfoots, who are very prone to shell rot and plastron fungus.

And plants help as well, I haven't estimated the effect yet, but to some extent they raise humidity.

 

[navycop2004]

I use ZooMed Forest Floor (cypress mulch, technically), non-mixed. Last time I poured water maybe 2 weeks ago. When humidity goes down, I just mix lower/higher substrate layers.
Spraying enclosure doesn't help much (gives non-lasting humidity boost) and wet substrate surface is not really good for the redfoots, who are very prone to shell rot and plastron fungus.

And plants help as well, I haven't estimated the effect yet, but to some extent they raise humidity.

What kind of plants do you put in with your tort?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have a couple of spider plants, tradescantia zebrina, boston fern and fairly large pothos plant. All but pothos are in the "plant wall pockets" to avoid cluttering precious space, stomping and chewing. Pothos simply didn't fit in the pocket.

I have attached a photo to give an idea. Bottom right green-red plant is just a plastic one, attached to enclosure lid. The second photo is with the lids closed.

 

[wiery]

I've mentioned the humidifier issue before, so this time I'll share it with pictures
@Alex and the Redfoot @ZEROPILOT
@wellington @Yvonne G @Tom

I use a small Chinese-made home desktop humidifier. It has an automatic power-off function (when there is not enough water), and it stops automatically every time it runs for eight hours. I usually turn the humidifier on at night and it automatically stops running between 7 and 8 am. I've been using it for about two weeks so far and my RF feels good, no discomfort.So I think try searching for small desktop humidifiers to see if there are any suitable products.
(My enclosure is semi-enclosed, and while temperature and humidity maintenance is more of a hassle than a closed environment, but I think the moving air inhibits bacterial growth to some extent)

I think the main things to keep in mind when using a humidifier are these:
1、Use of soft water (distilled water, mineral water), don't use hard or unfiltered water.
2、Regular cleaning of the water reservoir.
(Or moisturize with substrate)
I've used hard water in humidifiers, resulting in air purifiers with pollution levels as high as 70 or even over 100, while using soft water and bottled mineral water indoor pollution levels are only about 20.(Hard water has a lot of calcium and magnesium ions, which form a powder in the air that is harmful to tortoises and people, and also damages the humidifier, so if you use a humidifier, please use soft water.)
I hope this helps.

 

[wellington]

Do you have a water dish in there that the tortoise can actually get too? He needs a clay saucer like the one sitting up on the hide to drink from daily or self soak when needed
Also, humidifiers are not recommended, but if going to still use one, it should be a warm air one. Not one that dispenses cold.