humidity

[smoke_kush]

How do I increase the humidity in my sulcata's tank?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

If you have the correct substrate then you just keep it moist. What is your substrate?

 

[galvinkaos]

I have moss on top of the kids hide that I soak like once a week and mist several times a day and also soak their substrate (soil/sand mix) once a day and also mist it several times a day. I also have potted plants in their table that I water daily. Oh and I also mist their feeding tiles.

Not the best pic but you get the idea.

Dawna

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have moss on top of the kids hide that I soak like once a week and mist several times a day and also soak their substrate (soil/sand mix) once a day and also mist it several times a day. I also have potted plants in their table that I water daily. Oh and I also mist their feeding tiles.

Not the best pic but you get the idea.

Dawna

Holy crap that's a lot of work! I got tired just reading about it...

 

[Crazy1]

I place water on the substrate on one side. Then I have moss on top of the substrate that I mist. If the humidity gets really down I turn on the humidifier. Dawna what is your humidity readings?

 

[galvinkaos]

Honestly I don't know. I need to go get a gauge but I never remember when I am at the store. I have just tried to keep everything moist and warm. I will put a note on my dashboard of my work truck to go buy 1 tomorrow. With DT what should they be?

Dawna

 

[Redfootedboxturtles]

Put moist moss inside a 2nd hiding spot that is more enclosed. An upside down plastic container with a door cut into would work well. A humid hide spot is important.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

This is one of my tort tables. I know compared to others it's not very fancy but because of my disability I need to make things easy for me to keep my animals. I keep the substrate moist by pouring water over it every couple of days then I mix it all around. Like I said, it's not very fancy but it works for me. And it keeps the humidity up...

 

[smoke_kush]

what kind of plant do you have in your enclosure maggie? is bamboo okay for torts?

 

[Crazy1]

Smoke_Kush, Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica), is OK for torts.
Here is one link for it; http://www.thegardenhelper.com/nandina.html

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The plant is some sort of a succulent in the agave family I think, and the little house is made out of a cheap imitation of bamboo. The hut is not edible and after taking a couple of test bites the tortoises have left the plant alone.
I am not obsessive about what goes in the tort tables. I feed them a great diet and that's where my interests lay. The substrate is orchid bark and I keep it fairly moist. It's probably close to 80% humidity at substrate level.

 

[galvinkaos]

I place water on the substrate on one side. Then I have moss on top of the substrate that I mist. If the humidity gets really down I turn on the humidifier. Dawna what is your humidity readings?

Got the gauge....54% when I got home from work and 74% after wetting everything down as normal. 72% a few hours later. I usually wet everything 2 times a day - at breakfast (before work) and at dinner (after work). So it drops 20% over 10 hours (approx). About 2% an hour. Is that good or bad?

I have to keep anything that shouldn't be eaten away from Fred. So no moss in his reach. He eats everything. He tasted the thermometer, the rocks, the tiles, the hide, the dishes. None were edible but I have seen him try again later. (hmmm maybe their edible now) The moss he just sat and munched on. He has demolished a couple of live plants. He has even started digging up the dirt/sand substrate and eating it. I have started checking poop for foreign objects - found an undigested piece of cuttlebone, a few tiny rocks, and some dirt/sand. His goal in life is to make me crazy.

Dawna

 

[tortoisenerd]

Dawna-That sounds really good to me. Was it at the substrate level? Getting it much higher than that would be more on the range for a tropical species. It does sound like a lot of work for you. If you covered the area designated as the humid area it would probably retain it better.

I've tried a few things to get more humidity but none seems like a good fit for us (moist bedding, humid hide, moist area in the dry enclosure). Little Trevor has been ok on just aspen right now (we also have a lot of ambient humidity so hopefully he gets a little of the effect of that), but Russians seem to not get pyramided as easily.

 

[galvinkaos]

That was at the substrate level. It actually isn't much work. It is part of my morning and after work destressing ritual. I get ready for work/come home, clean up the leftovers from breakfast/dinner the night before. Wet everything down and then put out fresh food. I have discovered Fred like dehydrated lettuce to "find" and eat so I leave a little in the enclosure. Usually stuff that has been spread out by them during the day/night. He is funny. He likes to discover something is edible.

Dawna