Is 80% humidity ok for Leopard with Pyramiding?

OkAdiza

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Our Leopard Agbienna has been with us since April and doing pretty well. If you have seen my other post, she came with quite a bit of pyramiding. I have her in a closed enclosure my husband and I made. It stays mostly 85-90+% in most of the enclosure, but the one place she likes the most and usually stays is 80-82%. Is this still ok to help stop the pyramiding she has? Sorry if this seems like a silly question. It was recommended she stay in higher humidity to help with the pyramiding, but if she is avoiding the higher areas in general, I'm wondering if that will still be ok.
 

Tom

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Our Leopard Agbienna has been with us since April and doing pretty well. If you have seen my other post, she came with quite a bit of pyramiding. I have her in a closed enclosure my husband and I made. It stays mostly 85-90+% in most of the enclosure, but the one place she likes the most and usually stays is 80-82%. Is this still ok to help stop the pyramiding she has? Sorry if this seems like a silly question. It was recommended she stay in higher humidity to help with the pyramiding, but if she is avoiding the higher areas in general, I'm wondering if that will still be ok.
Stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing pyramiding to begin with. 80% would be pretty good for prevention, but to stop it, you'll need higher humidity, long daily soaks, frequent shell spraying with water, and a humid hide for the tortoise to hang out in and sleep in.
 

OkAdiza

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Stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing pyramiding to begin with. 80% would be pretty good for prevention, but to stop it, you'll need higher humidity, long daily soaks, frequent shell spraying with water, and a humid hide for the tortoise to hang out in and sleep in.
Ok, thank you. I've been trying to follow the suggestions you gave me when we first got her. Been spraying her with distilled water throughout the day. She soaks for an hour each morning and when I take her outside later, she soaks again before I put her back inside. She has a hide, but she has only gone it like once or twice, sometimes at night. She just prefers under one of the fake plants, which is near the door, but that's not in 90's for humidity there. It's close the front door of the enclosure.
 

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Ok, thank you. I've been trying to follow the suggestions you gave me when we first got her. Been spraying her with distilled water throughout the day. She soaks for an hour each morning and when I take her outside later, she soaks again before I put her back inside. She has a hide, but she has only gone it like once or twice, sometimes at night. She just prefers under one of the fake plants, which is near the door, but that's not in 90's for humidity there. It's close the front door of the enclosure.
I like to put them in their humid hides well after dark when I'm going to bed. In time, they get comfortable and learn to stay in there.
 

Markw84

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I am a believer in the value of live plants. As you noted, you tortoise prefers to sleep/stay under the fake plant. That is a very natural hide for them and what they would naturally seek out. A Boston fern or Pothos Ivy with plenty of overhanging branches your tortoise can push beneath is not only a natural hide they would prefer, but will maintain virtual 100% humidity. With mine, I frequently find their shells wet from being beneath the plant fronds. I do use a large pump sprayer (2-1/2 gallon) for spraying the enclosure occassionally. The plants will remain wet and dripping for hours after. The respiration of the plant itself will help maintain humidity as well.
 

haydog_99

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Our Leopard Agbienna has been with us since April and doing pretty well. If you have seen my other post, she came with quite a bit of pyramiding. I have her in a closed enclosure my husband and I made. It stays mostly 85-90+% in most of the enclosure, but the one place she likes the most and usually stays is 80-82%. Is this still ok to help stop the pyramiding she has? Sorry if this seems like a silly question. It was recommended she stay in higher humidity to help with the pyramiding, but if she is avoiding the higher areas in general, I'm wondering if that will still be ok.

How old is your tortoise? You are in the right range to stop the pyramiding, but make sure you don't let the temps drop below 80 degrees.
 

Toddrickfl1

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If you don't have live plants get some. It will help with your humidity.
 

OkAdiza

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I am a believer in the value of live plants. As you noted, you tortoise prefers to sleep/stay under the fake plant. That is a very natural hide for them and what they would naturally seek out. A Boston fern or Pothos Ivy with plenty of overhanging branches your tortoise can push beneath is not only a natural hide they would prefer, but will maintain virtual 100% humidity. With mine, I frequently find their shells wet from being beneath the plant fronds. I do use a large pump sprayer (2-1/2 gallon) for spraying the enclosure occassionally. The plants will remain wet and dripping for hours after. The respiration of the plant itself will help maintain humidity as well.
I actually propagate Pothos just for around my house. Have one that I cut from and then start them in glass bottles and when they grow roots repot for someone else or leave in the bottles. I thought about using them in her enclosure, actually from seeing them in your star enclosures. But I was nervous that she would eat them all because she eats everything and I thought they weren't ok in excess. Is that true?
 

OkAdiza

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How old is your tortoise? You are in the right range to stop the pyramiding, but make sure you don't let the temps drop below 80 degrees.
She's around 2 1/2 years old, probably a bit older, but not yet 3 (based off of what her first owner told me). The temps so far have not dropped below 80 degrees, and humidity has stayed up, though higher at night.
 

Markw84

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I actually propagate Pothos just for around my house. Have one that I cut from and then start them in glass bottles and when they grow roots repot for someone else or leave in the bottles. I thought about using them in her enclosure, actually from seeing them in your star enclosures. But I was nervous that she would eat them all because she eats everything and I thought they weren't ok in excess. Is that true?
Pothos is fine for a tortoise to eat. The issue reported as a problem is with raphides (calcium oxalate crystals) Tortoises are not affected at all by those while mammals will get irritation. Do not overfeed it but any it eats will be fine.

I keep the pothos is pots taller than the tortoise. Heavy pots the tortoise cannot tip over. The hardy variety of pothos will grow like a Jumangi plant! The tortoise may eat what it can reach, but the hanging roots that develop and growth above will be what you are after.

Here's a shot yesterday of one of my Galapagos that is just over 13 mos old and 1700g. They love the pothos but here it is with a plant that has been in the enclosure for over 6 months and is doing great! Notice how smooth that tortoise is growing - have you ever seen a galapagos looking like that?....

IMG_0419.jpg

IMG_0346.jpg
 

OkAdiza

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Pothos is fine for a tortoise to eat. The issue reported as a problem is with raphides (calcium oxalate crystals) Tortoises are not affected at all by those while mammals will get irritation. Do not overfeed it but any it eats will be fine.

I keep the pothos is pots taller than the tortoise. Heavy pots the tortoise cannot tip over. The hardy variety of pothos will grow like a Jumangi plant! The tortoise may eat what it can reach, but the hanging roots that develop and growth above will be what you are after.

Here's a shot yesterday of one of my Galapagos that is just over 13 mos old and 1700g. They love the pothos but here it is with a plant that has been in the enclosure for over 6 months and is doing great! Notice how smooth that tortoise is growing - have you ever seen a galapagos looking like that?....

View attachment 298091

View attachment 298092
Wow, gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. I LOVE Galapagos. Ok, I can definitely put Pothos in. What soil do you use to pot them? That was another thing I was nervous about. The artificial plants I currently have in her enclosure are heavy and taller than her currently. I can use them to pot the Pothos, but just unsure of soil. I have had a hard time finding without perlites.
 

Gijoux

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Our Leopard Agbienna has been with us since April and doing pretty well. If you have seen my other post, she came with quite a bit of pyramiding. I have her in a closed enclosure my husband and I made. It stays mostly 85-90+% in most of the enclosure, but the one place she likes the most and usually stays is 80-82%. Is this still ok to help stop the pyramiding she has? Sorry if this seems like a silly question. It was recommended she stay in higher humidity to help with the pyramiding, but if she is avoiding the higher areas in general, I'm wondering if that will still be ok.
I have found that the warmer areas of the enclosure will have the least amount of humidity. If your tortoise is gravitating to the least humidity it is probably wanting the higher heat. Try increasing your heat a little more and put plants in the enclosure. Plants will increase the humidity even in the warmer areas.
 

Gijoux

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Wow, gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. I LOVE Galapagos. Ok, I can definitely put Pothos in. What soil do you use to pot them? That was another thing I was nervous about. The artificial plants I currently have in her enclosure are heavy and taller than her currently. I can use them to pot the Pothos, but just unsure of soil. I have had a hard time finding without perlites.
Make sure the plants are set high enough to prevent dirt eating. I also use clay pots with organic potting soil, but still don't want the tortoise getting into the pots.
 

OkAdiza

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Make sure the plants are set high enough to prevent dirt eating. I also use clay pots with organic potting soil, but still don't want the tortoise getting into the pots.
Is there an organic potting soil you would recommend?
 

leoturt

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Stopping pyramiding in progress is much harder than preventing pyramiding to begin with. 80% would be pretty good for prevention, but to stop it, you'll need higher humidity, long daily soaks, frequent shell spraying with water, and a humid hide for the tortoise to hang out in and sleep in.
About how many times a day should the shell be sprayed? Is cool water okay? (Just whatever the temp is in the spray bottle) .

I think my tort is too young to have any pyramiding with 75-80% humidity in the enclosure , should it be higher to prevent it? I do long warm soaks too where it's placed slightly under the basking bulb and the water soak temp remains around 34 F. I usually don't spray the hide, but is spraying it required if the humidity is 75-80?
 

Ink

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I would like to know what a good potting soil is to use too. It seems when I get a bag there is always some white or green dots in it uggg ?
 

Gijoux

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Is there an organic potting soil you would recommend?
I use E.B. Stone's Organics, but I would never use it as a substrate, only for potting plants. My Little hatchlings just love the Spider Plants and Pothos Ivy within which to hide
 

Ink

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Yes it is just for plants not substrate. I just don't want the chemicals or strange dots.. to make my tortoises sick. thank you.
 
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