Moisture?

[Tropical Torts]

I have read that with hatchling and juvenile red foots need to have constant moisture. If that is true I need a solution on how to keep my juvenile moist. Because for most of the day I am at work and I cant use the spray mister I have because it is hand opperated. I need a solution soon!

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[Candy]

What is your substrate in his enclosure? If you use moss or mulch it is much easier to keep it most and keep the humidity in. Can you post pictures of his enclosure so we can see it?

 

[Madkins007]

They don't need to be kept 'moist'- that can cause shell rot. They need to be kept hydrated.

This means several things:
- They need to breath humid air, at least some of the time. We generally aim for a very humid hide and a 'decent' background humidity.
- They need access to clean drinking water
- At least some of their food needs to be moist. I prefer soaking and/or misting greens, etc.

Humidity is important to replace the moisture they exhale all day long and plays a big role in preventing pyramiding. Humidity is defined as the amount of water held as vapor in a given space. The warmer the area, the more vapor it can hold, so we usually call it 'relative humidity'.

You can increase the humidity in captivity in many ways. Many of us use multiple methods.

- Humid hides. A classic version is a plastic lidded tub with an access hole in a side, some lightly damp fluffed up moss, and/or some more moss in a cloth bag hung on one side and soaked regularly. Park the whole thing in a warm part of the habitat.

- Live plants

- Slightly absorbent substrate, like moss or cypress mulch kept slightly damp. You can make this work better in many ways...
... provide gentle heat from underneath, then let water pool at the bottom so the heated water wafts up
... wet the substrate heavily, but have a material on top that keeps the tortoise drier. Cypress mulch on top of a mix of bed-a-beast and sand, for example

- Humidifiers. 'Steam' versions are the most recommended, ultrasonics have some concerns. You can make a perfectly good small-scale humidifier from a stable heat-resistant container of water with an aquarium water heater in it so the water is slightly warmer than the rest of the habitat.

- Timed misters, lie the Habba-Mist or a home-made unit based on any pressurized sprayer and a watering timer.


There are dozens of techniques that can do this for you. If you share more info about your set-up, we can offer more targeted advice.

 

[llamas55]

They don't need to be kept 'moist'- that can cause shell rot. They need to be kept hydrated.

This means several things:
- They need to breath humid air, at least some of the time. We generally aim for a very humid hide and a 'decent' background humidity.
- They need access to clean drinking water
- At least some of their food needs to be moist. I prefer soaking and/or misting greens, etc.

Humidity is important to replace the moisture they exhale all day long and plays a big role in preventing pyramiding. Humidity is defined as the amount of water held as vapor in a given space. The warmer the area, the more vapor it can hold, so we usually call it 'relative humidity'.

You can increase the humidity in captivity in many ways. Many of us use multiple methods.

- Humid hides. A classic version is a plastic lidded tub with an access hole in a side, some lightly damp fluffed up moss, and/or some more moss in a cloth bag hung on one side and soaked regularly. Park the whole thing in a warm part of the habitat.

- Live plants

- Slightly absorbent substrate, like moss or cypress mulch kept slightly damp. You can make this work better in many ways...
... provide gentle heat from underneath, then let water pool at the bottom so the heated water wafts up
... wet the substrate heavily, but have a material on top that keeps the tortoise drier. Cypress mulch on top of a mix of bed-a-beast and sand, for example

- Humidifiers. 'Steam' versions are the most recommended, ultrasonics have some concerns. You can make a perfectly good small-scale humidifier from a stable heat-resistant container of water with an aquarium water heater in it so the water is slightly warmer than the rest of the habitat.

- Timed misters, lie the Habba-Mist or a home-made unit based on any pressurized sprayer and a watering timer.


There are dozens of techniques that can do this for you. If you share more info about your set-up, we can offer more targeted advice.

Hey, Mark. I always like to see your succinctly written responses to remind myself of good practice....and love your signature

 

[Madkins007]

Hey, Mark. I always like to see your succinctly written responses to remind myself of good practice....and love your signature

'Succinct' means "expressed in few words; concise; terse" according to one dictionary on-line. Considering that most of my posts go on and on and on, I have never thought of myself as succinct- but I do thank you for the compliment!

I'm glad you like the sig- I was watching "Sting does music from the Labyrinth'- lots of lutes and Celtic music, and he quoted that line. I really liked it, and it is even better in context of the song/poem.

 

[llamas55]

No, you Reader's Digest the essence, and nail the basic concepts so that they stick in one's mind, an art. Ok, back on topic "-)