New Enclosure Issue: Heat, Humidity, UVB

[Layla]

Hello everyone and thanks for reading this. I read some of the similar threads but didn't get my exact questions answered.

My brother built a very large wooden, open enclosure for my RF its 6L x Hw enclosure made of plywood . It has a hide box in the corner that is has a plywood cover.

She is about 8" long and up till now was in a terrarium where it was easy to keep the temp and humidity around 80.

How do I keep it humid in an open environment? Is spraying her and the substrate a few times a day good enough? I kept the substrate wet in her terrarium but can't do that with this because it will leak.

What about heat? Should I have several heat lamps in various locations or all in one place?

As for UVB I was going to mount the light along the edge, but maybe I should build something so it can be more centered?

She spent last night in her hide box and felt cool to me in the morning.

I love her so much, I want the best possible environment but am stressed out about how to work with this otherwise awesome new home for her.

Thank you so much!!!!

 

[pfara]

It's usually easier to test the enclosure before putting the tortoise in it. It can be pretty stressful for your guy while you make the adjustments. But to answer some of your questions:

You have a table/open top enclosure. I do as well, but I convert it to a semi-enclosed space (not air tight) in the winter when the humidity drops. I accomplish this by covering the whole enclosure with those large plastic dropcloth that people use for painting or other construction type stuff. It doesn't insulate too well but it definitely keeps and/or slows the humidity from seeping out. Also, if your enclosure leaks, you might have to invest in pond liner and line the inside of your plywood. I put 3 coats of polyurethane and a pond liner in to keep moisture from being a problem.

For heat, you can spread it out if you want as long as the overall temps are around 80F. You can also mount the uvb wherever you want. However, it helps to place it over a high-traffic area like over the food dish so that it's fully utilized.

You said she felt cold to you? Do you have a temp gun to measure her? It really helps to have one just to test things like hot spots, your torts, bath water.

Hope this helps out some. Post pics if you can.

 

[naturalman91]

most of us with redfoots use closed chambers it's easy to hold humidity and heat it's a lot more energy saving to with a 6x2 closed chamber i hold a steady 85% and temps never drop below 80

you could probably easily convert a open top to closed

 

[Phenomenalhm]

Could an enclosure that is 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet be covered with a 12 inch screen for the lights while the rest is plexiglass? Would this help maintain humidity?

 

[Tom]

Could an enclosure that is 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet be covered with a 12 inch screen for the lights while the rest is plexiglass? Would this help maintain humidity?

No. Screen won't hold in humidity.

And you should start your own thread for this question.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Tom]

How do I keep it humid in an open environment?

The only way is to heat and humidify the entire room.

Adding more heat lamps will not only fail, it will dry things out and waste a lot of electricity.

You new enclosure may be awesome, but its not what your tortoise needs. Very nice of your bro to do that for you, but he bought you a BMW, when you need a pick up truck to haul hay bales. Don't be that car going down the road with a hay bale tied to the roof...


Here's what you need, or something similar:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

 

[Phenomenalhm]

Put a tarp on the inside to keep it waterproof. It works with mine. As for the humidity, could you cover it with plexiglass and add a small screen for his lights to sit on? Also, I agree with the others. It is easier to heat/humidify a room. I have an open cage right now, but the room is always warmer than the rest of the house and I run the humidifier in there. It has worked so far.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

As I've posted in other threads, I use a small, tall tube full of water.(A "Chrystal Light" drink mix tube)with an aquarium air stone in it. It will supply constant humidity without really making anything too wet.. Half bury it in the substrate to keep your tort from knocking it over. You can almost completely bury it. You'll only need to top it off every few days and the size makes it impossible for your tort to fall in or be damaged by it in any way. You can get a small aquarium pump, line and stone for $10. This and the plexiglass will be a great help.

 

[Phenomenalhm]

Zeropilot, that sounds like great idea. I am not familiar with aquariums so I looked at the stones online. It seems that the original intent is to put in a water aquarium to create bubbles. When you use it for humidity, do you just put them in a crstal light container and refill the container manually? How does the pump and tubing coming to place? I would love a picture if you have one

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The pump makes the air and the tubing carries the air. I'll try to get a picture up...the thing on the left is my bubbler. Walmart would have everything you need except the container itself. Actually, THAT would be in the soft drink isle! That's my week old seed mix growing from Tortoise supply.....Fill the container with water, drop in the airstone connected to the tubing and the pump on the other end and plug it in. It pretty much does everything itself.

 

[Phenomenalhm]

That seems simple. How big is your enclosure? Thanks for the idea. I think I will try it.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That particular enclosure is small. About 24" by 10" and short. My baby RF sleeps in it and spends a few hours of each day in it until he is big enough to join the others outside full time. You could make your bubbler larger for a larger enclosure and you could use the "super fine" mist air stones for even more bubbles. Just make sure that your tort can't fall in.