New redfoot owner

[Redrae8]

I am a first time tort owner and I am having trouble with the humidity. I live in a very dry environment which makes it hard to maintain humidity for my redfoot. Any pointers? My tort is eating and drinking on its second day in its new environment which makes me happy but I know he needs humidity. Any solutions?

 

[lisa127]

Totally enclosed habitat will hold humidity in.

 

[MPRC]

Tell us about how you are housing him *photos are great* and hopefully we can provide some tips!

 

[Redrae8]

I have him in a sweater box (large tote) with moist cypres mulch. I was going to cut the lid in half and put half of it on while leaving the other side open for the uvb/heat lamp

 

[Redrae8]

I normally have him up on a table but we are trying to set up things so we can have the lamp hanging above him instead of clamped

 

[MPRC]

Having a cover will make things much easier to control. I started with an open top and couldn't get over 50%, now with a closed top (there's about a 4in gap for lighting) I sit at 80% +

 

[Redrae8]

So then the heat from the lamp will just help create the humidity from the moist mulch and me spritzing the tank with water every morning?

 

[jockma]

I also live in a very dry area (LA county) and I can maintain 85% humidity with little effort, as long as the top is covered you are good to go. Just make sure you have adequate ventilation and keep an eye on temps. Use a substrate like coco coir (cypress is difficult to obtain cheaply nowadays, at least on the west coast) and place some live plants in there. You can add some sphagnum moss to boost humidity even further.

Humidity is heat + moisture so the heat lamps and moisture in the enclosure will generate humidity, you can play around with variables like substrate type, misting frequency, lamp wattage etc. Keep the top layer of substrate dry to prevent shell rot. I recommend pouring water in the corners/sides to boost humidity without making the rest of the substrate too damp. Mist regularly, including on your RF's shell.

 

[Redrae8]

Thanks LaDuke and jockma. I will try this and then see how it goes.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you set up a bigger container, you would be able to add some plants (real or fake) to break up the monotony and give the tortoise more places to hide. Here's one of my indoor habitats:

 

[DutchieAmanda]

Welcome and enjoy your new friend! I own a redfoot too and do as already described above (closed enclosure, pour water in a corner of the substrate, moss as an extra). Good luck!