Open top vs enclosed tortoise table

rhn0312

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Jul 22, 2014
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Hi everyone,
I'm planning on building a tortoise table for my future Hermann's tortoise (not yet purchased), and I've heard many contrasting opinions on wether they should be open top or enclosed. The tortoise will be a hatchling, which I believe requires higher humidity, achieved more easily with a covered table. The table will be quite big though, around 5'x8', so it might be difficult to cover. There's also cleaning, feeding, lighting etc. to consider, but I'd just like to know which type of enclosure would be better for the tortoise in general. Also, if I were to cover it, what type of glass would be best?
 

FLINTUS

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It depends on what your ambient humidity in the room is. For instance, in the UK, you can achieve Red Foot 70%+ humidity in an open top, but in California for example, you'll find it hard to even get 50% in the room. Usually, I would say you do not need an enclosed enclosure for hermanni, just make sure you soak and offer a humid hide.
 

rhn0312

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Thanks for the reply. I live in Toronto, where the summers are quite humid, but the winters are very dry. In addition to misting and soaking, would a humidifier near the enclosure help?
 

Tom

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I think Flintus' reply was perfect.

I would add that either enclosure can be made to work with a few tweaks. My preference is for a closed chamber. I find it easy to maintain whatever temps and humidity I want with minimal effort, regardless of the conditions in the room where the enclosure sits. They are also much more efficient and require a fraction of the electricity to heat.
 

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