Quick question about humidity

[Pokey's Dad]

I wondered if anyone has a hatchling Herman’s like I do and have used a humidifier from ReptiZoo? He’s in a large clear plastic container that I wanna say is about 150 gallons. I was thinking about cutting 2 - 1 inch holes at the end that I could stick the hoses for the humidifier in and just set it for two minutes every half hour or there’s other settings as well. I just wanted to get everybody’s perspective on it.

 

[Tortellini0000]

I wondered if anyone has a hatchling Herman’s like I do and have used a humidifier from ReptiZoo? He’s in a large clear plastic container that I wanna say is about 150 gallons. I was thinking about cutting 2 - 1 inch holes at the end that I could stick the hoses for the humidifier in and just set it for two minutes every half hour or there’s other settings as well. I just wanted to get everybody’s perspective on it.

Hey! I copied this from I think @Tom.


Misters, foggers, humidifiers, sprayers all put out droplets, not humidity. The droplets are too big for your tort to be breathing and can cause respiratory problems. They also cool down the enclosure via evaporative cooling. To maintain humidity the substrate needs to hold the water and allow it to disperse upwards through the substrate. Its also easier this way.

 

[Tom]

I wondered if anyone has a hatchling Herman’s like I do and have used a humidifier from ReptiZoo? He’s in a large clear plastic container that I wanna say is about 150 gallons. I was thinking about cutting 2 - 1 inch holes at the end that I could stick the hoses for the humidifier in and just set it for two minutes every half hour or there’s other settings as well. I just wanted to get everybody’s perspective on it.

I would not use a humidifier blowing directly into a tortoise enclosure. They are fine to use to humidify the room.

What are the dimensions of your enclosure?

Keep humidity high with damp substrate and reduced ventilation.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I wondered if anyone has a hatchling Herman’s like I do and have used a humidifier from ReptiZoo? He’s in a large clear plastic container that I wanna say is about 150 gallons. I was thinking about cutting 2 - 1 inch holes at the end that I could stick the hoses for the humidifier in and just set it for two minutes every half hour or there’s other settings as well. I just wanted to get everybody’s perspective on it.

Personally I think there’s too much room for error when it comes to humidifiers, they can be very tricky to clean properly, only temporarily boost the humidity and I don’t think it’s ideal for a tortoise to be breathing in the droplets every day.
To me, if an enclosure needs a humidifier to keep humidity up, there’s too much air exchange happening in there.

A proper closed chamber with a thick damp layer of substrate is definitely most effective

 

[Pokey's Dad]

Hey! I copied this from I think @Tom.


Misters, foggers, humidifiers, sprayers all put out droplets, not humidity. The droplets are too big for your tort to be breathing and can cause respiratory problems. They also cool down the enclosure via evaporative cooling. To maintain humidity the substrate needs to hold the water and allow it to disperse upwards through the substrate. Its also easier this way.

Good advice. I am just trying to make humidity for my baby. I think I am going to go with a closed container with the uvb and 50 watt basking bulb built into the roof of the tub. Garden State Tortoise gives a great enclosed chamber build on their YouTube channel. Thanks for the advice. Humidifier is going back!

 

[Pokey's Dad]

Personally I think there’s too much room for error when it comes to humidifiers, they can be very tricky to clean properly, only temporarily boost the humidity and I don’t think it’s ideal for a tortoise to be breathing in the droplets every day.
To me, if an enclosure needs a humidifier to keep humidity up, there’s too much air exchange happening in there.

A proper closed chamber with a thick damp layer of substrate is definitely most effective

Good advice. I am just trying to make humidity for my baby. I think I am going to go with a closed container with the uvb and 50 watt basking bulb built into the roof of the tub. Garden State Tortoise gives a great enclosed chamber build on their YouTube channel. Thanks for the advice. Humidifier is going back!

 

[COmtnLady]

I keep a Red Foot adult, so need the enclosure to be as humid as all young tortoises of any species need. This is how I go about putting in a new substrate (which only needs done at the most once per year, but I usually let it be unless it begins to smell because I didn't keep it "spot cleaned" well enough).


I buy the coco coir in the 3-brick packages (which are a little cheaper and store more easily than the loose type). I do NOT buy the loose stuff because it is harder to get it to hold the water during installation, and it dries out again quicker if not packed tightly, plus there is a "dusty" factor when you try to get it damp (that can cause you to cough like a fool for a bit - think what dusty coco coir does to the poor tortoises who are trying to live on it!). It also takes up a lot more space to store it in that form.


Then I use a very clean, definitely does not have any soap or other type of residue, five gallon bucket (I have two five gallon buckets dedicated to only tortoise substrate use, nothing else).

Fill it about 2/3 full of warm water and submerge one of the bricks. Allow it to soak until it has completely fallen apart, with no hard lumps left. You may have to add more water if it expands above the waterline.

Hand-wring-out as much of the water as possible (this will be very messy - pretend you're five and making mud pies), and pack it tightly into the bottom of the enclosure. Seriously, pack it in firmly. Begin at one end of the enclosure, and work your way to the other end, so that you can see if you got enough of the water out. You don't want standing water visible, especially not when you are finished.

Depending on the size of your enclosure, pack the coco coir about three or four inches deep.

Next put a two to three inch layer of Orchid Bark/Fir Bark on top and pat that down - this doesn't have to be packed as firmly, but pat it down until it feels even and solid. Some use Cyprus Mulch instead, which is just as good, but I don't care for the swampy smell of the Cyprus Mulch.
(If its a small enclosure for a hatchling, it may do ok with only a couple inches of coco coir on the bottom with an additional couple inches of Bark on top.)

When done right, this substrate set-up should keep a closed chamber's humidity steady, with a lot less work. The moisture will disperse itself up through the bark upper layer, and the closed top will keep the humidity contained inside your enclosure. Watch your gauges closely for a few weeks; when they begin to drop a little from your desired percentage you simply pour a few cups of warm water into the corners (not all over the surface) to replenish it. Because each enclosure is different, I can't tell you exactly how much to put in at any one moment, so, go slowly when adding additional water. It is quite difficult to remove excess water; only add a couple cups then wait a few hours to see how closely it brought the humidity back to where you want it. If its still below 84%, add more into the corners. and re-check in a few hours or the next day. It is a lot harder to remove excess water than to just be patient and add replacement moisture a little at a time. In no time you will be use to the system and be able to relax, just checking occasionally.

---