What is everyone's opinion on humidifiers?

[dnntau8]

Hi all!
I spray my baby Herman's enclosure twice a day to keep the humidity up (I read a couple places it should be 70%), but it always seems to fall back down to 60-62%.
I came here for advice before I jumped into buying anything.
Should I just keep spraying it twice? Or would you recommend investing in a humidifier for the little one?
Thanks

 

[Skip K]

Personally...I don’t use humidifiers/misters. Proper humidity from substrate manipulation and soakings for little ones...has worked well for all our torts. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with mist being sprayed in my enclosures. And I’ve also heard of bacterial growth in misters that are not maintained. I do about once a week put our Redfoots in the shower in the months that are too cold for them to be outside. They seem to enjoy the warm water “shower”. And yes...it can be messy at times...lol. What type of substrate do you use? Some retain/release water/humidity better than others

 

[dnntau8]

Personally...I don’t use humidifiers/misters. Proper humidity from substrate manipulation and soakings for little ones...has worked well for all our torts. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with mist being sprayed in my enclosures. And I’ve also heard of bacterial growth in misters that are not maintained. I do about once a week put our Redfoots in the shower in the months that are too cold for them to be outside. They seem to enjoy the warm water “shower”. And yes...it can be messy at times...lol. What type of substrate do you use? Some retain/release water/humidity better than others

Thank you for replying! Right now I'm using coconut coir (I was going to use Orchid bark, but was having issues finding it). I have it 3-4 inches deep.
I've only had the little guy about a week and I'm worried about over-wetting the substrate, but after each spray it will stay around 70% for a couple hours and then fall back to 62%.

 

[Skip K]

Thank you for replying! Right now I'm using coconut coir (I was going to use Orchid bark, but was having issues finding it). I have it 3-4 inches deep.
I've only had the little guy about a week and I'm worried about over-wetting the substrate, but after each spray it will stay around 70% for a couple hours and then fall back to 62%.

I use coconut coir for the little ones. And it works well. I don’t mist it but instead add water...then use my hand to “stir” the watered CC to make it uniform. If I add too much water...I just stir in more dry CC from another part of the enclosure till it’s a consistency I like (not too damp). I have 3 zones in the little Sulcata enclosure. Moist in zone 1 with the basking lamp and UVB lamp. Zone 2 is basically dry and cooler...zone 3 is the hide. I add water to the hide CC to keep humidity up in it. The temps...zone 1 90-105 depending on where the torts bask...zone 2 upper 70’s and zone 3 ( hide) mid 80’s nite or day. The babies move between all three zones multiple times a day. My hide is set up uniquely to give ambient heat and to reduce drying the substrate prematurely. The hide is plastic and I have a CHE (50 watt) angled ( being angled I can adjust angle for different hide temps as seasonal ambient house temps can effect hide temps) toward the top of the hide. It’s not so close as to risk melting the plastic and I have SAFEGUARDS to keep it from ever falling and laying on the top of the hide. This heats the hide without drying out the torts or the substrate at nite. It takes about 3 days for the humidity level to drop from mid 90’s to about 80 before I add water. I add water to the basking area daily but with CC remember if you water and mix correctly... even later in the day...the CC might look dry on top...but still be moist underneath...providing humidity.
Now our babies are Sulcatas and your tort might have different requirements (temp and humidity). These are just ideas for you to think about. I’ve had many species of torts but never a Herman’s. I’d get specs from the Herman’s owners in the forum.

 

[AgataP]

I have a closed chamber enclosure and I have a humidifier. Only reason why I have it it’s pointed at plants and gives them little cure spray. I mostly forget to turn it on ?? or when I actually open the enclosure let it vent, close it and turn it on for few minutes while my tortoise is taking a bath. So when he comes back enclosure is right away at the same point when he left.
It’s not something you need or that is recommended.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I don't use humidifiers. And it's after a few decades of using store bought ones and misters of my own design.
With a functioning CLOSED CHAMBER enclosure, they are an unnecessary complexity.
Since you asked.

 

[Tom]

Hi all!
I spray my baby Herman's enclosure twice a day to keep the humidity up (I read a couple places it should be 70%), but it always seems to fall back down to 60-62%.
I came here for advice before I jumped into buying anything.
Should I just keep spraying it twice? Or would you recommend investing in a humidifier for the little one?
Thanks

I recommend against using humidifiers. I don't like tortoises breathing water vapor I the air.

The reason you can maintain humidity is because your enclosure has an open top that allows all your heat and humidity to escape. Close in the top, or better still make or get a closed chamber, and you will stop the leak.

Here is the current and correct care info for your species:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[pawsplus]

I am using one and like it. It keeps my large, open enclosure for my adult redfoot at 75-85% humidity or so.

 

[Hamiltondood]

i dont HATE humidifiers but i dont use them as much as i used to. i used to have it on for about 5 minutes every hour just in case the humidity drops a bit.
now, i just spray the slate and substrate under the basking spot and it boosts the humidity to over 80%

 

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I spray and spray and spray to keep my humidity above 70, as i am new and inexperienced! My substrate (currently organic peat moss with a little orchard bark mixed in) is about 4" deep (variating). I have noticed recently that my Ragnar has started trying to dig himself a spot under one of his feeding flat rocks. It is deeper there and clearly more damp (i can tell because he is in a 75 gal aquarium). The substrate at the bottom 1/3 is always wet. This tells me he is searching out a more humid microclimate?? He has 2 hides that i try to keep humid, but he is now trying to dig himself a spot where it is visibly wetter. I maintain the humidity by misting a few times a day and dumping water (a significant amount) over the 12"x 18" section of river rocks where i keep his 8" terra cotta dish. My che is directly overhead at that spot and the fact that it's only rocks, i haven't found any mold growing. I was thinking...... What if I buried a Terra cotta dish, covered in screen, with coco coir over it. I could fill it with water. Maybe put a hide over it and have a very humid hide?? I would like to try it. Obviously, he will decide if that's the hide he wants to use, but i am wondering if anyone has any questions against it as i do not want to jeopardize his health! Please let me know if anyone thinks that's a bad idea! It is just a thought i came up with. I know having an enclosed tank would be best but i am trying to work with what i have to the best of my ability. I have a diamond metal top covered with thick plastic atm.

 

[[email protected].]

Sorry... REASONS, not questions against it