I just built a greenhouse inside encloser for my two Cherry heads, It seems to be too hot, 91*+ on the hot side, the humidity is at 70-75% and higher, is this right? the cool side is at 80*
Aim for 84-86 thru out the whole enclosure. No need for a hot and cold side with Redfoots. You also want to try to keep your humidity at 80%+I just built a greenhouse inside encloser for my two Cherry heads, It seems to be too hot, 91*+ on the hot side, the humidity is at 70-75% and higher, is this right? the cool side is at 80*
Agree to disagree but I've yet to see anyone raise a Hatchling in an open enclosure and provide temperature/humidity gradient that didn't end up with a tortoise that had some degree of Pyramiding. On the flip side 84-86 thru out the enclosure and 80%+constant humidity produces a healthy smooth tortoise everytime. That's why we recommend it here.I disagree with not providing a temp gradient. My Redfoot often seeks out a cooler area. In the wild they find burrows to get out of the sun, where the temp will drop significantly. Or they move into the forest, where it is cooler. They are tortoises of the edges of the firest, not deep in the forest like yellowfoots. So they must thermoregulate by moving to cooler or warmer areas.
There is certainly research implicating low humidity in pyramiding. However, I am unaware of any research implicating lower (but still appropriate) temps in pyramiding. Do you know of any?Agree to disagree but I've yet to see anyone raise a Hatchling in an open enclosure and provide temperature/humidity gradient that didn't end up with a tortoise that had some degree of Pyramiding. On the flip side 84-86 thru out the enclosure and 80%+constant humidity produces a healthy smooth tortoise everytime. That's why we recommend it here.
I'm really only referring to Hatchlings - about 2 years. Which I'm pretty sure is what the OP has. I'm not aware of any studies with temperature and Pyramiding. I just don't know of a way to maintain proper humidity needed in an enclosure with a real temperature gradient. You would need something open. From everything I've seen and experienced, it's pretty hard to grow out a nice smooth hatching that way. So it's just easier to tell newbies the simplest way I know works.There is certainly research implicating low humidity in pyramiding. However, I am unaware of any research implicating lower (but still appropriate) temps in pyramiding. Do you know of any?
From the Wikipedia page on the climate of Brazil: "Despite the popular image of the Amazon as a region of blistering heat, temperatures of more than 35 °C (95 °F) are unusual. The annual average temperature in the region is 22 to 26 °C (72 to 79 °F), with not much variation between the warmest and the coldest months. The hottest part of Brazil is the northeast, where temperatures of more than 38 °C (100 °F) are frequently recorded during the dry season between May and November. Along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, average temperatures range from 23 to 27 °C (73 to 81 °F). Inland, on higher ground, temperatures are lower, ranging from 19 to 21 °C (66 to 70 °F). South of Rio the seasons are more defined and the range of temperatures significantly wider, with the annual average falling between 17 and 19 °C (63 and 66 °F). The cities of Belo Horizonte and Brasília have moderate temperatures, usually between 15 and 30 °C (59 and 86 °F), because of their elevation of approximately 1,000 metres (3,281 ft). Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Salvador on the coast have warm climates, with average temperatures of each month ranging from 23 to 27 °C (73 to 81 °F), but enjoy constant trade winds. The cities of São Paulo, Curitiba, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre have a subtropical climate similar to that of southern United States, and temperatures can fall below freezing in winter.[4]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Brazil
Clearly, wild redfoots are living in temps 70F and below at least some of the time. And clearly, temps will be lower in burrows than out in the open. When a tortoise is given the option of a cooler environment and CHOOSES IT, then IMHO they should be allowed to do so.