Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well i took the time to build a tortois table. I want to get some information before i put my little guy in his new home. I have read multiple things that say to have no humidity in the tank and to have humidity for baby's. I have also read conflicting things about having a shallow dish for water. What are your thoughts>?

Now for another question..lol.. i decided to use a 50/50 mix of topsoil and eco-earth(the brick that expands with water) for the substrate. My current humidity in the basking zone is 35-40% with temps around 90 degrees since setting it up yesterday. Im sure the humidity in that zone will drop as time passes.

The humidity in the hide is currently 65% and the temp was between 65-70 degrees. Are these number alright for a baby sulcata or should i be worried about the temp.

I also too the time to plant some kentucky blue grass in a 8in x4in bin for him as well.

well i hope i can get some fact sorted out before i put him in his new home... i dont want to put him in there is it will not be good for him.
robert

I would let the basking area and the majority of the enclosure dry out and increase the basking area to 95. Definetly keep the shallow water dish or two(the more the easier to find). The hide box should be kept at around 60-70% humidity which you have, but for a hatchling? I would raise the temp to 80. The hide box can be kept at this humidity by keeping the soil in it slightly moist but not wet!

>>I would let the basking area and the majority of the enclosure dry out and increase the basking area to 95. Definetly keep the shallow water dish or two(the more the easier to find). The hide box should be kept at around 60-70% humidity which you have, but for a hatchling? I would raise the temp to 80. The hide box can be kept at this humidity by keeping the soil in it slightly moist but not wet!

thanks for the reply. Im going to be doing something about the heat in the hide to bring up the temps. the rest of the table has been doing well and drying out.. the humidty in the basking area is now down to 20-25%. would attaching a heating pad to the inside of the hide on the roof be a good idea? I would be attaching it to wood. humidity is still staying around 65-70% in the hide.
robert

Depending on the size heat mat and the size of the hide it should work as long as its kept around 80. The substrate in the hide will have to get misted every few days or more then mixed to keep it moist, that will keep your humidity in the hide right where you want it. If the heat mat is heating up the hide too much, it can be put on a rheostat to control it.(around 80) The rest of the enclosure should remain dry especially the basking area, If the enclosure is big enough I would bring the basking area up to 95 and the tort will bask where he finds comfortable.