Humid hide

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Charlotte94
Posts: 1
Joined: 28 Feb 2021, 21:54

Humid hide

Post by Charlotte94 » 28 Feb 2021, 22:00

Hi 👋

I've recently been re-vamping the table for my baby Greek spur thigh, in order to create some more entertainment and a better space...

I have bought a wooden box house to use as a humid hide, with the usual moss being put inside and the hide near the basking lamp, but I've been informed this isn't suitable material for a humid hide for a baby tort...

Any advice on this matter would be most welcome, thanks all!

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Humid hide

Post by Nina » 28 Feb 2021, 22:47

Hi Charlotte,

Welcome to The Tortoise Table. Just to check -- when you sa you were told that 'this isn't suitable material for a humid hide', were you talking about the moss (I assume it is sphagnum moss) or the wooden box? I think a wooden box could present problems because if it is very damp over a period of time it could get a bit mouldy, but I'm not actually sure. If this is the case then you could try a plastic hide -- something like this is cheap (although they do come in rather lurid colours): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-World-D ... B001B5EE3C or if you google plastic rabbit or guinea pig hides more interesting one will come up.

Humid hides are very popular, but you would need to make sure that it doesn't get too cold in the hide, because although tortoises do well in warm and damp, they don't like cold and damp. A drop in temperature at night is natural for a tortoise, but try and avoid cold and damp.

Personally I achieve a bit of humidity by having other areas of the table damp. For example, I have decorative grasses and spider plants that I grow in the substrate (it's a topsoil/playsand substrate), and they are watered regularly and so produce some humidity. I've attached some photos of my table that I took tonight. I emptied all of the old substrate out today, in preparation for my tortoises coming out of hibernation this week, so it looks a bit bare as I have only just planted it up and there is more to come, and there is no water in the water bowl (and of course no tortoises in it), but you can see how planting around the table could produce humidity. I also have a ramp leading up to a second level in my table (you can see it in one photo), and that is always nice to put in a table because they get lots of exercise walking up and down the ramp.

Nina
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ajamyles
Posts: 1
Joined: 05 Apr 2021, 05:55

Re: Humid hide

Post by ajamyles » 05 Apr 2021, 08:40

This looks amazing, Nina.

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Humid hide

Post by Nina » 05 Apr 2021, 13:54

Thanks! I've seen better tables, but mine seem to do OK in this. The best thing about it is the second level. They are always running up and down the ramp to see if there is any food for them on the top level (I feed them up there most of the time, because they get extra exercise and it keeps the food from being dragged through the substrate). Have attached some photos.

Nina

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CritterMama
Posts: 43
Joined: 21 Mar 2021, 13:43

Re: Humid hide

Post by CritterMama » 29 Sep 2021, 20:53

Nina wrote:
>
> Personally I achieve a bit of humidity by having other areas of the table
> damp. For example, I have decorative grasses and spider plants that I grow
> in the substrate (it's a topsoil/playsand substrate), and they are watered
> regularly and so produce some humidity.
>

I have a similar substrate, as well as a Spider Plant, and African Violet, and an Inch Plant (Tradescantia fluminensis). They do a great job keeping the humidity up - maybe too great a job! I've got a nice crop of moss growing down at the cooler end of the enclosure! 🙄 Is moss a problem? I scraped off the top layer of substrate, but the moss just grew back. I don't really mind it (it's actually kinda pretty). If it's not a danger to Scoot (3 month old Western Hermann's), I'm happy to just let it grow. Shown here is the cool end's hide filled with sphagnum moss. Homegrown moss is the green stuff.

Thoughts?

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Critter Mama

One Husband, one Bearded Dragon, one Panther Chameleon, one Labrador Retriever, and now a baby Hermann's Tortoise!

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Humid hide

Post by Nina » 02 Oct 2021, 14:31

Looks fine to me! Although if moss is growing naturally in a lot of places in your table, then the substrate might be a little bit too damp. So sorry for this late response -- have only just seen your post.

Nina

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