Sigh...OK, I've been struggling to get Sasha's enclosure better.

Turns out the Vitashell stuff I used to make her shell look nicer was basically just "waxing" her shell. Good for cars....not so good for turtles.

And the wood chips I bought (at $30.00 for a bag - rather expensive) are not the right substrate and hold moisture/humidity for.....well, I'm sure you know the expletive.

So, over the weekend, I re-re-did her enclosure with organic topsoil and peat moss mixed with some of the woodchips (hey! they're expensive - got to find SOME use for them). In a 45 gallon breeder tank, I used a bag of top soil, a bag of peat moss, about 3-4 cups of wood chips and a half-gallon pitcher of water (plus additional water for spraying things down). Got it all set up. Put her in. Gave her food. Came back in about 2-3 hours and the humidity was back down to 40%!!!!!

Saw instructions on another forum for a turtle enclosure using a tote box instead of an tank. Does anyone here use totes? Is there a danger of the lights melting the tote or starting a fire?

Any pictures?

This is the link to the pictures and such that I found.

Now the new box turtle set up - TT - Turtle Forums

But I'm trying to get as much information as possible before making any more changes to her enclosure.

Is it the breeder type tank with the slide in lid thats screen ? If so, cover some of it with plastic or even a moist towel, that will hold humidity in. You should also mist daily.

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Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

I've seen some really nice enclosures done in rubbermaid containers. The one you've posted looks pretty good. They're inexpensive, and they hold moisture pretty well.

An obvious caution - plastic melts, so you need to be very careful of the lamps.

The other thing you can do is invest in a misting system. There are some very nice ones you can buy, and here's a recent post of a mister made from a lawn sprinkler: A Cheap DIY Rain System

I'm not sure how tropical your turtle is, so hopefully someone else will chime in here, but regular misting can help keep humidity levels up.

Edit: Duh. Ken just said to mist. Sorry about that!

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

totes are fine, but the easiest way to keep in humidity is to cover your top with plastic.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

It's similar. But it's the heavy duty all metal screen. I am misting daily.

I have half the screen covered with aluminum foil and then duct tape (which I was told would help keep humidity in for my snake - and which worked for the 20 gallon tank - not working for the 55 gallon).

But yesterday when I redid the tank, I make the ground nice and moist, misted thoroughly, and 2-3 hours later the humidity was right back down to 40%.

I'm really at a loss of what to do. That's why I'm wondering if the tote box idea might be better???

About the next post - I thought about a misting system. But the way things are going, I'd have to have it misting on an almost continuous basis.

BTW, Sasha is a three-toed box turtle.

I used to have the same problem with some of my cages... This is what I invested in.... (zoo med the big dripper)

Amazon.com: Zoo Med The Big Dripper: Kitchen & Dining

They also have one called the little dripper...

Ive found it doesnt replace misting daily, but it does help keep humidity up

Btw, herp supplies are really cheap at amazon.com

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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France

How many watts is that lamp? It seems pretty close and might be drying up the enclosure pretty fast. Also, something you might want to try (WARNING: I've never actually used this or seen anyone use this in animal enclosures, I use it for keeping humidity in large cigar humidors) but Oasis Flroal Foam bricks are made to absorb water and release water to maintain 70% humidity. It should be safe for pets as long as you don't let your turtle eat it. OASIS® Floral Foam Bricks

Just soak it in distilled water and place it in the enclosure. Depending on the humidity in the enclosure, it will dry out eventually and need to be re-soaked. But they're cheap and can usually be found at floral shops or even craft stores.

It may be fine in humidors but I would not put it in an animal enclosure.
Cigars don't bite chunks off of it and swallow it.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

i would get rid of the tinfoil and go for plastic. I think it will hold moisture better, and cover up as much as you can.

What is the wattage of your bulb(s). The higher the wattage, the dryer it will get. If its a heat issue, try getting a ceramic heat emitter. They dry out less than bulbs.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Ceramic heat emitter?

Never heard of that. How does it work?