I've been looking at some great ideas of everyone's indoor closures. I have a smaller setup and I am looking to upgrade and go bigger aside from that I want to know is the idea of the setup I now okay or is there something that's not okay right now? I still have to purchase an infrared gun to make sure it's more accurate on temperature. Any ideas on a good humidity gauge I just have a simple analog one.the picture below is what I have so far. Since I do want to go bigger I would like advice on what's okay to do and not to do. Thanks in advance!
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- Thread starter lexrex7
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turdle yerdle
Active Member
Well, 'm not an expert with younger tortoises or sulcata's but eventually or as soon as possible that tortoise NEEDS a bigger enclosure.
Among the obvious problems:
- the substrate - too dry and not deep enough. Use fine grade orchid bark and tip water in to make it evenly damp.
- the lighting - you have a compact UVB, by the look of it, that is harmful to tort eyes
- the reptile bowl - it's a tipping hazard; they're not suitable for torts. Use a terracotta plant saucer for water and a piece of flat rock or slate
Please read the following threads so you understand what your little sulcata needs. It will grow very rapidly into a 100lb bulldozer and you need to get things right.
Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
How to raise a healthy sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
For those who have a young Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
That tank is ok for now, but very small. I used to really like cypress mulch but they've stopped milling it small enough to suit me, and now the pieces or rather the chunks are just too darned big for my taste. So I now use small grade orchid bark exclusively. I keep it moist and it doesn't sour or spoil. also, it's not harmful if accidentally ingested.
Looks like you've got it covered with foil, so that's good. But are the lights sitting on screen? The screen filters out most of the beneficial UVB rays, so screen's not a good idea.
What kind of UVB light are you using? If it's the coil-shaped bulb, some of them have been known to cause a painful eye problem in baby tortoises. Because we can't tell a good light from a bad one by looking or by brand, it's just best to not use them at all. I've heard they don't really provide good UVB anyway.
Change out that reptile bowl for a clay plant saucer. They're easier for baby tortoises to climb in and out of. Sometimes those straight up and down sides on your bowl cause a small tortoise to overbalance when he's climbing out and he may end up upside down in the water.
When you go bigger, you will have room for two or three plants. I buy quite a few of those weighted plants for aquariums and bury the weight in the substrate. This gives a more sheltered feel and makes babies feel safer (and have more hiding places).
You want your probe to be down at tortoise level. And good job on the sphagnum moss-covered hiding place.
The baby is just as cute as he can be.
Looks like you've got it covered with foil, so that's good. But are the lights sitting on screen? The screen filters out most of the beneficial UVB rays, so screen's not a good idea.
What kind of UVB light are you using? If it's the coil-shaped bulb, some of them have been known to cause a painful eye problem in baby tortoises. Because we can't tell a good light from a bad one by looking or by brand, it's just best to not use them at all. I've heard they don't really provide good UVB anyway.
Change out that reptile bowl for a clay plant saucer. They're easier for baby tortoises to climb in and out of. Sometimes those straight up and down sides on your bowl cause a small tortoise to overbalance when he's climbing out and he may end up upside down in the water.
When you go bigger, you will have room for two or three plants. I buy quite a few of those weighted plants for aquariums and bury the weight in the substrate. This gives a more sheltered feel and makes babies feel safer (and have more hiding places).
You want your probe to be down at tortoise level. And good job on the sphagnum moss-covered hiding place.
The baby is just as cute as he can be.
Thanks for all the great information everyone! The light bulb I have is one I got from petsmart it's not coiled in shape and looks like a regular standard light bulb it says has uvb and uva and is 60 watts is it too strong for my baby? I have a day time bulb and a nighttime black bulb.
