New Enclosure! (Pics)

[ForPhilbert]

Just wanted to post some photos of the new enclosure my boyfriend and I built for our Russian Tort Philbert! He seems to enjoy the extra room. I'll also post some pictures of his old enclosure. Also, I live in an apartment so it is difficult for me to let him outside without me standing over him. So I wanted to make something large enough for him to roam around in and feel as close to being outside as I could.

Basking side.

Cool side.

He loves to climb!

Just hanging out by his lagoon pool..

Old enclosure.

Oh and here is Philbert
I am open for any suggestions or comments!

 

[ChiKat]

I love the little rock tower thing- did you make that? Is it secure (glued together?)
I'm sure Philbert loves the new enclosure- it looks great!!

I would give him at least one more hide, so he can have at the very least one on the cool side and one on the warm side.

 

[terryo]

Wow! What an upgrade. That's a great enclosure.

 

[ForPhilbert]

I love the little rock tower thing- did you make that? Is it secure (glued together?)
I'm sure Philbert loves the new enclosure- it looks great!!

I would give him at least one more hide, so he can have at the very least one on the cool side and one on the warm side.

Thank you! I got the rocks at Petsmart they're..called "large stacking rocks." I have not glued them together but they are really heavy rocks and balance perfectly so I am not worried about it falling over. I agree he needs one more hide so that will be my next project. Although he doesn't really even use the hide I have for him now. He usually just burrows in the cooler corner when he goes to bed.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I don't think the basking light is close enough to the substrate can you bend it down so he can utilize the heat better???

 

[ForPhilbert]

I don't think the basking light is close enough to the substrate can you bend it down so he can utilize the heat better???

It is only about 8 or 9 inches above the substrate. Does it need to be closer than that? Also is a 50Watt bulb strong enough? I had a 75W but it broke.

 

[GBtortoises]

The simple way to test if the basking light is close enough is to lay a thermometer on the substrate directly below the center beam of the light. It's best to do this at least a half hour after the light has been turned on so that it allows for enough time to warm the substrate to maximum temperature. The temperature at the substrate should read between 95 and 105 degrees for an adult size tortoise. The light can then be moved up or down to achieve this temperature range. I would not suggest moving it any closer than 8" and in fact I would not mount it closer than 10" away. A light mounted too close could cause thermal burns and eye problems. If you need to create a warmer basking area you may need to increase the bulb wattage that you're using. Also keep in mind that the temperature and humidity level within your tortoise's enclosure is affected by the temperature and humidity level of the room that the enclosure is kept in. The cooler the ambient temperature within the room, the more difficult it will be to maintain temperatures within the enclosure.

 

[ForPhilbert]

The simple way to test if the basking light is close enough is to lay a thermometer on the substrate directly below the center beam of the light. It's best to do this at least a half hour after the light has been turned on so that it allows for enough time to warm the substrate to maximum temperature. The temperature at the substrate should read between 95 and 105 degrees for an adult size tortoise. The light can then be moved up or down to achieve this temperature range. I would not suggest moving it any closer than 8" and in fact I would not mount it closer than 10" away. A light mounted too close could cause thermal burns and eye problems. If you need to create a warmer basking area you may need to increase the bulb wattage that you're using. Also keep in mind that the temperature and humidity level within your tortoise's enclosure is affected by the temperature and humidity level of the room that the enclosure is kept in. The cooler the ambient temperature within the room, the more difficult it will be to maintain temperatures within the enclosure.

Thank you so much! That helped me a lot. I just turned his lamp on so I will wait a little and check the temp. I live very close to the Everglades in SW Florida so the climate here is pretty humid already. I do mist his tank a couple times a day though just to make sure he has adequate humidity.

 

[Jacqui]

Great upgrade! You and your boyfriend did a wonderful job. I love the closeup shot of him, too.

 

[Snapper]

I want my husband to build me one! Looks great!

 

[zoogrl]

What a nice upgrade! You all did a great job : ) He looks very happy in there.

 

[tortoisenerd]

A good thermometer like a temp gun ($25+ investment) is very important to your torts well being. Instant and accurate temp readouts. When you guess or use an inaccurate thermometer, you can be way off. You should check temps every 1-2 days as even if your house thermostat stays the same, the enclosure temp can really vary based on even humidity levels. Check at different moist and dry levels since you are on a misting schedule so you have an idea of where the temps are, and then make adjustment if needed. Pouring water on the substrate and mixing it up is probably easier than misting. In Florida with an adult? Russian, humidity isn't too much of a concern so don't worry about it. Temperatures are much more important than humidity for Russians at least (if we were talking about a hatchling Sulcata it would be an entirely different story).

Cool enclosure! If you can get your tort outside for sun regularly you can ditch the tube UVB (barely does anything anyways). If not, then you should get a good MVB. Careful with the stuff to climb on--torts regularly end up on their backs, so you may want to build ramps to the log or take that kind of stuff out. I like larger food areas like a slate tile to keep the food away from the substrate and wear down the beak and nails.

 

[ForPhilbert]

A good thermometer like a temp gun ($25+ investment) is very important to your torts well being. Instant and accurate temp readouts. When you guess or use an inaccurate thermometer, you can be way off. You should check temps every 1-2 days as even if your house thermostat stays the same, the enclosure temp can really vary based on even humidity levels. Check at different moist and dry levels since you are on a misting schedule so you have an idea of where the temps are, and then make adjustment if needed. Pouring water on the substrate and mixing it up is probably easier than misting. In Florida with an adult? Russian, humidity isn't too much of a concern so don't worry about it. Temperatures are much more important than humidity for Russians at least (if we were talking about a hatchling Sulcata it would be an entirely different story).

Cool enclosure! If you can get your tort outside for sun regularly you can ditch the tube UVB (barely does anything anyways). If not, then you should get a good MVB. Careful with the stuff to climb on--torts regularly end up on their backs, so you may want to build ramps to the log or take that kind of stuff out. I like larger food areas like a slate tile to keep the food away from the substrate and wear down the beak and nails.

Thank you so much for your input! I checked the temp under the basking 50W bulb and it read 85 degrees which is not warm enough at all so I went and bought a new 75W bulb and replaced it with that. I waited for 45 minutes for the new temperature to set in and it got all the way up to 120 degrees!!! I immediately took that one out and put the 50W back in. I am not sure what to do because one bulb makes it extremely hot while the other makes it too cool. I was thinking I could raise the 75W a little higher than what it's at but I'm not sure how to do that because as of right now it just rests on top of the screen. Any suggestions? Also what is a MVB?

 

[terryo]

What about getting the light fixture that's on a stand. I got mine from Carolina Pet Supply, or Petco has them. Then you can adjust the hight to make it hotter or cooler.

 

[ForPhilbert]

What about getting the light fixture that's on a stand. I got mine from Carolina Pet Supply, or Petco has them. Then you can adjust the hight to make it hotter or cooler.

Sounds great. I will look into that. How much are they?

 

[terryo]

a little cheaper here
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255OUO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20


http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=365

 

[ForPhilbert]

a little cheaper here
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255OUO/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20


http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44&products_id=365

that's reasonable! thank you!

 

[trentlee111]

What are the dimensions of the new enclosure? it looks really nice

 

[ForPhilbert]

What are the dimensions of the new enclosure? it looks really nice

well, it was SUPPOSED to be 2' x 4' but the guy who cut it messed up so it's now 3.5' by 4'. pretty big for an apartment!!

 

[Half Decaf]

Nice job on the enclosure. And may I also say that I think Philbert is one of the finest looking torts I have ever seen. What a fantastic mug!