UAV bulb and heat lamp

[Luismaela]

Hey everyone so I'm a new Sulcata owner and I just finished with my setup for my little guys. So my question is how far away do I want my UAV bulb and heat lamp from the actual tortoises. My glass tank is pretty tall. What temperature do you guys recommend?

 

[Tom]

Looks like you got the typical pet store bad advice. Both of those bulbs are potentially bad for your tortoise and should not be used. The ramped water bowl is also a serious flipping/drowning hazard. If your tortoise is smart he'll avoid that bowl, but then he won't get any water. You also need about 5 times more substrate and a much larger enclosure.

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you found us, and your little tortoise will be too. PLease read these for the correct care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Come back with all of your questions. We are happy to explain more.

 

[Luismaela]

So I went ahead and bought another bag of substrate and took out the water bowl. I also got a i feared heat gun. I'm going to buy a small terra coat plant bowl for water. My enclosure is a 65 gallon tank. Is that too small? I only plan to keep it for the first year then I want to build an outside enclosure. As far as the lighting. Your post didn't indicate exactly which ones to buy.

 

[saginawhxc]

The links he posted will contain the information you are looking for, but if I remember right Tom is a fan of tube florescents for uvb and simply using a 65w incandescent flood light for basking spot. Others, like me, prefer to use a mercury vapor bulb. Mercury Vapor Bulbs ( MVB ) provide both UVB and basking heat, though they can be a little pricey, and arguably less reliable.

As for the size of the enclosure, how many gallons your tank is doesn't matter. It looks like you tank is a tall model. Tortoises need floor space. It may work for a bit, but growing tortoises need space to move to insure proper digestion. Most likely this size will be outgrown fairly fast.

 

[Gbear]

Hey there. Your tort is a beauty. Make sure he has a humid hide to go burrow into. Even though he is a desert tortoise, they need that moisture as a baby so that they don't dehydrate. You can buy a tupperware container at the dollar store and cut a little entry way for your tort to get in and out of. Get some sphagnum moss from home depot, moisten it with luke warm water, and then put that in your hide. If possible, buy/create an outdoor enclosure too. You can find a lot of easy do it yourself enclosure ideas by googling baby tortoise outdoor enclosures. I personally had my torts in a 40 gallon breeder tank, used a 160w Mercury vapor bulb in the daytime and a ceramic heat emitter at night. The temperature should be 95 degrees in the basking spot and between 75 and 80 on the cool side of the enclosure. The most important thing though for little ones is that humid hide and to soak them at least once every other day. Hydration is their friend, dehydration can kill them and kill them quickly. As for a water bowl, I use repti-rock food dishes for my baby cherryheads. This is shallow enough that they can get in and out easily and has little risk of flipping over. A terra cotta dish works well too(I use those in the outside pin) Hope this helps!

 

[Gbear]

Also, make sure to get something for the tort to eat on top of, whether that be a flat rock or another terra cotta dish. This will help keep the food clean, stop the little guy from ingesting the substrate which could lead to a blockage, and helps to keep their beak and nails in shape.

 

[Luismaela]

Wow thank you all so much. I went ahead and took a little bit from everyone. I bought double the substrate I originally had. I bought a utility light with a 65w incandescent flood bulb for heat and for uv I have a long florecent uv bulb. I also got a few terra Cora dishes. One for the food and another for water. And a little piece of wood for them to hide. But they haven't been using it yet.

 

[Luismaela]

Thank you guys for all the help

 

[Gbear]

Make sure to get the humid hide box some time this week. It's cheap (under $6 for the moss and Tupperware box) and really helps your torts thrive. I have 2 in my young cherry head enclosure. One on the warm side and one on the cool side.

 

[Stuart S.]

Hello and welcome! Just be sure to keep the enclosure humid and give daily soaks, my baby will be 5 months old tomorrow and I've been learning everything by trial and error and from these folks on here and with their help, my baby is very healthy and active! They're here to help and they know what they're talking about