Where does your leopard sleep?

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Tortus

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After rearranging my enclosure, and completely giving up on a humid hide, mine has chosen to sleep here:

0TRVd.jpg


It makes a nest in the covered cool end of the enclosure above the heat mat. As you can see by the moisture on the walls it's pretty humid down there so I don't think it needs a humid hide (it wouldn't use one anyway...I tried 3 different hides). It doesn't want to be "inside" of anything.

It used to sleep wedged under some wood in the hot end until I got rid of that. It wouldn't fit in the covered end which is where I wanted the tort to go.
 

jtrux

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Initially mine would do what yours does. I tried several variations of humid hides with no luck. I picked up a box turtle for another member recently and it came with one of those over priced half log hides and I threw it in his enclosure just to see if he'd go for it and he loves it. He loves to walk in and out of it all day. If you remove it while he's in it, you can see where he's burrowed down quite a bit. Occassionally he will sleep outside of it but will usually find his way back into it during the night.
 

Tortus

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I also have a half log hide on the hot end that mine will go in and out of now, but It doesn't sleep in it at night. Maybe nap in it during the day a little. When the log was in the cool end it never even looked at it.

But this seems to be the regular sleeping spot now. I ordered another hygrometer to see exactly how humid it is down there. It looks to be well over 80%.

BTW, the loose stuff on top is sphagnum moss. I like the spread a layer on top of the coir to give the tort a sense of being hidden instead of being out in the open. I've heard people say moss will mold, but sphagnum is a wetland moss and it's used in wet terrariums. I've yet to notice any signs of mold.
 

jtrux

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The bad thing about the log hide is that mine climbs on top of it and sometimes falls off, I catch him sleeping on it all the time.
 

Neal

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For the most part, mine sleep out in the open. But, they're in and out of their hide all day.
 

Tortus

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I still have the log hide that it goes in now and then during the day, but got rid of the humid hide all together. I think the entire covered end of my enclosure acts as a humid hide. It's only 7" high and as long as I keep the substrate moist the sides get lots of condensation on them when the heat mat kicks in. I'll find out exactly how humid it is in a couple days when the new hygrometer gets here.
 

TortoiseBoy1999

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Mine sleep's in his humid hide/half log. If he is not in there, I know it's to hot. So I turn it on it's side to let all the heat escape. Then when it has I put it back because I have a heat mat under the tank to heat up his hide. Then I juts push him back in and he sleeps there for the rest of the night. :)
 

Tortus

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TortoiseBoy1999 said:
Mine sleep's in his humid hide/half log. If he is not in there, I know it's to hot. So I turn it on it's side to let all the heat escape. Then when it has I put it back because I have a heat mat under the tank to heat up his hide. Then I juts push him back in and he sleeps there for the rest of the night. :)

You should get a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot! I use the "hydrofarm" digital thermostat. It works great. You can get it on Amazon for under $30. You plug the heat mat into the thermostat, and set the temp for around 80 degrees. Then put the probe on the substrate above where the mat is. I bury the probe about 1/4 inch down.

That way if the temperature goes above 80 degrees, the mat will turn off. And then turn back on when the temp drops too low. You won't have to worry about turning the log over anymore. :)

It's a good investment.
 

TortoiseBoy1999

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Tortus said:
You should get a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot! I use the "hydrofarm" digital thermostat. It works great. You can get it on Amazon for under $30. You plug the heat mat into the thermostat, and set the temp for around 80 degrees. Then put the probe on the substrate above where the mat is. I bury the probe about 1/4 inch down.

That way if the temperature goes above 80 degrees, the mat will turn off. And then turn back on when the temp drops too low. You won't have to worry about turning the log over anymore. :)

It's a good investment.

Well, I have a thermometer/hydrometer in his hide and I only have to do this once a week ;) But maybe in the future when I have moola to spend! :D
 

Tortus

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But a thermometer will not turn off the mat when it gets too hot. Heat mats can be dangerous if left unchecked since they just stay blazing at full temp.

I honestly wouldn't have a heat mat without a thermostat. I wouldn't want my tortoise to sleep on that area and have it heat up to 100 degrees at night. That's too high. They need somewhat of a cooldown period at night.

Try to find some way to get a thermostat. Tell your parents you need it.
 

Greg T

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Torts will usually choose a place they like to sleep. Two of mine have specific locations in the backyard they sleep in, one in a hide in the corner and one in teh fence corner behind the wheel barrow. My male will choose between three other places he likes to sleep, one in a fence corner, one under my BBQ, and one along the wall of my house next to the electrical ground connction. Who knows why, but I can always find them in their spots. I think they are very habitual animals. :D
 

JenniferAnn

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Would it be possible for you to post a pic of the enclosure. I'm currently working on improving mine, which is a plastic tub thing like yours.
 

TortoiseBoy1999

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Tortus said:
But a thermometer will not turn off the mat when it gets too hot. Heat mats can be dangerous if left unchecked since they just stay blazing at full temp.

I honestly wouldn't have a heat mat without a thermostat. I wouldn't want my tortoise to sleep on that area and have it heat up to 100 degrees at night. That's too high. They need somewhat of a cooldown period at night.

Try to find some way to get a thermostat. Tell your parents you need it.

I check his hide EVERY NIGHT :p seriously. He's fine :)
 

*Barracuda_50*

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:) Ours sleep in diffrent areas at diffrent times of the day, night time they all sleep in the upper deck level, durring the day hrs there inside the humid hide house or under the upper deck level ramp, except for Kitwana likes the upper deck level for sleeping the most.:tort:
 

Tortus

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JenniferAnn said:
Would it be possible for you to post a pic of the enclosure. I'm currently working on improving mine, which is a plastic tub thing like yours.

Sorry. I wasn't trying to ignore you but I just saw the post.

fiDrj.jpg


It's the biggest under bed container I could find, 39" x 20". The end I keep covered has a heat mat with a thermostat set at 80 degrees, and I keep the coconut coir moist so the humidity stays around 90%. I pour a cup of water over the heat mat area every day and mist the rest with a 2 liter Solo pressurized hand sprayer (I LOVE that thing). The uncovered end used to be about 55%, but I got Smokey the penguin and now it stays around 75% with the lights on. I only run the humidifier when they're on since at night the humidity rises and it's not needed.

Right now I have a 100 watt basking bulb and a reptisun 10.0 UVB tube. I'm considering replacing the basking bulb with a mercury vapor after hearing a few comments, but as of now the tort is growing super fast and healthy. New growth that I thought was pyramiding is smoothing out as more white comes in.
 
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