What size CHE for 10 gallon tank?

Jsvargas13

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Hello, I just bought a Sulcata and I have it in a 10 gallon tank. Small since the Sulcata is small, for now, it’s apparently 30 days old. I was looking into this Che infrared heater so I won’t stress the tortoise out by having the heating lamp light beaming down on it all day. So my question is, what watt size bulb would be good for a 10 gallon tank for my my Sulcata to be comfortable?
 

Cherryman304

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Hello, I just bought a Sulcata and I have it in a 10 gallon tank. Small since the Sulcata is small, for now, it’s apparently 30 days old. I was looking into this Che infrared heater so I won’t stress the tortoise out by having the heating lamp light beaming down on it all day. So my question is, what watt size bulb would be good for a 10 gallon tank for my my Sulcata to be comfortable?
First a ten gallon tank is glass. Tortoises being able to see out as a hatchling is stressful. You have to think a hatchlings job for the first few years of life is to stay hidden. Plus they will pace the sides alot because they are curious and really want out. Hence they dont know what they are missing is they cant see it. Second it's hard to get substrate at a deep enough level that will allow a little burrowing. Now as for your question. I would say nothing over a 50w without a thermostat. You can go higher if you have a thermostat. Thermostats are about 20 to 30$ on Amazon. Trust me when I say this. Save yourself the headache and guesswork and buy a thermostat. They are easy to set up literally two plugs and set the desired temp" 85 to 90f". If you dont get a thermostat you will run the risk of overheating your tortoise. A regular lightbulb could heat a 10 gallon tank.
 

Jsvargas13

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Thanks for your fast reply. I will look into buying a thermostat on amazon. As far as housing, you mentioned it’s glass. Are they not supposed to be in glass? I’m new to this and really want to give my tort a good life but outdoor housing is not an option at the moment so it will have to be inside. What can I get for it since a glass tank was not the appropriate approach.
 

Cherryman304

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Just go out to Wal-Mart or wherever and buy a storage container. Mine is 36 Inches long 20 inches wide and 16 inches deep. You will be able to put about 4 inches of bedding down and still have room above them. sulcatas are a desert species so they need a basking spot. I'm sure others will chime in. I have a redfoot so the needs are a different. I'm a firm believer in humidity is always good for smooth shell growth . I'm just not sure how well Sullys would tolerate it. The storage tub and the thermostat are a win win in my eyes. That's a start and you will get more info. Have you looked at the care sheets?
 

Yvonne G

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Hello, I just bought a Sulcata and I have it in a 10 gallon tank. Small since the Sulcata is small, for now, it’s apparently 30 days old. I was looking into this Che infrared heater so I won’t stress the tortoise out by having the heating lamp light beaming down on it all day. So my question is, what watt size bulb would be good for a 10 gallon tank for my my Sulcata to be comfortable?
A 10 gallon aquarium is way too small. You're not going to be able to get good heating in that small tank. Plus there's not enough room to have some plants for him to hide under. If you're really committed to using it I'd recommend the very smallest CHE you can buy - maybe a 25 watt. Please read the care sheets for sulcatas that are pinned towards the top of our sulcata section. It's important to start this baby out right.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Thanks for your fast reply. I will look into buying a thermostat on amazon. As far as housing, you mentioned it’s glass. Are they not supposed to be in glass? I’m new to this and really want to give my tort a good life but outdoor housing is not an option at the moment so it will have to be inside. What can I get for it since a glass tank was not the appropriate approach.
A 10 gal. Tank is way to small, even for a hatchling. You will not get the microclimates that is needed or anything else. You have a sulcata, they grow very big and if in the right conditions, grow fast. Please start your own thread on this and also go to our sulcata tort section. At the top of the page you will find our care sheets. Read them and make needed changes. Come back with any questions you my have. We are here to help.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Just go out to Wal-Mart or wherever and buy a storage container. Mine is 36 Inches long 20 inches wide and 16 inches deep. You will be able to put about 4 inches of bedding down and still have room above them. sulcatas are a desert species so they need a basking spot. I'm sure others will chime in. I have a redfoot so the needs are a different. I'm a firm believer in humidity is always good for smooth shell growth . I'm just not sure how well Sullys would tolerate it. The storage tub and the thermostat are a win win in my eyes. That's a start and you will get more info. Have you looked at the care sheets?
Sulcatas are not a desert species,
 

Cherryman304

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Sulcatas are not a desert species,
Sub Saharan "Desert". The African spurred tortoise, also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise, which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in Africa. So if this not a desert what would it be considered because its definitely not a forest.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Sub Saharan "Desert". The African spurred tortoise, also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise, which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in Africa. So if this not a desert what would it be considered because its definitely not a forest.
@Tom
 

Cherryman304

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Sulcatas are not a desert species,
This site cracks me up. Like everyone in here just see a way to correct someone on a comment instead of answering the original question. If all these people with knowledge were so worried about it then have them answer the questions that never get answered or passed up because someone wants to have a pissing contest and correct someone.
 

Tom

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This site cracks me up. Like everyone in here just see a way to correct someone on a comment instead of answering the original question. If all these people with knowledge were so worried about it then have them answer the questions that never get answered or passed up because someone wants to have a pissing contest and correct someone.
Not the case at all. We want to stop the spread of old, out-dated, incorrect info that has been parroted and passed on for generations. Its not a pissing contest. Its about a relatively small number of people trying to stop the ignorance of a relatively large number of people. Ignorance that has persisted and been perpetuated for decades. Not an easy task. Please forgive our brevity and frustration when someone posts advice that repeats this old wrong info.

Sulcatas are not a desert species. They come from grassland and forest edge areas. It takes a lot of annual rainfall to maintain grasslands and forests, so, by definition, not a desert. Two more points:
  1. The human idea of what "desert" animals need in a captive environment typically leads to dehydration, desiccation, sickness and death. In the wild, even true desert animals find ways to conserve hydration, make hydration, or find hydration, that are not available in a typical "desert" set up in someone's living room.
  2. Sulcatas hatch at the start of the monsoon season. Heavy rains, hot temperatures, and stifling (to humans) high humidity. It is the first rains that prompt them to dig up and to of their underground nest chambers. They hatch out of their eggs, eat the feces mom left behind, eat their egg shells, and actually wait underground for the first rain of the season.
Repeating the incorrect info that sulcatas are a desert species to a new keeper, is very likely to lead to that babies death if they listen to you. Here is more to explain that: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Please don't take this personally. It isn't personal. The goal here is healthy, thriving babies. Its not about ego, or being macho. It is literally about saving tortoise lives and helping to get the correct info out.
 

Tom

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Hello, I just bought a Sulcata and I have it in a 10 gallon tank. Small since the Sulcata is small, for now, it’s apparently 30 days old. I was looking into this Che infrared heater so I won’t stress the tortoise out by having the heating lamp light beaming down on it all day. So my question is, what watt size bulb would be good for a 10 gallon tank for my my Sulcata to be comfortable?
Hello and welcome!

Congrats on the new baby! :)

Your 10 gallon tank isn't going to work. Glass tanks are fine to start Babies in, but a 10 gallon is way too small. A brand new single hatchling should be in a minimum of a 40 gallon and a 100 gallon would be better. They need room to move, and as has already been stated, you won't be able to maintain the correct temperature gradient in something that small. Once you add a humid hide, food and water bowls, a couple of decorations, there is hardly any room to walk even in a 40. Walking helps with their digestion, much the same way it does in horses. Keeping them cramped up in a small enclosure can potentially do harm. The glass thing is also an old persistent myth. Nothing wrong with glass enclosures for captive bred babies. Closed chambers actually work best.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them.
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height.
Check these out, and please feel free to ask all your questions:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 
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