Baby sulcata

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Keeps trying to climb the wall of the back of the tank constantly. Sprayed the tank , fed him and rearranged tank. What do you think ? I am scared he will flip over while I'm not looking.
 

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wellington

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What do you mean you sprayed the tank?
How big is the tank?
What are the temps? Basking, all over, night?
What is the humidity?
What type of lighting ahd heating are you using?
Is it a closed chamber?
 
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How big is your tank?
I sprayed the tank mith a mist of water , because my humidity has been at 40 lately .
The tank is 20 gallons.
Temperature is 89 - 95 during the day . At night it stay at 80 -85. Humidity is at 60 right now , for about 2 hours after misting . I am using uvb 10.0 reprising, for basking 75w exo Terra. It is not a closed chamber. I am working towards that , but I have a bin that I take him out side with and put grass in .
 

wellington

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Cover the sides of the tank so he cant see out.
The day temp is too high. Should be 80 all over except the basking spot. You need to get humidity to 80% or he will pyramid. Cover the enclosure until you can get a proper closed chamber.
If any if those bulbs are Coil type stop using it they can cause eye damage.
Night temp needs to also be 80
 
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Cover the sides of the tank so he cant see out.
The day temp is too high. Should be 80 all over except the basking spot. You need to get humidity to 80% or he will pyramid. Cover the enclosure until you can get a proper closed chamber.
If any if those bulbs are Coil type stop using it they can cause eye damage.
Night temp needs to also be 80
What brand do you suggest for both lighting ?
 

wellington

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The daytime temp of 89-95 is great for a sulcata baby. Not too high. 80 all over except directly under the bulb is to cool.
Since when? Its always been 80, I can't keep up with all the changes.
They seem to change daily.
 

Tom

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I sprayed the tank mith a mist of water , because my humidity has been at 40 lately .
The tank is 20 gallons.
Temperature is 89 - 95 during the day . At night it stay at 80 -85. Humidity is at 60 right now , for about 2 hours after misting . I am using uvb 10.0 reprising, for basking 75w exo Terra. It is not a closed chamber. I am working towards that , but I have a bin that I take him out side with and put grass in .
20 gallons is much too small. Even a 40 is too small for sulcata babies. They need more space.

What type of 10.0 bulb? Is it a screw in type CFL? Those burn tortoise eyes and should never be used.

What type of bulb is the exo terra. If its a spot bulb, those will cause pyramiding. You need a flood bulb.

You need a much thicker layer of orchid bark. I can see the bottom in your current tank.

Remove the moss. It does nothing and its an impaction hazard.

Show us a pic of the whole tank for more suggestions for improvement.
 

Tom

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Since when? Its always been 80, I can't keep up with all the changes.
They seem to change daily.
Been this way for a long time. 80 is a good minimum, but the day time ambient should warm up just like the tropical areas where these torts come from.

In practice, they do much better when the basking lamp warms the whole enclosure up to 90ish during the day, and then it drops back down to 80 at night. In summer my indoor chambers get up to 93-95 during the day. The Sulcatas and stars still bask when its that warm. I have thermostats on the basking lamps set to cut off at an ambient temp of 96, with the probe far away from the bulbs. LEDs stay on all day regardless of temperature so they always have daytime light.
 

wellington

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Since when? Its always been 80, I can't keep up with all the changes.
They seem to change daily.
I think caresheets need to be updated. 80 is listed as a no lower than day and night with the basking area raising areas of the ambient temp into higher 80's low 90's which of course is naturally going to happen with a basking area of 95-100.
 
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What would you suggest for lighting ? Also he roams and rest here and there . I removed some of that bark on the corner to remove him from that corner then I replaced it back .
 

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Tom

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What would you suggest for lighting ? Also he roams and rest here and there . I removed some of that bark on the corner to remove him from that corner then I replaced it back .
The water bowl is a flipping drowning hazard. Remove it and replace it with a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate.

That is exactly the type of UV bulb we say not to use. Turn it off ASAP. Its burning your tortoises eyes.

The clamps holding your light fixtures always fail leading to catastrophe. All fixtures need to be hung from over head.

The tank is much too small. You need something at least four feet long. And you need to cover as much of the top as you can. You can use aluminum foil if needed.

The tortoise needs some cover. Somewhere to hide. Find a lavatera bush, mulberry tree, grape vine or something similar. Clip a branch or two and drop that into the middle of the enclosure so your tortoise can hide under and amongst the leaves, and also nibble on them. Replace the leaves/bramches every couple of days as they wither.
 
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Sorry may be a slow question but the uvb not basking turn off right? Will he be ok until tomorrow without it ? I also found a glass sliding top at petco would this be fine ? Regarding the "somewhere to hide " ... what I made take out ? And just use one of the bushes you suggested ?
 
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
SPRING HILL
Sorry may be a slow question but the uvb not basking turn off right? Will he be ok until tomorrow without it ? I also found a glass sliding top at petco would this be fine ? Regarding the "somewhere to hide " ... what I made take out ? And just use one of the bushes you suggested ?
I have two Terra cotta saucer in there , I will take gray water bowl out .
 

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